2016 Toyota Land Cruiser review – Roadshow

The Good The Land Cruiser is immensely capable, comfortable and more or less fully loaded in its single trim level.

The Bad Those that don’t understand the Land Cruiser’s history will have a hard time getting over the fact that a Toyota costs $84,000. That, and the third-row seats don’t really fold out of the way that well.

The Bottom Line Whether you’re rock crawling or mall crawling, the Land Cruiser is more than ready to deal with whatever you’re throwing at it, and it will do so with the aplomb of its fancier competition.

“That Toyota costs how much?!”

Toyota has built a reputation in the States for having affordable, reliable passenger cars. It’s quite the conversation starter when you roll up in a ‘Yota that starts at $83,825.

In other parts of the world, the Land Cruiser is lauded for its capability mixed with Toyota’s history of building rock-solid SUVs. It’s the preferred dune crusher in the Middle East, where oil flows precipitate into cash flows that make the Land Cruiser’s MSRP seem like a pittance.

But it’s not like the money isn’t well spent. This Toyota’s high cost of admission gives you a fully loaded utility vehicle that spares no expense on the utility side, despite the fact that many of its owners may never put a foot in the dirt. It’s basically Japan’s Range Rover, and taken in that context, it’s actually a pretty good value.

The
2016
Toyota
Land
Cruiser
can
do…

See full gallery

1 – 6 of 31

Next
Prev

Easy on the eyes, inside and out

For the 2016 model year, Toyota threw the Land Cruiser a wealth of aesthetic upgrades. The front and rear fasciae are all new, with bright LED lighting front and back. With a big, strong grille and a hefty chrome strip straddling the taillights, this vehicle exudes physical heft — as it should, with a curb weight nearing 6,000 pounds.

I’m actually quite keen on the interior. It’s well laid out and easy on the eyes.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow

But, on the whole, it’s a handsome beast. It manages to look both new and old at the same time, the latter giving you a sense of reliability and ruggedness. Of course, it looks great parked outside of Saks, too, but hopefully owners will actually take this thing off-road on occasion.

The interior is a bit less premium feeling than, say, a Cadillac Escalade or a Land Rover Range Rover, but it’s no less useful and comfortable. The leather feels expensive, while certain heavy-use parts like the door handles and 4WD controls feel chunky and durable. It’s an interesting mix of capable and cushy, which describes the whole Land Cruiser experience in a nutshell. You feel less likely to break or sully something expensive than you do in the competition.

The Land Cruiser comes in a single specification, so its base price is also its fully loaded price, barring a few small additions such as rubber floor mats ($250) and a pair of wireless headphones for the second-row entertainment system ($80). Despite this, you still get blank buttons on several panels, which is annoying at this price point.

The standard third row has enough room to keep my svelte six-foot frame comfortable for about an hour. After that, leg cramps start to kick in. The seats fold up and to the side with a couple of simple latch pulls and some assistance from built-in struts. While it may be easy to move them, their stowed position means cargo capacity isn’t all it could be.

Tech-forward in some ways, tech-backward in others

If you’ve spent time in any other modern Toyota, the Land Cruiser’s giant, 9.0-inch touchscreen will be quite familiar. Even if not, Toyota’s Entune wins points for being relatively snappy, easy to navigate and quick to boot up. Pairing my iPhone took about 45 seconds. Once it’s paired, I was able to bring even more applications into the vehicle by way of Entune Apps. And while I was saddened by Toyota’s typical lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, I found Siri Eyes Free to be a helpful addition in keeping my eyes on the road.

The infotainment system is attached to a 14-speaker JBL Synthesis sound system, and it’s probably the best I’ve heard from any Toyota, perhaps even besting the optional Mark Levinson systems found in Lexus models. Sounds were crisp and distortion-free almost all the way to full volume.

Sadly, with only one USB port, you won’t be charging too many phones. While the second row lacks a USB port, it does have a 12-volt outlet, an HDMI input for the rear-seat entertainment system and two 3.5mm audio jacks.

The weirdest tech omission by far — well beyond having just one USB port — is the lack of a one-touch turn signal. Nearly every modern vehicle will flash its blinker three or more times with a light tap of the turn signal stalk. Not the Land Cruiser, though. It’s about the simplest thing ever, but it’s not here.

This is one of the best audio experiences of any Toyota or Lexus.

Andrew Krok/Roadshow