John Connolly AutoPrestige

Toyota Landcruiser

The Toyota Landcruiser is a large seven-seat 4 x 4 and is capable of dealing with far harsher driving conditions than most of its owners in the UK will ever experience. Priced between £30,000 and £40,000 it is certainly not a cheap car, but provides spacious comfort for all its occupants, along with a host of features.

The 3.0litre D-4D diesel will go from 0 to 60 mph in 11.7 seconds with a maximum speed of 109mph and the combined fuel consumption of 34.9 mpg is good for a car of this size. Many cars of this type, which are, after all, designed to cope with rough terrain, have difficulty adapting to less challenging, urban driving conditions. The Toyota Landcruiser manages to overcome this problem with the aid of an electronic kinetic dynamic suspension system, which adjusts the front and rear anti-roll bars for improved on-road performance.

The top of the range Toyota Landcruiser LC5 has an adaptive variable suspension system (AVS). An electronically controlled rear air suspension system works with the AVS to provide auto-levelling and switchable height control. An electronically controlled multi-terrain system automatically selects power and braking modes to achieve optimum performance in a given situation. Another great feature is the multi-terrain monitor, which uses a set of four cameras to provide the driver with information about road conditions.

All Toyota Landcruiser models feature extras that include 17inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, climate control, cruise control and Bluetooth compatibility. Safety features include advanced traction and stability control, seven airbags, ABS and active front headrests.