Her + His Car Reviews
2018 Toyota Land Cruiser
Our car reviews are innovative and interesting as we provide insightful and expert reviews from both Her + His perspectives.
Her: Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate, women-drivers.com
His: Don Hammonds, Writer, AutomobileJournal.com
| HER | HIS |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| $86,303 | $86,303. Nope. Not cheap! |
| Performance | |
| What a smooth sailing powerhouse. The Land Cruiser is in a class of its own with a 5.7-liter V8 engine that produces a whopping 381 horsepower that makes this pony move. It's an eight-speed automatic and full-time 4 wheel drive, so it's great for off roading. And, when clocked, this car can amass instant speed, so it's a great hauler on the highways, too. | Every Land Cruiser also comes with a 5.7-liter V8 engine that produces 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque. It is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission and a full-time four-wheel-drive system. You will be hard pressed to find another SUV as well equipped to do a lot of off roading. Maybe Mercedes G Class, but you will pay a heck of a lot more for one of those. |
| Fuel Economy | |
| 15 Overall Miles/ 13 City Miles/18 Highway Miles - you're going to be at gas stations often, too bad. | Brace yourself! City fuel economy is a measly 13 miles per gallon in the city and 18 on the highway. You will spend $5,250 more in fuel costs over five years compared to the average new vehicle, and it will use up 6.7 gallons of gas to drive 100 miles. Annual fuel cost is $2,450 based on gasoline costing $2.45 a gallon for five years. |
| The Car | |
| One of the easiest and enjoyable SUVs to drive. For the driver, you are seated and positioned well, too. The challenge for this vehicle is the price, the styling, and the overall value. It has so much riding on it, but it's priced about 12-15K above the competition, leaving it in no where land, so to speak. The new Land Rovers and Ford Explorers are taking a bite out of this model. Spaciousness is king in this large SUV, and this is the vehicle for long haul-i-days. What a pleasure to drive. The comfort creatures are all here. |
The Land Cruiser, I must say, is an enigma in many ways. You look at it and you think, "My gosh, it's gonna be tough to drive in the city with all that traffic." Well I can tell you that the Land Cruiser actually handles like a much smaller SUV, and is nimble on the road, quick to corner, and reassuring to brake. It will likely come as quite a surprise to those who expect it to be a sloth because of its size. |
| Safety | |
| This vehicle is loaded with Air Bags, 4 Wheels ABS, Disc Brakes, Front Tow Hooks, Daytime Running Lights, Traction Control, Blind Spot Monitoring, Land Departure Warning, Rear Camera, Rear Traffic Cross Alert, Tyota Safety Sense, Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, and Trailor Sway Control. | Land Cruiser comes with Toyota's Safety Sense pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert, auto high beams, rear traffic cross alert, blind spot monitor, trailer sway control, front and rear parking assist sonar and quite a bit of other equipment. |
| Technology | |
| Entune Premium JBL Audio w/ Navigation and AM/FM/CD/ 9 inch resolution screen. An amazing 14 speakers for concert-like entertainment, USB ang Auxillary, Sirius XM full Acess Radio w 3 month subscription trial. Bluetooth and SIRI sterring Wheel controls. Two (2) 11" rear Screen DVD and HDMI System for in-travel customized entertainment.
4 zone climate control for personalized monitoring. Center Cooler Box for storage of necessities to stay fresh and cold. 8 person perforated leather trim seats - and very comfortable, indeed. 10 way memory support, lumbar too. Auto High Beams. Rain-Sensing Windsheild Wipers. One year subscription of Safety Connect. |
Standard exterior equipment includes 18-inch wheels, LED exterior lighting, automatic high beams, power-folding and auto-dimming mirrors, automatic wipers, a windshield wiper de-icer, roof rails, running boards, and an integrated towing hitch receiver and wiring harness. Inside is a sunroof, keyless ignition and entry, four-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, heated and ventilated power-adjustable front seats, driver-seat memory functions, 40/20/40-split second-row seats (folds, reclines and slides), 50/50-split third-row seats, a heated power-adjustable steering wheel, and a cooler box under the front center armrest. Tech features include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, a surround-view parking camera system, wireless smartphone charging, a USB port, a 9-inch touchscreen interface, Bluetooth, a navigation system, voice controls, Toyota's Entune smartphone app suite, and a 14-speaker JBL sound system with a CD player and satellite radio. The only factory option is a rear-seat entertainment system that includes two display screens mounted to the front seats. |
| Aesthetics & Styling | |
| The Land Cruiser has an upscale interior with a confluence of technologies an comfort creatures. What delicious seats - really! The spacious hauler is in a league of its own and continues to be rated very well.
What detracts from its strong roots are the exterior design, though true to its core. The poor fuel economy needs to be addressed to make it more competitive in this category. It's a great 3-row SUV that glides on the highway and travels confortably with 8. Note that the Land Cruiser's third row doesn't fold flush to the floor. |
The interior is very airy, spacious, and quite understated with a kind of old world quiet elegance. Everything in place. Nothing that makes the interior look gaudy. But...those 50/50 split third row seat, which splits in half, with the seats attached to the rear sides of the car when not in use, are for the birds! Portions of the windows are blanked out if you need to see out either of the car to the rear. It's also something of a hassle to stretch toward the center console. But other than these items, it's top notch. What about the styling? Well, truth to tell, the Land Cruiser is a box. A tastefully chromed box with the thickest silver trim I've ever seen, but it's still a box. Want style? Check out the lovely Highlander, or the rugged Pathfinder. Faaaabulous! |
| Warranty | |
| 3 Year/36,000 Limited Warranty and 5 Year/60,000 Powertrain Warranty. | 3 year/36,000 mile limited warranty for the entire car and a 5 year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty. |
