Toyota Land Cruiser road tests and consumer car reviews

Toyota Land Cruiser lc4 auto 5 2005

A great family car. I had the turbo replaced under warranty at 28k , also the injector seals at 70k by Toyota, even though the vehicle was 6 years 3months old, free of charge and courtesty car included! Don’t waste money on Land Rover rubbish. I will buy another Land Cruiser. A great car that delivers 32 mpg at 70 mph on the motorway.

Toyota Land Cruiser LC5 2005

Great family car, however my engine blew up after 70,000 miles. Luckily I had paid for an extended warranty, but still took a month to get my car back. This is a known fault and you must talk to your dealer.

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2011

Gave up on Land Cruiser Prado diesel as the last one (after two preceding 3L diesels) started to cause issues after 95,000km with lumpy running and had already had significant vehicle issues prior. Traded to 4L petrol Ltd. Has lots of bells but the engine is obviously very different to drive after the ore iOS 3 x 3L diesels. Great on open road but low speed running. Its torque makes the engine unpredictable and not as smooth. New cruise control with auto distance control is painful needing a more rounded response instead of, at times, hunting and often over reacting to cruise setting.

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 150 4.0 L 2011

Super car. Great experience. Fun to drive, very quiet inside. I use it on and off road and works very well on both surfaces. Only slightly difficult to drive on heavy mud. The 2011 LC 150 is by far the best of the six others I owned previosly.

Toyota Land Cruiser LC4 2005

Well engineered traditional off-roader that will go anywhere. Toyota’s legendary reliability and great dealer service make the ownership experience a pleasure. Comfortable and well equipped. Feels like it will go on forever and will be kept long term. Highly recommended.

Responses to this review

Hi Andy, I am looking to purchase a Landcruiser LC LWB GX commercial but wondered what kind of miles to the gallon this will do. Can you advise roughly what you are getting? Thanks - Rickie from Ireland

Toyota Land Cruiser 3L Turbo Diesel Auto 2008

This is the third Land Cruiser (aka Prado in NZ) we’ve owned. Unfortunately, this one has had many issues. It has needed a new computer, injectors by 30,000k, a new diff and air-con pump by 80,000k. But the vehicle has proven versatile, robust and never let us down. Preceding issues have related to noise rather than outright breakdown. Our previous Prado (2005 diesel auto) cracked it’s head at 130,000k but local dealer hadn’t been doing coolant changes at Toyota so possibly corrosion may have caused the issue. Same vehicle now 160,000k still like new operation. First Prado (2002 3L turbo manual diesel) sold at 99,000k in favour of auto but radiator blockage for no apparent reason overheated in same week as the trade-in, this was fixed under warranty. Other than that, it was a great vehicle. Probably trade for another new one when current one reaches 100,000k.

Toyota Land Cruiser 2006

I have an 06 Commercial and it is absolutely brilliant so they are but I’m only getting 19mpg and that’s just cruising around 80-100kph.

Toyota Land Cruiser LC4 2006

This is my 4th landcruiser, the first of this type. So far I have done 116,000 miles, so I given it enough time to live with this car is, and some time with Toyota ownership, which for the first time, was not all sunshine: Firstly, the car engine blew up after 82,000 miles while in France. Toyota rebuilt the engine and all ancillary repairs for free. So although I was considerably miffed having had such a serious failure, Toyota turned an expensive disaster into a serious inconvenience. Note that this car was well out of warranty at this time. Wonder if Landrover/Porsche/VW/Audi would do the same? To drive, this version of landcruiser is out of date compared to more up to date rivals and any kind of prompt A-road driving will have passengers holding onto the grab bars. The other side of the coin is that it eats motorways with disdain and a level of comfort considerably above that of its predecessor. Put another way, slight modification in driving style will get other rewards in terms of landcruiser ownership. Off road or towing, low down grunt and reasonably tough build helps considerably, and while the horse power figure seems low when compared to others, it doesn’t seem to struggle to keep up or even beat other traffic. This landcruiser isn’t as tough as the others I’ve owned. But it is a lot more comfortable, better equipped, and supported by dealers who are above average in terms of both service and price. Do you have a big family? Run a small business? Live in the middle of nowhere? Need to get to the middle of nowhere? Any or all of the above? Then thoroughly recommended. And don’t take any notice of what the media says.

Toyota Land Cruiser 1996

Brilliant family bus. Throw everything into it, suitcases, dogs, kids, etc. Never fails me. Huge machine with turbo to leave them standing. 230000 miles on clock and will go the same again. Great off-roader and brilliant in the snow and ice we’ve been getting lately.

Toyota Land Cruiser 2006

My 5th Land Cruiser. I love every minute of owning this car. Absolutely fabulous....

Toyota Land Cruiser LC3 2003

Had the car from new... nearly 5 years and I normally change my car after 3!! Build quality unrivalled, and despite its size very easy to drive round town aided by the excellent auto gearbox. Service from Toyota far better than I’ve received from other manufacturers, and only one central locking issue requiring attention since new. It may not be as refined as an X5, Disco or Lexus but for value for money, reliability and presence it cant be beaten. Well done Toyota.

Toyota Land Cruiser LC5 Invincible

Two months into my owership of the LC5 Invincible and, overall, I am delighted with it. It is surprisingly easy to drive - predictably, intensely useable and wonderfully comforable. I dislike the way the third row seats work - the Disco3 is much better in that department. Everything else - including fuel economy is great. My wife loves driving it too!