Toyota’s Land Cruiser Grounded After 2021


    Toyota's Land Cruiser

    Toyota’s Land Cruiser is soon to be a casualty of technological advancement, after rumors of the venerable SUV being dropped were confirmed by Car and Driver when they spoke with a partner in a large dealer franchise who said that 2021 would be the end of the road for this premium SUV. This seems to confirm some earlier reporting we shared from Motor Authority.

    Toyota's Land Cruiser

    The Land Cruiser utilizes a 5.7-liter, DOHC 32-valve V8 with dual independent variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i) with 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque, versus a turbocharged, inline-six-cylinder with an integrated electric motor in the BMW X5, with an additional nine hp and 32 lb-ft more than Toyota’s flagship SUV. Combined city/highway MPGs are 14 in the Toyota. For funsies, we compared that to the 78 city/77 highway MPGe in an Audi e-tron, just as a reminder how far new tech has come.Toyota's Land Cruiser

    The 200 Series, as the Land Cruiser is known to aficionados, has been around since 2007, a 14-year run that has seen a lot of other SUVs come and go. Its body-on-frame construction is common only to a handful of other utes, with more headed the way of unibody construction for their lighter weight and greater fuel efficiency. Simply put, it appears the Land Cruiser’s time has come.

    Toyota's Land Cruiser

    That same source said that we should not mourn the loss of the Land Cruiser for too long, and that he thought it would be reprised in a more modern, luxurious version, much like the Ford Bronco. Let’s hope Toyota retains the same rugged, utilitarian spirit embodied the original Land Cruiser, and not become another crossover like the Chevrolet Blazer.

    Toyota's Land Cruiser

    Styling and fuel economy aside, do we really need another crossover in a field as crowded with them as there are now? If a new Land Cruiser doesn’t possess the same third-world-conquering capabilities of the current model, why bring it back? For the fashionistas, there’s already the Highlander and the new Venza. If adventure travel is your thing, there’s the 4Runner, or the Sequoia. Come to think of it, maybe Toyota is simply thinning the herd, content to work with their other existing platforms.

    [Images: Toyota]





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