2008 Toyota Land Cruiser Styling

STYLING | 7 out of 10

A restrained, confident exterior clashes with a busy, tech-laden interior in the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser.

With a history going back decades, the Land Cruiser has evolved significantly since its days as a utilitarian, two-door Japanese Jeep. Nonetheless, a desire for function over style and a physical presence that evokes competence are still solidly in the Land Cruiser’s aesthetic repertoire. “There are no heroic Nissan Murano-like experiments with the styling here,” says Car and Driver, just a clean modernization of the concept. Motor Trend assures us that “outside, it’s unmistakably ‘Land Cruiser.’” Compared to its straked and bulging-fendered competitors, Kelley Blue Book remarks of the Land Cruiser, “when you’re confident of your ability, you don’t have to pretend.”

Inside, however, a clutter of 21st-century technology makes itself known perhaps too well. While Edmunds reports that “Toyota has updated the cabin with a fresh design and enhanced features,” Kelley Blue Book laments that “the instrument panel, dash and console are awash with switches, gauges and displays; it will take owners some time to figure out what they all do.”

Conclusion

2008 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER PERFORMANCE | 8 out of 10

Car and Driver: “huge ability…in everything it does”
Motor Trend: “the Land Crusher”
Automobile: “wonderful 5.7-liter V-8”
Kelley Blue Book: “precise and confidence-inspiring”
Kelley Blue Book: “ride comfort comes close to...luxury sedans”

Fleet acceleration, a plush ride, responsive handling, and startling off-road prowess give the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser performance that’s hard to beat.

Toyota’s new 5.7-liter V-8, shared with its other full-framed trucks and SUVs, churns out 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque, enough to move this 5,900-pound SUV to 60 mph from rest in just 6.5 seconds. Car and Driver describes the power delivery as “velvety” and explains that it invokes the magic of variable valve timing, a variable-volume intake system, and an electronic fly-by-wire throttle to give performance that is “silky smooth and quiet”--until you ask it for max urge, at which point “you hear a muted yet mellifluous snarl from the engine bay.” Replacing last year’s five-speed auto, “an imperturbable six-speed automatic manages this output,” according to Automobile. Remarkably, this athletic, serene combination yields less emissions and better EPA numbers, at 13/18 mpg, than last year’s less powerful Cruiser.

Also impressive is the way the Land Cruiser comports itself on the tarmac. “Expect unflappable nonchalance over acned asphalt,” assures Car and Driver. “Body lean is fairly well controlled,” comments ConsumerGuide, who also find “responsive steering, combined with a fairly tight turning radius, results in good maneuverability for such a large vehicle.” A trick technology, KDSS in Toyota-Tech-Speak, increases roll-stiffness when both shock absorbers on a given side of the vehicle are compressed, giving this big, cushy boat surprising resistance to body lean on paved roads. Kelley Blue Book says its “ride comfort comes close to...luxury sedans” and calls its handling “precise and confidence-inspiring.”

That same system, KDSS, increases suspension compliance dramatically when only one wheel on a given side is forced upward, allowing for excellent suspension articulation necessary in true off-roading. That feature, a live rear axle (long known to be optimal for rock crawling), a locking Torsen center differential, and the new-for-’08 Crawl Control make the Land Cruiser “a mountain goat with stitched leather upholstery,” according to Motor Trend. Crawl Control takes the driver’s feet completely out of the equation when off-road, both accelerating and braking as needed to keep the Cruiser crawling at a predetermined speed, either uphill or down. It's an impressive display of microprocessing wizardry, no doubt, but one that Automobile cites “at once cause for wonder and dismay,” pointing out that true off-roaders like to do it themselves.

Conclusion

2008 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER COMFORT AND QUALITY 8 out of 10

Motor Trend: “awkward third-row seats”
Car and Driver: “The seats are thrones”
ConsumerGuide: “large, comfortable seats”

Provided you keep to the first two rows, the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser offers considerable comfort and unmistakable Toyota quality.

Up front, the Cruiser offers “large, comfortable seats with lots of adjustments” that “combine with a tilt and telescopic steering wheel and ample headroom and legroom for first-class accommodations,” according to ConsumerGuide. Entry into those comfortable chairs can be a bit challenging due to the Land Cruiser’s height and lack of available running boards. “The glass area feels big, the view panoramic. The seats are thrones,” commends Car and Driver.

The second row offers luxurious accommodations, as well. ConsumerGuide terms them “impressive,” citing “plenty of headroom and legroom on comfortable seats that can fit three across in a pinch. However,” they note, “foot space is tight unless the front seats are raised.” Passengers get their own audio and climate controls, and seats slide back and forth roughly three inches.

The only comfort/convenience demerits in the interior belong to the third row (or Way Back, in station wagon vernacular), into which “entry is a jungle-gym climb, and once you arrive—typical of SUVs with rigid rear axles—the cushion is barely off the floor,” according to Car and Driver. Regarding those “iconoclastic side-folding third-row seats,” says Motor Trend, they “either leave you feeling like you're sitting in a barrel due to the elevated floor or are smack in the way of stowing wide cargo when folded away.” Seemingly not able to decide between decent cargo storage or third-row seats, Toyota does a mediocre job with both.

Refinement is excellent. “Wind, road, and engine noise are well controlled, even at highway speeds, making the Land Cruiser as quiet as some luxury cars,” enthuses ConsumerGuide. There is not one complaint of a harsh ride or untoward chassis motions, no small feat in a large, live axle SUV. The combination of navigation system, some HVAC controls, and the radio in one panel has the effect of “seriously complicating what should be simple adjustments,” also according to ConsumerGuide, though they acknowledge that “materials are generally luxury grade” and “workmanship is likewise impressive.”

Conclusion