2008 Toyota Land Cruiser - Quality Review

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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.”