Revamped Toyota Land Cruiser Range Revealed
The Land Cruiser is iconic, no matter which part of the world you're in. In fact, its devoted fans in the Middle East claim that only a camel or a Cruiser can tackle the dunes. It's a car which has seen both the earth's poles and has helped pave the way for rural towns in central Africa.
One might have expected a car that started its journey in 1951 to adopt a modern and fresh appearance, however, Toyota surprised us by delivering something beyond our expectations, shaped by the desires of their loyal fans. Cruiser fans expressed that they love it just the way it is and were worried that the 70 Series would go the same route as the Defender.
This isn't the case for the new 70 as you can immediately notice with its old-school late 90s design, with the only noticeable modern aesthetic being its LED headlights. Despite its old-school looks, its heart has been modernised.
Now the main event is of course Toyota's new flagship Land Cruiser, and Toyota has made some big changes. They don't want to claim this is a new retro-inspired design, but it has a balanced exterior that seamlessly blends classic and modern design elements. The Prado also speaks to this design philosophy with its rounded headlights and square classic exterior design.
The new Land Cruiser lineup needed to meet five criteria, the first, to no surprise, was capability. We know that the Land Cruiser is a capable machine, but this new model looks to be more hardcore and trail-focused.
The second is choice. The new powertrain selection and configurations will be diverse and cater to different international environments. For the first time, this will include a hybrid powertrain option in the Land Cruiser. Toyota is confident that this hybrid option won't compromise its reliability, but rather improve power and capability.
The third is intuitive operation. Bringing in a Dakar driver to improve cabin layout, improve user experience and off-road ease by expressing the importance of user-friendly controls for your car.
The fourth point concerns aesthetic functionality, where the design of the new Land Cruiser prioritises function, inspiring the rugged design of the new model. This point is clearly implemented in the new Land Cruiser's design as the body is more squared and aggressive than the 300 and although looking rather complex, it's clear that the capability of this car is impressive just by its stature.
Lastly, to reach even more people. This means that the Land Cruiser will be sold in more nations, the most noticeable being the arrival of the new Land Cruiser in the USA.
Upon immediate impression, I'm impressed, to say the least. The new look is rugged and 'retro', despite what Toyota says, which is striking. Toyota claims that "everything in this car has a story and a reason" so it's clear that this new Land Cruiser range is incredibly well thought out.
When will it arrive in SA? Well, unfortunately, we don't have this information yet, but we'll keep you in the loop. Until then, we're all itching for our turn in this new but iconic 4x4.
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