Landcruiser GXL 200 series: King of the Road

Folding the rear seats

Above left: The hatchback-tent (on a Ford) Above Right: Crawl Control

Toyota gave me a chance to take a LandCruiser 200 GXL for a week. I was interested to if the bad driving associated with large SUV drivers is the fault of the car or not.

OUTSIDE:

The receptionist at Toyota’s massive Sydney HQ located in “The Shire” handed me the keys. As she did, she said “you know they call it the King of the Road” and smiled. An involuntary chuckle came. The thought of a great lumbering Behemoth with more body roll than Dumbo and the all good looks of a piece of lightly toasted moon-rock made me very much the nomenclature. After all, aren’t LandCruisers only for country folk and old people towing caravans the size of Tasmania?

From the outside the LandCruiser doesn’t look to have changed much for several decades. Our LC had the lift-up rear hatch which is my preferred option. It means being able to perch on the back at the polo to sip champers. There are also some very clever camping options that turn the rear of a lift-back SUV into a tent. It means a place to live and keep your accoutrements but be assured of a dry place to sleep that’s guaranteed to be completely rock free. You know there is nothing worse than a rock up your clacker at 3 am so give me a comfy air mattress any day.

Our GXL had a nice set of side steps which help the more diminutive driver scale the height required to get into the driver’s seat. The 17” Alloys are a good look and are standard across the range. They are matched to the off-road tyres needed to explore the big brown land we call home.

The exterior has the solid look and feel I’d expect from a Toyota, especially one that comes with so much gravitas.

The LC looks big but the closer you get the more enormous it becomes. It’s hard to believe a truck could be either comfortable or useable especially in the daily Sydney snarls.

INSIDE:

Entry is via smart entry/start system which I have grown very fond of over the last few years. Apart from the ubiquitous safety gear that has popped up like mushrooms, the smart entry system is the new black. With the key fumble-free still in your pocket, you simply pull gently on the door handle. Because the system already knows you aren’t an interloper, it unlocks and opens the door in one movement.

One thing which surprised me was the acres of grey velour which took me straight back to the 90’s. It may feel comfortable but on a car only 4k short of $100,000 surely leather is the only option. Leather also has the added benefit of being easily wiped over if there any little off-roading spills. The real test of an interior is how it feels from the driver’s seat.

From the moment my toosh hit the cushion my outlook had an instant facelift. Even before adjusting the seating position I could feel the deep cushioning providing a lounge-like experience. A quick shuffle and a few presses of the buttons and I felt like the king of the road and as yet I hadn’t shifted into drive. Although not the top model our GXL haS the GPS system on board which comes with the big LCD screen and reversing camera. It soon became apparent the reversing camera was essential rather than a luxury. The rear vision is great above the waist line, but the area concealed below the glass is enormous.

The cabin is capacious and there is a 3rd row of seats in case you have a whole bunch of pals who need a lift somewhere important. They quickly fold up and out of the way if you need the space. I mentioned the tent which attaches to the tailgate that gives you a living space so with the seats out of the way you have the sleeping space too.

The instruments are well laid and ditto for the controls. Those you use more often are in easy reach and those less often are down on the console. That’s where you find the crawl control which operates at low speed and has 5 settings. It has to be said that we didn’t get a chance to use any of the off-road gadgetry but the fact that it’s there at all says a lot for the package.

The top of the line Sahara has woodgrain trim with acres of cowhide but deep down it’s only the base model that’s been tarted up with a bit of bling.

THE DRIVE:

We did a combination of short city stints and a quick sprint to Canberra since the off-road kudos already flows like wine. It may surprise many of you but I also did a school run. I’m happy to report it was a great success. The 6year old squealed with excitement as I opened the moon roof and he thought the LC rode “much better than mummy’s jalopy”. Mum’s taxi is a reasonably new Lancer. I thought “jalopy” an odd word from a 6 year old but perhaps things have changed with the advent of the internet. I was interested to see if the explosion of soccer mums at school collection time had to mean every SUV in a 5 k radius was intentionally driven with reckless abando. The LC was easily reverse parked with little interruption to other drivers but I noted with great interest the manner in which the other SUVs were used. Many of them chose to double-park only to be moved on by an irate lolly-pop man furiously waving his stop sign. I wrote several years ago that SUVs had received a bum-wrap because their drivers felt imbued with an undeserved indestructible sense of entitlement. It’s true that one feels a certain superiority and after a short while one notices other drivers getting out of one’s way. See what I’m doing there? I’m using “one” like the queen does, and after only a week in the Toyota too. Size has much advantage but it is a privilege one should use sparingly as karma is a bitch.

Shopping centres and city traffic were conquered with similar alacrity. In fact after only a few days the massive LandCruiser seemed to have shrunk. This was due at least in part to the spectacular diesel V8 Toyota shoehorned into it. The 195KW sounds modest by V8 standards but it’s the torque of a stratospheric 650Nm that allows the massive bulk of 3300kg to sprint like a sports car. As if that wasn’t enough there is more than enough torque to tow a further 3500kg. That’s like a LandCruiser with two beefy lads on board towing a second Landcruiser. The figures are mindboggling.

The city run was truly impressive so we decided the “Kind of the Road” tag could only stand if the LandCruiser was comfortable on the open road. News reached me that the National Arboretum had opened in Canberra only 3 and a half hours down the road. I was on the phone lickety-split to organise a friend visiting from Japan. The next morning we set of bright and early.

The drive consists mainly of 110kph stretches road. I’ve made this trip in all sorts of atrocious conditions so a bit of light rain presented no problem. Probably the most amazing thing is just how much like a car the LandCruiser had begun to feel. On the highway the bulk completely vanishes and she shrinks even further. Only drivers outside the cabin are aware of the size of the vehicle. Those inside feel cosseted and special especially as they look down at the other travellers.

There were some interesting comments from my Japanese friend. Her parents drive a new Lexus in back home in the land of the rising sun, and she thought the LandCruiser compared well. The seating even after several hours was incredibly comfortable. The driving position was perfect and the car sat on the road smoothly ironing out the nuances of a less than perfect Australian highway. I began to see the Toyota as more of a luxury transport than a lowly workhorse. In fact I was genuinely find of her. Her steering, brakes and suspension were all designed by Goldilocks and were “just right”.

The Conclusion:

The 300 km trip passed quickly so when we pulled into we took a few moments to assess the journey and the first thing was the fuel consumption which was an amazing 6.9L/100k. To think an automatic 3.3 tonne vehicle travelling at 110 kph for 3.5 hours could use so little fuel is mind stunning. Our return trip of nearly 700 k’s was completed on under half a tank of fuel. That’s about $65 in diesel split between the 2 of us but the car seats 8 so the cabin could move a whole bunch of chums very cheaply. Moreover it would be done in great whisper quite comfort.

That’s the good bit. There were some parts that were not suite so good. The SatNav was slightly psychotic and kept freezing requiring resetting by restarting the engine which can only be done while the car is stopped. Some units won’t allow input whilst the vehicle is in motion but our test car simply would not co-operate unless reset.

Then there are the looks which can only be described as plain. 4WDs can be very attractive. The Land Rover and Range Rover are good examples. Also the massive 93 litre fuel tank would cost the better part $140 to fill which is a not inconsiderable sum.

In the end, the LandCruiser got under my skin. Although the price of $95,000 for the second bottom model makes your eyes water, it’s hard to think of a bettercar for all seasons. It feels indestructible, like mobile bunker furnished as a lounge room. In other words no matter where you want to go you can do it comfort.

My question had been answered: The bad drivers associated with large 4WD’s would be bad drivers in any car. A bad “tool” blames his “workman” it seems.

She isn’t the prettiest girl in the room, but she just might be the most capable.

Price

GX diesel:                            $84,209

GXL Diesel :                        $95,259

Altitude diesel:                 $97,859

VX diesel:                            $107,809

Sahara Diesel:                    $127,759

*also available in petrol V8

SPECS 2007 Toyota LandCruiser 200 specifications

5/11/2007