Heyward Allen Toyota

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Driving Impressions

To drive a Land Cruiser is to feel secure and in command. Especially on long trips, the Land Cruiser is relaxing to drive.

Press the start button and the gauges light up, needles bounce once, the steering wheel and mirrors return to previously set positions, and the V8 quietly hums to life. A gentle but insistent chime prompts seat-belt use.

Find Reverse, and the back-up camera displays what's behind you on the navigation screen. It's a welcome option, helping to make this SUV easier to park and safer for kids to play around.

In everyday driving, the Land Cruiser feels and behaves just like any other well appointed, full-size SUV. Civilized ride quality is achieved by use of coil-over spring-and-shock combinations in the front, and a four-link/coil spring setup in the rear. There is more travel at the rear than in the previous generation, which translates into better ride quality for passengers closer to the rear axle.

Steering, a rack-and-pinion setup, feels light at low speeds, which aids in maneuvering and parking. Because it is a variable-ratio system, at higher speeds it feels solid and progressive, not twitchy in any sense, with a distinct return-to-center tendency. We found it tracked well at cruising speeds along the scenic two-lane highways heading into Yellowstone National Park.

Driver's seating is generous and relaxing. If you get tired of one position, as we did after a few hours, the seat/wheel adjustability allowed us to rotate through a variety of driving postures. Because of a 24.6 gallon fuel capacity, theoretical range is somewhere between 320 and 440 miles per tank.

On the highway, the Land Cruiser offers sharp handling (for an SUV) and a secure environment. More precise than bigger trucks, and immune to smaller traffic on sheer bulk alone, the Land Cruiser will rarely feel threatened no matter how competitive the morning commute may become.

Throttle response is improved in the new generation, due to the use of the 5.7-liter V8, a 381-hp engine shared with the Tundra full-size pickup. This more powerful engine delivers 90 pound-feet more torque off the line than in the 2007 model, and improved fuel economy, especially on the highway where it is rated to deliver up to 18 mpg. Toyota has incorporated the latest variable valve timing technology, cam lobe design, and intake manifold tuning to optimize the engine for power output, fuel economy and reduced emissions. Like any good truck engine, the 5.7-liter makes more torque (401 pound-feet) than horsepower, allowing the Land Cruiser to loaf around at low rpm and still offer ready throttle response.

A good part of the drivability improvements are due to use of a slick six-speed automatic transmission. The transmission offers a very low first gear for heavy loads, and two overdrive gears at the top, including a super overdrive top gear that accounts for the smooth, efficient highway cruise mode. As we drove on a variety of highways and mountain roads, the transmission always seemed to be in the right gear, and without hunting back and forth. The automatic is computer controlled, constantly cross-checking with the engine's computer, to determine a shift pattern based on driving conditions. We noticed that, when decelerating down a long highway incline in sixth gear, the transmission would automatically downshift to fifth or even fourth gear to supply engine braking. It felt good and made it easier to drive.

While the Land Cruiser is a full-time 4WD truck, with a nominal torque bias of 40/60 front/rear, it drives and feels more like a rear-wheel-drive vehicle in normal conditions, with stable tracking and light, easy steering with no apparent torque steer. Should front wheels begin to slip, up to 70 percent of engine torque can be instantly biased to the rear. On the other hand, should the rear wheels begin to slip, the torque ratio changes to a maximum of 50/50, for ideal stability and balance. We did not encounter these kinds of conditions on our summer-day test drive, but our experience is that these types of drive-system transitions can be routinely handled by modern 4WD systems without most drivers taking notice.

Brakes are stout four-wheel discs, as they need to be with a vehicle of this size and weight. Pedal travel allows for a slight squish before the brakes begin to grip, at which point large calipers progressively haul down the Land Cruiser's 5800 pounds with minimal effort. The ABS also works on non-paved surfaces, and the brakes are improved by Toyota's Brake Force Distribution (an anti-spinout technology) and Brake Assist (shortens distances in panic stops).

And for those moments when push does come to shove, the Land Cruiser lives up to the capability requirements of a traditional, authentic four-wheel-drive truck.

We had the opportunity to drive the new Land Cruiser on challenging off-highway trails. These were to be found on and around the ski slopes of the Big Sky resort in Big Sky Montana, devoid of snow in mid-summer. To safely demonstrate the capabilities of the Land Cruiser in difficult terrain, a series of long, deeply rutted uphill trails were utilized, punctuated by sections of very loose, sharp-rock glaciers and tight, man-made obstacle courses.

We were surprised at the degree of risk; some of the trails we took were difficult, some frightening. One part, a breathtakingly steep, 300-foot downhill plunge across fractured shale, allowed for a test of electronic enhancements that control speed and stability. Considering that it could be fatal to lock the brakes on steep, loose surfaces, this situation did elicit some doubt in our minds. ("This is the route? Really? Better check the map . . . No, this is it . . . Gotta be kidding . . . ")

After a moment of debate (and a cry of Geronimo!), we dropped over the edge and found that a new Toyota system, Crawl Control, acts like ABS on steep downhills. It keeps the vehicle from rolling too fast, allowing the driver to select from three speed settings, depending on the surface condition and steepness of the hill. No braking is needed; the driver simply steers the vehicle. With practice, we found we could select from the three Crawl Control settings on the fly, using the system to maintain a comfortable speed as steepness varied.

We have seen similar systems on Land Rovers and other authentic 4x4 SUVs, but Toyota's Crawl Control seems to have evolved beyond what other SUVs have currently incorporated. The system does make a disconcerting noise as the brakes are selectively modulated, wheel-to-wheel, but we can vouch for the fact that it holds the vehicle to safe speeds even on the steepest downhills.

Other reasons why a Land Cruiser excels in rough terrain are more fundamental. It is proportioned with a wide track and very little body overhang, so it can climb slopes up to 45 degrees, sidehill up to 43 degrees without rolling over, and drive in and out of a 30-degree ditch, head-on. There are skid plates under the engine, transfer case and fuel tank, and two stout tow hooks in the front. The spare tire is a full-size tire, not a temporary spare. Frame strength, a fundamental durability requirement, has been increased by 40 percent over the previous model.

An example of build quality can be found in the exhaust system. It's stainless steel (expensive) to resist mud and water without rusting. It is hung using two additional ball joints located just forward of the main muffler that reduce vibration in the exhaust system, so it will be a long time before the exhaust will crack, fatigue or rattle.

Another significant advancement is a new, very clever suspension control technology. The suspension is built around a robust stabilizer bar that enhances handling on smooth, paved surfaces. Yet, under variable wheel movement, such as driving on deeply rutted surfaces, the stabilizer bar permits enhanced suspension articulation, allowing the rear wheels to stretch as much as 27 inches to stay on the ground. The system is not electronic, but hydro/mechanical, and requires no power source. The significance is that the benefits of a taut suspension can be available for everyday driving, without sacrificing the need for a very flexible suspension off road.

In Low range, there is the firm throttle response of torque on demand, but the throttle is not touchy at low speeds. This is the result of electronic throttle control that accounts for the lower gearing, so accelerator tip-in is more progressive. Power gets to the ground through stout axles with large ring gears and double row bearings. The full-time 4WD system has a generous low range ratio of 2.618 to 1, and a locking center differential that can be engaged in high range or low range. Between the low gearing, the Torsen center differential, the variable-roll-stiffness suspension and large tires, the Land Cruiser's design envelope offers the ability to get to any rational destination, regardless of conditions.

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