With over 60 years of heritage, the Toyota Land Cruiser is a veritable institution when it comes to high-riding 4x4s that can go anywhere and conquer anything. The styling of a bundu-bashing, continent-crossing, off-roader is about as important as the fuel economy of a supercar; nevertheless, they do need to be overhauled once every couple of years, and that’s how we come to the upgraded 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser.
The most obvious styling tweaks can be found on the Toyota Land Cruiser’s new front end with its seemingly over-sized bumper. A prominent five-bar vertical grille is paired with equally vertical redesigned headlamps and integrated daytime running lights. The look in the main is unfussy and gives one a sense of toughness and simplicity. The 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser looks much larger as a result too and the entire structure is set higher, making it more capable when wading through water and less vulnerable when off-roading of course.
New 17- and 18-inch alloy wheel designs are part of the 2014 upgrade and subtle redesigns can be found on the rear LED taillights. From the profile view its business as usual for the Toyota Land Cruiser and the old adage normally reserved from BMWs, “blik-met-wiele” or “box-with-wheels”, comes to mind when ones see it from said angle.
When it comes to the interior, the 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser gains a new premium-looking black and wood-grain finish dashboard with a new 4.2-inch TFT colour screen. This screen deals with communicating a whole new raft of vehicle settings to the driver, like traction control system, angle gauge, differential locks and the five modes of Multi-terrain Select. The interior also sees new and improved access to the third row of seating.
Engineering wise, Toyota realise there’s little that needs doing on one of the best 4x4s ever made. The highly durable, deformation-resistant, body-on-frame construction remains, as does the wheelbase and rear overhang length, but overall length has grown so it’s still pretty darn enormous. The changes they have focussed on involve increasing the Land Cruiser’s stability and passenger comfort, courtesy of a reworked suspension setup. Toyota Land Cruisers can now be fitted with ‘Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System’ which gains thicker front anti-roll bars for increased vehicle control.
The four-cylinder 3.0-litre diesel engine is the same as you’ll find in the current-generation Toyota Land Cruiser but it now has lower CO2 emissions (209 g/km) and this ensures it meets new Euro 5+ emission standards. No additional power or torque is added, so it’s the same output of 140 kW and 418 Nm of torque, and a 0 – 100 km/h time of 10 seconds plus.
The 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser won’t be left wanting for safety equipment. A sophisticated Pre-Crash Safety (PCS) system helps prevent collisions. It has ABS, complete with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist, Traction Control and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system. Several brake control systems enhance its off-road performance: Hill-start Assist Control and Down-hill Assist Control, a Multi-terrain ABS function and Active Traction Control (A-TRC).
Equipment wise, there is Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), a Tyre Pressure Warning system, Trailer Sway Control, a Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) and a new Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) system which employs the BSM radar to alert the driver when reversing out of a parking space. Expect prices and specifications to be announced closer to the 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser’s launch next year.
