The Toyota Land Cruiser enjoys a special status in the global market as a vehicle that has proved its tough, lasting and reliable qualities in the most extreme environments. This pedigree has provided the platform for the development of an all-new Toyota Land Cruiser that goes further than ever before to deliver a balance of go-anywhere performance with the poise, comfort and refinement motorists want in normal day-to-day driving.
Makoto Arimoto, new Toyota Land Cruiser's Chief Engineer explains: "Generally speaking, it's considered difficult to achieve both good off-road and on-road performance in the same vehicle. But with the new Land Cruiser, rather than making a half-hearted attempt at offering 50:50 ratio between on and off-road capabilities, we put no less than 100 per cent into developing both. We believe we have succeeded in refining and improving both of these seemingly conflicting qualities."
The success of new Toyota Land Cruiser is built on three core product values:
* Quality, durability and reliability, building on Land Cruiser's long and distinguished history and reputation for lasting performance.
* Unrivalled balance of on and off-road driving performance, supported by advanced suspension and driver aid technologies.
* Refined and versatile interior, offering a functional but luxurious and comfortable on-board environment.
New Toyota Land Cruiser benefits from a higher level of advanced but user friendly handling and guidance features that help the driver tackle the most challenging routes. At the same time new suspension technology and on-board monitors make Land Cruiser more comfortable and easier to manoeuvre through everyday urban traffic, too. Clever interior packaging provides highly flexible seating and luggage space arrangements, with generous space for up to seven on board. Most models enjoy a high specification of luxury features, including a surround sound premium audio system, triple-zone automatic air conditioning and a DVD/gaming entertainment package for rear seat passengers, creating a welcoming environment inside the vehicle whatever the driving conditions outside might be like.
DESIGN
The design of the new Toyota Land Cruiser is true to its heritage and projects the qualities of a vehicle that is robust, powerful and entirely at home in any environment.
At the front there is a new over-size bumper design with integral fog lamps, which emphasises Land Cruiser's powerful stance. The impact of the front overhang on the off-road driving approach angle has been minimised by sharply trimming the lower section. The new front grille has vertical bars, highlighted in chrome and silver finishes on higher grade versions, framed by headlamp clusters with cylindrical high and low beam lamps and turn indicators that extend into the wings so they are visible from the side.
In profile, new Toyota Land Cruiser's displays fluid and dynamic lines, with the cowl moved 65mm forwards, the belt line raised by 20mm and integral front and rear wheelarches flared towards the rear of the vehicle, like those on the larger Toyota Land Cruiser V8.
At the rear high-visibility LED lamp clusters flank the side-hinged tailgate, which is inset deep into the rear bumper to provide a practical, level access step, protected by a hard-wearing cover. The tailgate includes a top-hinged glass hatch, giving easy access to the load space, particularly in tight parking spots where opening of the full tailgate might be impeded. The hatch can be unlocked and opened one-handed, using the smart key or a button release next to the bottom left hand corner of the glass. An integral roof spoiler houses the rear screen wiper and high-mounted LED stop light.
The door mirror-mounted turn indicators and the rear lamps use LEDs in place of conventional bulbs. These light up more quickly, giving other drivers more time to react to vehicle braking, and they use less electricity.
Aerodynamics
Seamless bodywork with minimal panel gaps and a series of aerodynamic enhancements have reduced the vehicle's coefficient of drag (Cd) from 0.37 (current model) to 0.35, which in return supports a marked improvement in high-speed cruising fuel economy.
Aerodynamic efficiency has been improved by reducing the overall height by 15mm, and by introducing front and rear spoilers to channel airflow under the body and direct it cleanly away from the trailing edge of the roof. Deflectors inside the engine compartment correct the flow of air through the radiator grille to reduce turbulence, and the design of the front bumper includes extended corners to push air away from the sides of the front tyres, making for a smoother rearward airflow. Front and rear spats are fitted to manage airflow around the tyres and cut turbulence.
Packaging
To preserve Land Cruiser's agile character, there are only modest increases in external dimensions: the new model is 45mm longer and 10mm wider than its predecessor, with a minimum turning radius of 5.8m.
The wheelbase (2,790mm) and rear overhang (1,075mm) remain the same and clever design of the new front bumper ensures that, although the front overhang is longer by 45mm (at 895mm), the 32° approach angle is unchanged. The departure angle is 25° (24° with electrically modulated rear air suspension) and the ramp breakover angle is 22°.
SAFETY
New Toyota Land Cruiser is equipped with a comprehensive and technically advanced range of active and passive on and off-road safety features. Advanced engineering and sophisticated electronic systems provide a high level of protection while at the same time making driving more rewarding, helping the driver explore and enjoy the limits of the vehicle's performance.
Body structure
Collisions between tall vehicles, such as SUVs, and passenger cars can result in the larger vehicle riding up over the smaller one. To counter this risk, Toyota works to ensure the safety systems of both vehicles involved in a collision can be used to their maximum potential.
To this end, the front crumple zone in the new Land Cruiser's frame is set at a height equivalent to that of an average passenger car. The frame and body are designed to effectively channel and absorb impact energies to help protect all parties involved, even those on the receiving of a collision in a smaller vehicle.
Numerous measures have been taken to control body deformation in a frontal collision, while preserving the structural integrity of the cabin. Reinforcements in the A-pillars have a multi-layer construction between the roof rail reinforcement and cowl to give increased buckling strength and improved energy sustainability when buckled, which helps limit body deformation. In addition, the lower front pillar reinforcements also have a multi-layer construction and high-strength outer rocker panel reinforcements have been introduced.
Using high-tensile sheet steel for the front pillar and roof rail reinforcement improves side collision performance. The roof header reinforcement has a closed top and bottom cross-section, giving added strength and floor cross-members are strategically placed to effectively distribute impact forces - measures which both further help to reduce the risk cabin deformation.
Pedestrian protection
New Toyota Land Cruiser's bonnet, cowl and front wings are all designed to absorb as much energy as possible in the event of a collision with a pedestrian.
The bonnet has a deep, energy-absorbing profile with longitudinal reinforcement ribs. Crush points and holes behind the bonnet striker reinforcement ensure there is an ample impact absorption zone.
The front wing mounting brackets have crush points for effective energy absorption, and the wings themselves incorporate energy-absorbing protectors, with a construction designed to slip down in a head impact, so reducing the reaction force sustained by the pedestrian.
Airbags and active headrests
New Land Cruiser is equipped as standard with seven SRS airbags: driver's dual-stage front airbag, a new driver's knee airbag, passenger front airbag, front side airbags and full-length curtain airbags, giving head protection to outer seat occupants in all three rows.
The front seats are fitted with seatbelts with pretensioners and new-design active headrests that help prevent whiplash injury. Extra protection is provided through a new seatback design, allied to a headrest shaped to sit as close as possible to the occupant's head in normal use. In a rear impact, the force of the body on the seatback causes the headrest to move up and forward to close the gap between the head and headrest, thus significantly reducing the risk of whiplash.
High Intensity Discharge headlamps and Adaptive Front-lighting
LC4 and LC5 versions of new Toyota Land Cruiser are fitted with High Intensity Discharge (HID) bulbs in the low beam headlamp projectors, which emit a near-daylight colour and give wider and longer illumination. The bulbs are also low-energy and have a long lifespan.
An Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS) works in conjunction with the HID headlamps, swivelling the low beam in line with vehicle speed and steering angle to provide better lighting through bends and when turning at junctions. AFS also has a dynamic levelling function which maintains a constant beam height, whatever the load on board, or change in vehicle posture.
Braking and stability control systems
New Toyota Land Cruiser's servo-assisted braking system uses new 388mm ventilated front discs with width increased to 32mm. Four-piston callipers with larger pistons are used for improved stopping power and fade-free performance. At the rear there are 312mm ventilated discs with floating callipers.
The vehicle comes as standard with a full range of braking, traction control and stability systems: ABS with EBD and Brake Assist; Traction Control (TRC) and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC).
During emergency braking, the stop lamps automatically flash to alert following drivers.
Further brake control systems are provided specifically to enhance off-road performance and ease of use in taxing conditions, including Multi-terrain ABS, Active Traction Control (A-TRC), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) and Downhill Assist Control (DAC). Details of their operation can be found in the Off-Road Performance section.
ON-ROAD PERFORMANCE
Much of Land Cruiser's legendary off-road toughness can be attributed to its robust and durable body-on-frame construction. This concept has been carried over from the previous generation model, but with rigidity increased by 11 per cent.
Another advantage over the monocoque design used by many rival SUVs is the ability of the ladder frame to absorb vibrations and noise from the engine, drivetrain and road surface, so limiting NVH disturbance in the cabin. To further absorb NVH and aid a comfortable ride, the frame-to-body mounts are packed with insulating rubber.
Suspension
New Toyota Land Cruiser uses an extensively revised version of the front independent double wishbone and rear four-link rigid suspension system that was used in its predecessor model, retuned for greater ride comfort and better steering feel.
At the front a long wheel stroke has been retained and the shock absorbers and springs have been optimised. The shocks themselves are larger than before. The lower arm and knuckle have been reinforced and all the bushings have been retuned. To achieve better handling stability, the roll steer ratio has been modified from five to eight degrees.
At the rear the long wheel stroke has been enhanced with optimised springs and shock absorbers, with, again, larger shocks adopted. Bushings have been retuned and the axle housing has been reinforced for added strength and durability.
