Toyota Land Cruiser 2008

The VIPS Scale -  Value - Image - Performance - Safety

FOR 2008, TOYOTA IS GOING “BACK TO THE FUTURE” WITH IT’S FLAGSHIP 4-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE….THE LAND CRUISER.
TO CELEBRATE THE 50TH YEAR SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION TO THE U.S. MARKET, TOYOTA HAS RETURNED THE LAND CRUISER TO IT’S “ROOTS”..
MAKING IT’S “GO-ANYWHERE ABILITY”….IT’S BIGGEST SELLING POINT.

THE MODEL I TESTED LEFT NO DOUBT IN MY MIND….SO IT FARED PRETTY WELL ON THE V-I-P–S SCALE. VALUE…IMAGE…PERFORMANCE….AND
SAFETY. SCORE FROM 1 TO 10 IN EACH CATEGORY….40 = A PERFECT SCORE.
 

LET’S START WITH VALUE.
THE BASE MODEL LAND CRUISER STARTS AT AROUND 60 THOUSAND DOLLARS. MSRP…63 THOUSAND. THE MODEL I TESTED…67 THOUSAND.
THAT STACKS UP PRETTY WELL WITH OTHER LUXURY S-U-VS…SUCH AS THE ESCALADE…NAVIGATOR AND RANGE ROVER.

WHO BUYS A LAND CRUISER? TOYOTA SAYS THE AVERAGE BUYER IS 60%
MALE --- 84% MARRIED…WITH A MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF 240K.
IN OTHER WORDS, THOSE WHO BUY IT – CAN AFFORD IT.
…AND THEY CAN AFFORD TO FILL IT UP. EPA GAS MILEAGE ESTIMATES ARE 13mpg IN THE CITY….18mpg ON THE HIGHWAY.
THE MODEL I DROVE DID BETTER. ON A 90 MILE ROUND TRIP ON THE HIGHWAY…I GOT 19.5mpg.

VALUE --- 8.5

IMAGE
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, TOYOTA HAS SOFTENED THE LOOK OF THE LAND CRUISER, BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE --- IT’S ONE TUFF VEHICLE.
8 EXTERIOR COLORS ARE NOW AVAILABLE…INCLUDING AMAZON GREEN.
THE LAND CRUISER HAS SPENT THE PAST 50 YEARS CULTIVATING A
RUGGED, INDEPENDENT GO-ANYWHERE IMAGE. THAT’S THE TYPE OF PEOPLE IT’S MARKETING TARGETS. THE SOFTER COLORS AND SOFTER LOOK DO NOT HURT THAT IMAGE.

IMAGE ---- 10


PERFORMANCE
ON THE OPEN ROAD, THE LAND CRUISER WAS SMOOTH AND COMFORTABLE.
IT HUGGED THE CURVES ON A WINDING MOUNTAIN ROAD AND HAD PLENTY OF POWER TO PULL OUT AND PASS ON A 2-LANE HIGHWAY.
OFF-ROAD, IT WAS A CHANCE TO TEST THE NEWEST AND BEST FEATURE OF THE ‘08 LAND CRUISER.
CRAWL-CONTROL…OR CRUISE CONTROL FOR OFF THE ROAD 4-WHEELING.
WHETHER GOING UPHILL OR DOWNHILL, OVER BOULDERS OR THROUGH DITCHES…IF YOU GET STUCK, STEP ON THE BRAKE AND PUSH THE CRAWL BUTTON NEAR THE GEAR-SHIFT.
PUT THE CRUISER IN CRAWL MODE AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS STEER. DO NOT USE THE BRAKE OR THE GAS PEDAL. I LOVED IT!
THE INTERIOR IS ROOMY WITH EASY TO READ (AND USE) CONTROLS. IT HAS A LARGE VIDEO SCREEN FOR THE RADIO/CD PLAYER/AC/HEAT AND GPS. THE 2ND ROW OF SEATS FOLDED FORWARD. THE 3RD ROW FOLDED UP ALONG THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE FOR EXTRA STORAGE.

PERFORMANCE --- 10


SAFETY
TEN (10) AIRBAGS, INCLUDING 3RD ROW SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS.
A 4-WHEEL MULTI-TERRAIN ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM
PLUS SOMETHING CALLED HILL-START ASSIST CONTROL…WHICH KEEPS THE VEHICLE STATIONERY. (SO YOU WON’T ROLL BACK DOWN THE HILL WHEN YOU SWITCH FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE GAS PEDAL)

SAFETY --- 9.5


THAT ADDS UP TO 38 OUT OF 40 --- NOT PERFECT, BUT PRETY CLOSE FOR THE 2008 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER…..GETTING BETTER WITH AGE.

I’M JAY RITCHIE AND I HOPE YOU GET A CHANCE TO “DRIVE MY CAR.’