For those of us in North America, our Land Cruiser love affair ended in 2021 with the debut of the current-generation model. Toyota decided not to bring its beefy, iconic SUV to these shores but that will soon be rectified with a smaller version. Until that day arrives, here’s a reminder of why so many off-roading fans love the Land Cruiser.
Actually, we have two reminders, courtesy of YouTuber Matthew Geer. You’ll find quite a few Land Cruiser videos on this channel, though clips of a 2021 Moab trip recently posted offer two perspectives tackling a tricky section called Wipeout Hill. As the clip at the top of our post shows, the descent is fraught with steep drops and at times, the SUV’s rear tires look very light on the ground. With help from a spotter and some skill behind the wheel, the Toyota arrives safely at the bottom.
If you found your backside involuntarily clinched watching the outside-view video, prepare yourself for a trip down Wipeout Hill from the inside. The video above shows the same off-road stretch, and it showcases the importance of having a good spotter to guide the driver safely along tricky sections. With such steep break-over angles, the slightest misstep could lead to, well, a wipeout.
We aren’t told exactly what year Land Cruiser this is, but our Toyota-savvy eyes identify the front fascia from the first 200-Series facelift. That should place it in 2013 or later, and similarly, we don’t know what modifications have been performed. It’s certainly not radically lifted, though the fat off-road tires and snorkel are impossible to miss. And lest we forget, Land Cruisers of this era were well equipped from the factory with features like heated leather seats, DVD entertainment systems, and more. It’s a snazzy way to enjoy an overlanding adventure.
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While the current-generation Land Cruiser isn’t offered in North America, buyers can get the Lexus LX. Sharing the Land Cruiser’s underpinnings, it’s basically the ultra-lux version of the off-road SUV sold elsewhere, but the new model is something wholly different. It’s expected to share lineage with the Lexus GX, revealed earlier this year with boxy proportions and some impressive off-road stats.
Recent US-spec Land Cruiser teaser images all but confirm this is the case, but we’ll know for sure when Toyota officially unveils the SUV on August 1.
