Toyota Landcruiser 4.5 V8 Diesel miserably fails Auto Motor und Sport braking test

Auto Motor und Sport tested the new Toyota Landcruiser 4.5 V8. The testers praised its off-road capabilities and driving comfort. However, the rear seats were described as uncomfortable. The interior materials were good but the cockpit suffered from poor alignment and large panel gaps in certain parts. The interior ergonomics were described as confusing.

The engine was praised for refinement but the engine response was poor and the fuel consumption was rated as extremely poor. In normal driving conditions the Landcruiser needs 15.4 liters of diesel per 100 km. The testers said this does not fit into character with the green image Toyota wants to project. Such poor fuel economy is also frowned upon by consumers in the mainstream car market, where arguably the Landcruiser is still positioned.

Where the 2.8 ton Landcruiser performed extremely poorly was in the braking department. 10 braking tests were perfomed beginning with cold brakes and ending with fully warmed up brakes With cold brakes, the Landcruiser needed 44 meters to come to a halt from 100-0 km/h. When the brakes were warmed up the car needed an alarming 56 meters to come to a complete stop. In the past, many cars from Toyota and Lexus have performed poorly in the braking department in various Auto Motor und Sport tests. The Landcruiser joins the Jeep Wrangler & Commander, Mitsubishi L200, Hummer H2 and Cadillac Escalade as the worst braking SUV's tested so far. For comparison purposes, a Mercedes GL420 CDI will come to a full stop at 42 meters with warm brakes - an old G-Class at 43 meters!

In the end the Landcruiser is not recommended because of the extremely weak brakes and poor fuel economy. Furthermore the only other engine option is an uneconomical 4.7-l gasoline V8 with 288-horsepower for 79,900 Euros. The testers also felt the car is overpriced and has lost much of its appeal.



Highs:
Good interior materials
Roomy interior
Comfortable seats (front)
Refined diesel engine
Smooth automatic transmission
Good driving characteristics in straight line
Good safety features


Lows:
Poor material alignment on certain aspects of the interior
Poor cockpit ergonomics
Extremely weak brakes
Poor fuel economy
Uncomfortable seats (rear)
Poor engine response
Poor handling
Lifeless steering

Rating: 2 / 5 stars

Source: Auto Motor und Sport, February

Willis - 3/2/2008 2:24:07 AM

+5 Boost

Where is this 4-cylinder diesel Landcruiser you speak off? I've heard nothing of it.

Volkswagen might have a V10 TDI Touareg but the bulk of their Touareg sales come from the 2.5 and 3.0 TDI models, a 5-cylinder and V6 respectively. Then they also have a 3.2 V6 I believe and a gasoline V8. Bottom line is that they have variety. The new Landcruiser doesn't. You only get the choice between two highly inefficient engines.

Rupert - 3/2/2008 7:07:58 AM

+5 Boost

The Land Cruiser Prado is a smaller vehicle than this Land Cruiser - in Britain this is the LC Amazon and it is a bigger vehicle with bigger engines.

SevorbeupstryIsBack - 3/1/2008 5:40:58 PM

+8 Boost

note: brake FADING

fuel consumption is hilarious too. while the GL420, RR tDV8 all consume around 13 liter MAX, this thing goes over 15 litres

EnnNorak - 3/1/2008 8:03:26 PM

+8 Boost

XeroK00L, I don't see what weight has to do with it. A heavier vehicle should be designed with heavier brakes to achieve the same stopping distance as a lighter vehicle. Toyota must have tried to get away with smaller cheaper brakes to save a miniscule amount of money for the sake of its bottom line. Even more important is the minimization of brake fade with repeated use as in mountains with steep downgrades. Mercedes may be overpriced but they have never skimped on brakes.

S4cabriofoxone - 3/2/2008 11:27:44 AM

+1 Boost

You have no clue.

The GL needed one less meter to stop... when its brakes were HOT. The LC couldn't muster that distance on its first try.

Czelinski - 3/1/2008 5:05:43 PM

+6 Boost

Gotta love the fact you jump and shout about everytime there's criticism of anything Japanese. Especially Toyota/Lexus. That's TRUE fanboism.

Rupert - 3/1/2008 5:11:02 PM

+4 Boost

I liked the new Land Cruiser with the new twin turbo diesel...and the fuel efficiency was good on paper - better than the Range Rover 3.6 TT diesel and the GL420cdi (but slower than them, 8.2 seconds to 60)) - yet they rate the efficiency as poor - was their car not right? It seems strange...

I agree with their good points about it though, although other reviews said the engine was unrefined, that it had poor ride comfort and had very bad rear seat room, especially the 3rd row.

Bmw8ter - 3/1/2008 5:22:33 PM

-3 Boost

"In normal driving conditions the Landcruiser needs 15.4 liters of diesel per 100 km."

They must have been flogging the hell out of the accelerator; the petrol engine(on paper) gets better fuel economy than this.

SevorbeupstryIsBack - 3/1/2008 5:44:11 PM

+4 Boost

the petrol engine consumes about 18 to 20 liter. probably more because the LC200 is both heaver and uglier than before yet the drivetrain is identical

zairnaim - 3/1/2008 5:29:25 PM

-4 Boost

there is definitely bias in this review

Willis - 3/2/2008 2:28:32 AM

+5 Boost

Finland is such a small market and you can imagine that the number of people needing an SUV is even smaller. And now with two inefficient engine options available and an inflated price tag the appeal of the Landcruiser will wane. According to Toyota Finland the Landcruiser V8 diesel costs €145,000 there. That's insane.

Russia? How many Landcruisers are sold in Russia? Let's see some facts.

Right now, the only idiot here is you.

SX123 - 3/1/2008 5:57:45 PM

-7 Boost

Who is he?

SevorbeupstryIsBack - 3/2/2008 2:33:03 AM

+7 Boost

City driving is not the same as the combined cycle huu

stelvio - 3/1/2008 7:18:42 PM

+9 Boost

lol at all fanboys :)

macker83 - 3/1/2008 8:32:42 PM

-3 Boost

Great comment Stelvio did ya think that up yourself!intelligent! I have driven the Landcruiser v8 and its streets ahead of the VW V10 diesel in almost every aspect. its going to sell very well! I personally thought the braking was good thats my own opinion. Id love to know if the environments where they tested the brakes are the same for every vehicle. But the reporter seems to be a bit biased againsed toyota and even brinbgs lexus into the frame ive driven all the lexus line ups and i think their brakes are above average on all models as are MB and BMW. Basically this reporter should tone down the hating if he wants to get people to believe he is impartial!

rok_altima - 3/1/2008 11:25:51 PM

+7 Boost

The Land cruiser is not a success in Europe. If you knew anything about Europe,you would know they're particularly biased towards European cars: Mercedes, Audi, and BMW sell the most SUV's, while maybe Honda and Nissan come in second for smaller ones.

Willis - 3/2/2008 2:32:17 AM

+5 Boost

Go walk around any city in northern europe. You won't go 5 minutes without seeing a Land Cruiser.



As a matter of fact I've been to Norway on vacation plenty of times since my ancestors come from there. I usually visit Kristiansand but I've spent time in northern cities like Narvik for example. What is this you speak off? Seeing a Landcruiser every five minutes? Um, no. Landcruisers are a rare sight in Europe, even in the northern countries.

It is YOU who has no clue what he's talking about and based on your idiotic comments I suspect you're some kid who wants to talk with the few adults here. Come back when you can actually talk.

S4cabriofoxone - 3/2/2008 11:30:26 AM

+3 Boost

The LC can barely fit on many European roads, much less being a "huge success."

enthusiastx11 - 3/1/2008 9:31:17 PM

+6 Boost

surprising. the land cruiser should be at least fair at everything. but this is horrible...

Poor material alignment on certain aspects of the interior
Poor cockpit ergonomics
Extremely weak brakes
Poor fuel economy
Uncomfortable seats (rear)
Poor engine response
Poor handling
Lifeless steering

CLK63BlackSeries - 3/1/2008 11:05:10 PM

+6 Boost

toyota/lexus is so broke ass

Matthew1 - 3/2/2008 12:59:02 AM

+5 Boost

LOL, stop stirring!

pchera01 - 3/2/2008 12:02:42 AM

+1 Boost

Mighty Toyota LC falling apart

LE34 - 3/2/2008 4:50:05 AM

-2 Boost

Automoto un Sport is the most patriotist auto magazine in Deutschland and they claim for this. If there is a non german cars tested by them we're always sure that the german one will win. They talk mostly about (+)points of german autos and (-)points of french,italian or japs,... On the other hand, i've read a too fresh test from a famous Schweiz's Auto magazine and what they say about that car is very positiv.
Anyway it's actualy possible to test drive by ourself in a dealer and to make our opinion about the car. Whay not to take a bite time and do that? It's always an experience.

izfuney - 3/4/2008 2:38:14 PM

+1 Boost

LOL - "Stop making excuses. ..... These were also tested by Autobild, VOX, Motorvision, Autozeitung, Autonews etc."

Yes all great magazines that have instant name recall and influence drivers around the world. What was it "Autozeitung" yup that is it. An when you are in doubt about believing that your VW is more reliable then any Toyota or Honda despite that warining light .. please refer to the esteemed VOX .. (not the prescription)

Htay7500 - 3/2/2008 7:45:26 AM

+2 Boost

oh no.

M53R - 3/2/2008 11:52:11 AM

+2 Boost

Lows:
Poor material alignment on certain aspects of the interior
Poor cockpit ergonomics
Extremely weak brakes
Poor fuel economy
Uncomfortable seats (rear)
Poor engine response
Poor handling
Lifeless steering

Ive bashed the LC for long enough, and this basically sums up everything I've said. They forgot to mention its overpriced, and the 2nd level trim comes with the cheapest materials you can even think off.

Matthew1 - 3/3/2008 12:44:44 AM

+3 Boost

Yup, the Land Cruiser is a great work horse that is used in many applications like transport for the UN due to its reliability, rugged build and probably (the cynic in me) some 'incentives' from Toyota.

However it is not the best driving SUV on the road, and it isn't particularly attractive.

Other than that, it does its job well.

I just wouldn't buy one.

XYZZ - 3/4/2008 5:51:32 AM

+1 Boost

don't NEED incentives from toyota. the LC is simply THE most rugged and durable vehicle in existence, for use in places where there are only bad roads and/or no roads at all.

some years back, C&D had an article about the Ethiopian rebels. being rebels, they could 'liberate' any vehicles they wanted. they turned their noses up at fragile Land Rovers.

their vehicle of choice was the Land Cruiser.
no other trucks could hold up under the rigorous situations the rebels subjected them to. or were as readily repairable the few times they did break.

one rebel LC took a direct hit from a rocket fired by a gov't plane. recovery crew went to later to salvage what they could. other than the 'soft' parts of hoses and wiring, it didn't look like the engine or tranny had been hurt.

so they replaced those parts, and the engine fired right up! it truly "lived to fight another day" and was driven back to a rebel hideout.

today's LCs prob'ly have more vulnerable parts. but it still DOES HAVE the heritage of those near indestructible beasts.

farabira1 - 3/3/2008 6:08:04 PM

+2 Boost

I think there may have been something wrong with the sample of the Land Cruiser that they got to test. Because Land Cruisers are world renowned for their legendary SUV performance(i am not talking of speed here ) and the car had never had any braking problems. So I'll take this news as a sample glitch, rather than a real problem.

izfuney - 3/4/2008 2:21:15 PM

+1 Boost

Since when do we take the works of some nationalist lipstick magazine named "Wiesel und garbage" or whatever .

Leave it to Top Gear from the BBC to really cover the LandCruiser in a real environment .. Namibia ..
http://www.topgear.com/blogs/planettopgear/089-diamond-in-the-rough/

The above is availabe in their current magazine print. Its an illuminating read of what the Toyota landcruiser means to people whose lives depend on it .
Something more then u can say for anything from BMW/MB/Porsche/VW

XYZZ - 3/6/2008 3:54:08 AM

+1 Boost

i checked it out. good read, izzy!

highly recommend others check it out too.

Steeleydan - 12/22/2008 8:03:58 PM

+1 Boost

Living on a remote Australian outback cattle station and given a choice for a transport lifeline between a Range Rover, Toureg, X5 or Merc or Toyota Landcruiser, i'll choose the most reliable tough product on the market, the one that didn't break, or last 5 minutes in 7 day a week extreme conditions, you won't see the first 4 out here, they may look the part, drive well, maybe even faster and brake more quickly, but..give me the Landcruiser! It's built for a purpose.. to be reliable and last!