Specifications of Toyota Land Cruiser (J300) 3.5i V6 (415 HP) 4WD Direct Shift 5 Seat
General characteristics of Toyota Land Cruiser (J300) 3.5i V6 (415 HP) 4WD Direct Shift 5 Seat
The Land Cruiser's basic boxy design does count in its favor when it comes to carrying passengers. It's 194.9 inches long, has a width of 77.95 inches, and is 74 inches tall. The 112.2-inch wheelbase is also impressive. The Land Cruiser weighs 5,815 pounds in standard trim, while the Heritage Edition's weight works out to exactly 100 lbs less.
It wouldn't be a Land Cruiser if it couldn't hit the dirt with confidence, though. The approach, breakover, and departure angles are rated at 32, 21, and 24 degrees respectively. That's not bad for an SUV that can easily handle the school run as well. The maximum wading depth is claimed to be 27.55 inches and the big SUV offers 8.9 inches of ground clearance.
The 5.7-liter naturally-aspirated 32-valve V8 is good for 381 hp and 401 lb-ft of torque. It has been used in various Toyota products for around two decades, and it has one thing still counting in its favor: reliability. Toyota has dropped the V8 in favor of a twin-turbo six-cylinder engine in the new Land Cruiser 300 Series, making many people very angry. We don't see the problem, as the US won't be getting it, and it will almost certainly be more efficient and kinder to the environment. It's more a question if a turbocharged power plant can supply the consistent and controllable low-end torque the current V8 in the 200 Series delivers in spades.
The most modern part of the powertrain is the eight-speed automatic, which replaced the outdated six-speed in 2016. The transmission isn't snappy, but it's smart enough to be in the right place at the right time and transition gears smoothly and with no fuss. Overall, it's a perfect blend of applied V8 power through a drivetrain that you'll have to dedicate time and effort to break.
The Land Cruiser's EPA-estimated gas mileage figures read like a sad romance novel. In the best-case scenario, you're looking at 13/17/14 mpg city/highway/combined. Even with the sizeable 24.6-gallon tank, it will only do 344 miles between refills. It's not like the Land Cruiser's main competitors are that much better, but the Ford Expedition Max 4WD - an SUV that is significantly longer and similarly heavy - is a perfect example of what's capable with a turbocharged six-cylinder engine. The Ford's smaller engine provides more power and torque (400 hp and 480 lb-ft), but its EPA-estimated figures are 16/21/18 mpg. That's still not great, but you can see the argument for a smaller-capacity turbocharged engine going forward. On our test drive, the Toyota's consumption dipped to 11 mpg on mountain roads and fire trails, and only got an indicated 16 mpg on normal roads.
Inside the Land Cruiser, there's a ton of space and seating for a maximum of eight, although the final three passengers in the optional back row won't be thrilled. The packaging for the third row is awkward and eats up cargo room when folded, so we would only option those if they were going to be essential. Legroom and headroom are plentiful for the first and second row and, while the interior is not quite up to Lexus standards, the seating is comfortable and beautifully upholstered. For the driver, there's more than enough adjustability in the 10-way power-adjustable seat to get the perfect driving position, whether short or tall. Essentially for a large off-roader, visibility is excellent with plenty of glass at every angle, and a non-sloping hood lets you know exactly where the corners are.
In its eight-seater configuration, the Toyota Land Cruiser SUV comes standard with 41.4 cubic feet of cargo capacity with the third row folded down. With the second row folded flat, the cargo capacity increases to a colossal 82.8 cubes. The Heritage Edition without the third row boasts an impressive 53.5 cubic feet of cargo capacity. Those are some excellent cargo-hauling specs.
The big difference in cargo capacity in the five-seater and a Land Cruiser with the third row folded flat is the location of said seats. They don't fold flat into the floor like on most modern SUVs. Instead, they're mounted to the sidewalls, which chows into the available space. With these small seats folded up, you're left with an awkward narrow loading space. These seats can be removed, but it sort of defeats the purpose of having them there in the first place. They're most commonly used on odd occasions where extra kids tag along, so they should ideally be out of sight and mind but easily reachable when necessary. For the record, with all three rows in place, the Land Cruiser still offers a usable 16.1 cube trunk.
Interior storage consists of a large cooled storage space underneath the front center armrest, a separate tray above that, an overhead console for a pair of sunglasses, and slim door pockets. Toyota also provides up to twelve cupholders depending on the seat configurations.
