If it ever makes it to the US, they might consider adding a split tailgate option. How this age-old LC feature got deleted from the 300 really is mind blowing.
@@jameskim8676 Compensating much there James? If it takes a shitty expensive car that drops in value thousands of dollars per month to make you feel wealthy...you won't be wealthy for.long.
Any South African knows how much the land cruiser is loved by everyone here and the way they drive and the ride quality the reliability and the charm of them makes it a classic here
I had a Prado for quite a while. I worked as an exploration geotechnical engineer, and was continually offroad. The prado on dirt roads was good, but on actual offroad, it was average, it was however reliable. My jeeps before and after it was far superior in every way, except reliability.
@@veridico84 me and my cousin had a old Prado called the green machine that thing had been bashed around for 20 years but it still started and the cooler box always worked so we could keep our hunters cool we needed up writing it off last year when we hit a dear on the main road but other then that that prado would’ve lasted 100 years 😂😂
If the land cruiser had the most popular features everyone looks for and if you can configure your land cruiser inside out it would sell more and it wouldn’t removed from the US MARKET
You're right, but unfortunately the people that want luxury & features compared to those who don't is about 60 to 1, so Toyota is going where the money is.
So refreshing to see such a basic yet capable vehicle. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really grown out of wanting all of the excessive tech in my car. A simple life is a happy one in my case. Great vehicle.
@@samuelrs5138 When it comes to interior tech and overall modern creature comfort, this is as basic as it gets in thee times. Lower trim Hyundai Sonatas are more equipped than this by a fair margin.
@@daedevillewrestling I'm pretty sure you already know but keep in mind that this is just a lower trim. Trust me, when you visit the Middle East, you'll constantly be glancing at Arabs chauffeuring their highest-trim Land Cruisers (I think it's the VXR or VXS trim with various features like premium leather seats and more goodies) while flashing their lights as they pass even the fastest cars on the highway lol
This is the kind of Land Cruiser that would be wildly successful in the US. The reason why nobody bought the new Land Cruisers are because they were too expensive and luxurious. I just want a tank, I don't need powered seats.
As many things mechanical as possible always is a plus to me. Unfortunately, most manufacturers don't want to pay for mechanical features that is seen by the newer consumers as old. Too bad.
Ever heard of the 70 series or the Kakadu? Seems its only the American market that undervalues the LC 300. That car is an Airbus on wheels, not even an escalade comes close
It makes sense this car is the most basic configuration. If you are going to armor it you have to take all the interior and put a lot of customer specific equipment. Hope Doug can review the Lexus soon.
The Landcruiser has been an I6 car for a large portion of its run (with quite a few I4 as well), from the 40s to the late 90s when they added a space saver V8. And now they've saved even more space by adding a V6. I think any straight engine is the Landcruiser norm, and any V engine is unusual, historically speaking.
Doug, the VXR trim available in the Middle East fixes all of your complaints. It gets updated styling, stop and go adaptive cruise control, electronically folding 3rd row seats, lane keep assist, heads up display, larger gauge cluster screen, huge infotainment display and cooled/heated seats in the first 2 rows. It has all of the features you'd expect in a full size luxury SUV.
He’s already mentioned several times it’s a strip down version because the company is going to take it apart and make it bulletproof, and it’s going to governmental bodies or organisations, hence it being pared down.
@Lee Iacoca no it doesn't. I dont see terrorists driving jeeps, land rovers and other cars. There is a reason why people who live in the middle of nowhere in the harshest conditions buy land cruisers.
Have you ever heard of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? It fits perfectly with the Land Cruiser. The looks especially. It looks a lot like the outgoing model. And it's a good thing. It was a great looking car. Do you complain about the looks of a VW golf too? it looks exactly the same since the Mark V generation.
"It's not high quality, it's designed to be easy to use and last forever". Um, that is quality. I think you are using the word quality when you mean fancy.
I guess more options is good but I always appreciated that there were no packages or trims for a 200 because it simply is what it is. It's the top of the line and its a rugged car but also very comfortable, like if I'm paying so much for manual seats might as well get a Tundra or 4 Runner
I've been a huge Land Cruiser fan for years. I did sales for Toyota in 1994 with the generation that is still my favorite! I totally understand Toyota dropping the Land Cruiser here, annual sales are extremely low and while some might like what Doug described as people going with a low key, "less bling" persona - I would say there are more that are spending that type of money for it to be seen as status symbol. Which just makes "cents", to not have Toyota's line competing with themselves and allows Lexus to grab some more profit. Doug, maybe this is more my own interest, BUT people don't buy a Land Cruiser for the center cubbie, they buy it for the center locking differential. Why almost no info on what makes this such a desirable vehicle throughout the world - because it goes where other don't dare to go and doesn't break. How about some shots of the axles, & drivetrain components. Why did all the other makers drastically improve while Toyota stayed pretty much the same.... Maybe because this vehicle had perfected off road capability 30 years ago. At some point you are limited by physics how much a wheel will provide forward momentum in low traction environments, again the Land Cruiser has been there and others have had to catch up. Hey, years from now you can import and drive a 2022 Land Cruiser - It will still have plenty of life left in it, well except for those turbos, they will be trash!
@@porschefanatic1049 Pretty much every vehicle made "easily has a lifespan of 30 years," if it's properly maintained. Okay, discount several Ford models throughout the last 60 years that had "time bombs" designed in. But other than that kind of thing, absolutely.
Importation, development and production costs per US market land cruiser are kinda high power copy sold. So, I think they HAD to make the US market land cruisers luxurious to help justify the high price to begin with to consumers.
Yea.. Him complaining about the folding seats was annoying. They're manually operated because that latch will outlast an electronic motor for many years to come. He knows that yet he's still complaining
@@zeckwiz I'm confident in saying the age demographic of people who could actually buy it, would pull a muscle in there backs trying to reach that latch.
Fun fact: this is not considered the base model in the middle east, for us. The base model has no radio, no roof rack and none of the features like the cool box
If they stopped selling the Landcruiser here in Oz, Toyota would have a riot on its hands. We don't see it as an SUV - it's a work tool in Australia: reliable, capable and fit for purpose. You can buy a luxe version if you want, but they're mostly bought because they rule off-road.
We don't get all the cheap fuck off SUV the US gets. That's why people keep buying landcruisers. Escalades, lincoln aviator and Navigator, Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition and lets not forget the cheap american pickup trucks, where in Australia it's like 10x the price lol
@@iwrotethis4712 Because the hilux is smaller, less powerful, much less nice, and less capable. The landcruiser shares underpinnings with the tundra. Also, The most popular landcruiser models is the top level Sahara or Sahara Horizon, Never seen another one in my area.
when you're driving around a country with remote wilderness like australia, reliability is life and death which is why the landcruiser is king in Australia. Crappy american cars don't stack up..
My nephew just got a completely original 1988 Hilux for his first car (same as the famous Top Gear one but with a flat deck) and mechanically it doesn't need any work at all. It's at the body shop now to remove 33 years worth of daily use dents and scratches, it will come back looking like new and still be all original.
@@jeanblezin7091 They are already going up in value. Want to know the kicker? He was GIVEN it by an old lady who he mows lawns for. It was her late husband's daily workhorse, he started mowing her lawns and she said he could have it for mowing her lawn for a summer. My bro-in-law (his dad) is a mechanic so the "restoration" (what little needs to be done) is being done right, hence the body work.
I’ve owned a 200 series Land Cruiser since 2009. A great car which now has almost 230,000 km on the clock and is still going as good as new. Did over 700km yesterday. If the 300 is better than the 200 it must be a mighty car.
I feel as though Doug might be missing a key point here in his review. The whole point of new version of LC is too basically keep everything that worked in previous models and add new features sporadically across the new ones version. I can guarantee you if Toyota bravely decided to take risks with design or anything else many LC lovers would hate it. At least in Aus they would where demand has outstretched supply greatly.
Similar to what happened with the Nissan Patrol, its why the old ones are wayy more popular than the new ones. Also Americans act a little like every car model in the world is made for them not where they are made (Asia pacific) for the patrol
Yeah, I think he's missing the point. We don't need a radically changed LC, it should be what it always was, but with some modernizations to keep up with the times. If anything, the 4Runner is their more radical Offroader
There is.an old saying in Australia “If you want to go (to the) bush get a Land Rover. If you want to come back get a Toyota. Toyotas are insanely popular in the outback where if your car breaks down you die.
Luckily we get them in southern Africa. I'm from Namibia and we (my dad) has the GR Sport spec. The 3rd row of seats on it are electronically operated so getting them back up is not a struggle.
I was lucky enough to snag a ‘21 Heritage Edition before they disappeared. By far the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. I’ve taken it off-road a number of times and it’s frankly incredible how such a large and heavy vehicle manages to be so extremely capable and poised. Every so often you encounter someone who actually knows what it is and there’s an immediate connection. That said, the vast majority of the time people don’t look twice. Just another big, boring kid hauler ;)
Ya, I got my wife (kid hauler for now) a 2020 used with 25K miles. Great car, and she loves it. Best of all it has actually appreciated in this weird market. But ya, the fuel economy sucks.
God DeMuro the type of person that has done their research and knows this car is hella reliable despite mpg. If one was to actually purchase an Escalade or Range Rover, then they are amongst the fools bc their money has jus been invested into a great liability. Look at all the nonsense tech inside these new Escalades and Range Rovers, there’s a reason y u don’t see older model of these vehicles on the streets as u might happen to catch a couple old gen land cruisers. Like I said before it all comes down to RELIABILITY
Dull fact: pandemic and lack of semiconductors affected the land cruiser production so much that the waiting list is now over 3 years . And I'm writing from Japan.
This is America, now. There are a lot of high quality basic world market vehicles that don't come here because of crash/emissions regulations and because car companies in the US think everyone wants a $75k luxury pickup and not a Toyota HiAce van
Didn’t Audi threaten Doug like a year or two ago just for reviewing a Euro-spec A8? God forbid us Americans find out that car companies have been cheapening out on US-spec vehicles for a long time
I work with US Special Operations and we use the armored J200's all the time overseas and I absolutely love them. Again, basic ones but I have no complaints about them.
@@camogap7392 Those grills are supposed to scream “I’ve made it in life”, but oddly enough, I had college instructor with a doctorate who had his wife drop him off in a Camry everyday. My sister is one of the highest ranking practitioners in her network and she drives a Dodge. Now, there’s a lady in my fitness group who works at her family’s pizza spot and she drives BMW and there’s a lot of teachers who drive Lexuses around here. I guess chrome and nameplates don’t always determine your success or status.
Wow! It's interesting to see there's an even lower spec LC300 than the base GX model that we get here in Australia. In our local (Aussie) market, we get 6 variants. From the base GX (mostly for first responders, law enforcement, mines etc), all the way to the Sahara ZX (Luxury focused) and GR Sport (Offroad focused). But our base model GX still gets a 9" colour touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. After seeing this, I'll stop referring to it (base model GX) as the poverty pack. 😁 NOTE: The higher grade variants gets power raised and fold 3rd row seats, it's the same thing for the tailgate, higher grade variants gets powered tailgate. Other things the LC300 you reviewed didn't have that's worth a mention are the MTS (Multi Terrain Select), 4-camera Multi-Terrain Monitor, A-TRC, eKDSS, plus a host of other goodies. That model you tested is truly a very basic model.
...UN / 'government tender spec' model. In most African countries this and the base model Toyota 'Prado' are common for NGO's and top officials of public entities that require routine access to far off places that are often without decent roads.
Toyota hurt my feelings not selling the new Land Crusier in the US. I was waiting patiently to purchase. I ended up purchasing a 2019 Sequoia Platinum.
It's so funny how they've chosen the base version. If it was for the government in my country (Croatia), they would have chosen the maxed out version because they're not the ones paying for it.
It's probably one for the United Nations, i see these white basic trim Land Cruiser 200s in my country very often with the UN logo, they usually add a snorkel as well.
I mean, that logic isn't as backwards as you might think. Look at a lot of wealthy people who own things like very successful construction companies. Most of them aren't driving escalades, they're driving platinum super duties. Why? Well some people just don't like flashy brands, but still want luxurious features. But also, it helps to maintain your connection with your employees and business associates. Using the construction company example, you roll up in a Mercedes s class, it's just going to look out of place, you show up in a super duty, and all of a sudden, the people around you feel a sense of comrodery, they feel like they can relate to you more.
That's definitely a thing for many wealthy people. They want a luxurious off-roader but don't want it to look blingy. It totally changes how people treat you if you show up in a Range Rover vs a Land Cruiser even if they cost the same.
Reliability is in fact the ultimate luxury. The peace of mind knowing that no matter what you throw at it, it will keep you safe and get you to intended destination is priceless
I think the majority of people buying Land Cruisers have “old money” and don’t care about showing off because that isn’t important to them; unlike a lot of people with “new money”.
As said in another car makers commercial..."Can i have one in BLUE?" The thing of it is, the LC200s were reaching into the $70-90k range in price when its competition was still only into the $50-60K range...so they only sold 1200 or so a yr for the past 5yrs...but now EVERY manufacturer has their top level SUVs into the $70-100+ K range...so now it has company. As far as a model like this one...stripped down and at $50-75k; that is the model soooooo many of us would love to purchase. Oh well, Ill keep my 4Runner and dream...but if i can find a comparable LC200 for a good price, ill jump at the chance.
We have a house in the Middle East that we stay from time to time and it’s in a place called yafa which is a really high altitude mountains that people been living on top of for hundreds of years, the roads are just Terrifying, only a 4x4 can manage to handle the road since all you do is drive up and down a steep off road dirt rocky road so most people you’ll see driving on a road have land cruiser as old as 1960s land cruisers also new ones too, all you’ll see is land cruiser and it’s many models FJ pickup trucks 2 doors etc, I truthfully have a 2007 also, and it’s so reliable I drive it so aggressively and all It need’s is a car wash every once while. Land Cruisers are truly legendary.
You see, the problem with the Land Cruiser is it's an actual SUV. Whereas most "SUV" buyers want a "SUV" with the utility and road manners of a minivan.
I think this base model would sell like hot cakes in the United States @toyotausa , assuming its at a lower price than what we're used to for a Land Cruiser. Great video Doug
1. For those who’ve never been, the Middle East gets pretty cold in winter. 2. Going to a V6 isn’t my issue, but adding a turbo is. That NA engine will most likely outlast the turbo’d one.
you have numbers on that, or is it just based off of 70s and 80s knowledge of turbo vehicles? Most of the issues in the recent ecoboost engines has been from ignition, not turbo issues.
@@electrikoptik “turbo diesel” and yes I know, up until a few months ago, I was still driving turbo diesel Toyotas through the Sahara. They were ok, but not as reliable as our inline 6 NA Land Cruisers though.
OMG I love the land cruisers so much. I grew up around them in Africa and have fallen in love with them over time. Such an iconic, beautiful, indestructible truck!
19:13 I'll be very interested to see if they can still maintain the old NA Land Cruiser V8's reliability in a twin turbocharged engine. Twin turbo engines are certainly not traditionally known for their longevity and reliability
I have owned many Toyota and Lexus SUVs and now have a 22 Lexus GX460 with the V8. No turbo for me. I’ll stick to the V8. Even Toyota(Mike Sweers) admitted that he likes the V8 better but they had no choice to switch to a V6 due to government regulations. So it’s not like Toyota moved from the V8 to the V6 because it’s better. They had to!!
Specially if you live somewhere hot and you get in your car and burn your buns. I live in Hawaii so I put seat cover on whatever I buy immediately. Custom made "waterproof" seat covers.
More comfortable, don't heat up as much in the sun, don't stick to the legs, no need to kill animals (though alternative leathers are thankfully becoming more common). Cloth reigns supreme. In fact, I think that velvet in particular needs to make a comeback as the ultimate seat material.
I like that they didn't put in a touch screen. 10-20 years from now when this car is still running perfectly touch screens will be laggy and outdated meanwhile that type of screens will function just as day 1.
So for the next 20 years you want a crappy infotainment experience just so your car feels less outdated two decades from now? What kind of logic is that?
Except that they have 0 ways to "lag" when most of these infotainment systems do not receive major updates like and Android or iOS phones do. The performance you get now is what you will have in 10 years as silicon does not degrade, software just gets bloated.
@@prasad530 Some people don't mind having this type of infotainment. I rather not have a screen at all in my car. My phone is significantly better than any car infotainment. Just give me buttons and bluetooth.
I live in the gulf and these things are everywhere. And for a good reason, they are literally tanks. They never break, barely depreciate and people take pride in saying they drive a "landa cruza". What I've heard is that people in the us want better gas mileage out of their land cruisers but that's not really an issue over here considering how cheap gas is.
12:21 Speaking as a dad with twins. And a 5th gen 4Runner with an identical third row set up. I’d rather give up the middle seat of the middle row for a pass-through for the third row personally. It can be really laborious to remove and reinstall a car seat. We usual access the third row from the rear hatch.
"We usual access the third row from the rear hatch." Yeesh! Big sacrifice just to have a 4Runner... most other cars *DO* give up the middle seat from the middle row for this purpose exactly.
@@user-tb5ns7hc5i idk I like it, apart from that third row issue (I rarely use anyway) but I had a Tacoma Xrunner as a daily driver when I found out twins was coming. I absolutely loved that xrunner , And had a lotus elise as a fun car. It was good times. I used to Autocross both vehicles. The Xrunner made me look like a hero.
US sales of Land cruiser 18,000 in 1999 1,800 in 2010 3,000 in 2020 Japan 25,000 sold in 2020 Australia 18,000 sold in 2020 MAKES SENSES. BUY THE LEXUS LX
1 Land Cruiser sold for every 110,000 American 1 Land Cruiser sold for every 1,000 Australian Every family owns one the UAE. Also cloth makes sense in 120 degrees weather Go where you are treated best
Take a look at the price they are sold for in the US and you will see why so few were sold in the US. For some reason we only had the luxury version sold in the US.
I wish they could sell these in the US. Here in Dubai, there are so many Land Cruisers, Nissan Patrols, and other large rugged SUVs. Jeep Wranglers are popular here too, but the Land Cruiser seems to be the most popular large SUV here.
You know, what's I think, is great about being in Dubai, when we talk about cars? You're somehow in the crossroads. You can buy Skodas, and some other European only car brands to you can buy, you can buy Asian only car brands, and even American only cars brands (correct me, if I'm wrong). For me, that would be extremely cool to be able to buy cars, which are sold only in one specific continent (+ USA), and still be in one city. J
the new land cruiser is for sure quite popular here but nowhere near the Patrol, the nissan patrol ( if you count the new ones and the y61 body) is by far the most common offroader/ suv maybe even car here in Dubai
The common us customers are not really paying 90k for an off roader. The Lexus lx, gx and Toyota 4Runner kinda took the market for this. The wrangler is a totally different vehicle. Kinda like comparing a station wagon to a dune buggy. One is practical and one is built for fun.
Another reason why this is a base model is weight savings. Adding armor on top of power leather seats, etc would be excessive to a point where you need to start upgrading the suspension, brakes, etc.
What if i want to buy a car in UAE and want to drive it to europe.. what kind of documents i need to drive it trough this region.. and which is the best way
@@Mamo878 hhhhhhhhhh who told that I know a lot of people living in middle that they are happy and they think the life is beautiful in it , but you people you brains are definitely washed is not like we need your opinion any way
Is there a sewage system in dubai? I heard that Burj Khalifa’s poop is trucked out of town and that the tallest building in the world has no sewage system.
Doug when reviewing a car: eww, this car doesn't have technology and features also Doug when reviewing a car: I like that this car doesn't have technology and features
Actually a vehicle without all the high-tech and fineries would be desirable. The only tech I really like is collision avoidance, and lane departure. A simplistic radio setup; heaven. Bring it back here and
My 2005 Scion xB has none of the high-tech gizmos, and that's the way I like it. Tech is a big selling point in modern cars, but most of it is useless and a major distraction, not to mention the high additional cost.
@@paulparoma The real problem with all those electronic gizmos is when they fail. Because they will, and you won't be able to fix them aside from junkyard parts and magic in twenty years. X3
@@jamesgizasson That's right. It's one thing if an infotainment or lane departure warning system fails, but it's quite another when an electronic failure makes a car undrivable. And these things do happen more often than not, especially on pricier cars.
@@jamesgizasson I guess when a car is 25 years old, even if it's a Toyota, things are bound to fail. I kind of long for the days of all-mechanical, too, although I realize electronics have made cars more efficient. But all that efficiency goes out the window when you have to replace expensive electronic components.
I think a lot of the issues you had with this base model would be solved with higher spec’ed models like the V.X.R or the GR Sport, a lot of what you hated about this one are vastly different on those higher spec’ed models
This model is so step-down because it will be armoured. All the electronics basic features breaks easily but the mechanical parts are difficult to break.
Computer: shows “Distance to empty 12km” (less than 8 miles). Doug: and now I will drive this LR! Doug 30 seconds later: and now I will show you how easy it is to go off-road Doug 45 seconds later: and now I will show you how hard it is to push a LR with an empty tank…
My dad is a little upset about the Land Cruiser going away, but he has one with 400k miles and it's never broken, so he'll just keep going in this one 🤣
in Australia there is a 4 year waiting list for the 300 series, according to my local dealer. Toyota dealers are in the crap here as they are taking money for cars that they cannot supply. So if they had to fill production orders for America, that wait time would blow out to an even more ridiculous timeframe.
I actually like this Land Cruiser, because its just so simple and utilitarian, like Toyotas back in the 80s and early 90s, less things to break and easier to fix IF something goes wrong. Too bad they discontinued this Land Cruiser for the spoiled Americans who would find this to be outdated junk
@IL62 Thats the thing, no one wants American cars, thats why you see more Japanese cars on the roads than those GM cars. And not only that, they are pricier because Toyotas interiors are better built and will last longer along the way, Toyotas hold their value very well, meanwhile most GM cars are either gone in junkyards, or really cheap with all their parts brolen and needing repairs, so I think me and most people would buy a more expensive land cruiser than a yukon.
Given the fact that Doug lives in San Diego he should go more often to Mexico, and review cars that aren't sold in USA, Toyota Hilux, Land Cruiser 70 Series, Yaris, Nissan Patrol, March, a 2003 VW Beetle, SEAT, Mazdas, Renaults, Citroens, weird chinese brands, etc...
So far I've happily taken advantage of my location to film the Toyota GR Yaris, Peugeot 3008, Suzuki Swift, and Suzuki Jimny -- all from Mexico. I've loved doing it! Mexican viewers don't contact me often. I wish they did! I'd love to film more Mexican cars.
Doug I purchased a LC Back in 1987 /88 No Color No OPP waited 4 months to get one & Reason i am telling you is The LC FJ Series 1988 FJ62 first year 4 Fuel Injection All LC Power Train STRIGHT SIX SLOW Yes But 500k miles engine
The blog of a couple driving a land cruiser across Africa a few years ago was for whatever reason why I think it is the coolest and understated SUV ever.
According to Wiki, 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser is made in Japan and of Japanese parts. So this means GM/Ford US tariffs make it unprofitable to export to US. The US is basically North Korea of autos where we tariff every foreign brand. Yes the Mercedes you drive is actually made in Alabama.
my brother you are so right!!! they dont know the american market!! some of us just want the Toyota Model without all the bs from Lexus i love my Toyotas specially suvs like the 4Runner without the power lifgate and all those things i feel is just one of the few meanly suv's out there
The only vehicle I regret selling in my 57 years is my (11 mpg) 100 Series Land Cruiser. Why wouldn’t Toyota sell a more basic 300 series Land Cruiser with the off road and a more reasonable option packages for $60-$70K? Probably because it would outsell the $100K LX. Maybe they will reconsider. Thanks for finding one to review, Doug!
Having owned a GXR (stripped down) 200 series land cruiser in Dubai, I can tell you that all these negatives that you name are normal on stripper lane cruisers. Doug is simply used to the land cruiser being all fancy in the USA
Exactly, this car isn't made for American mentality. Its made for middle East, jungles in Asia and South America. That's why its simple and has nothing in it, so when your car breaks something in the middle of nowhere, you can fix it.
FYI, the GX.R trim you're reviewing is the mid grade trim for the LC300, sitting between the luxurious VX.R model and the stripped down GX. LC300s starts around $50-60K, depending on where you live, and goes up to nearly $100K for the GR Sport & VX.R. The trim models in the GCC goes like this: GX -> GX.R -> VX -> VX-R -> GR Sport. This is important because some of your complaints like the 3rd row seating and other lackluster "old school" features are somewhat already addressed in the VX lineup. Not saying you're wrong at all, just some context to consider. This generation was really controversial to say the least. A lot of people hated how ugly the new Land Cruiser looks and how soft have it became. They also criticized the fact that they ditched all of the V8s in favour of a Twin Turbo V6, replaced the classic split gate & barn door configuration in favor of a normal hatch door and lack of any manual options. Ultimately, your average middle class families and wannabe mall crawlers are still gonna finance the new Cruiser because it's a Toyota, most of which are going to be the exactly model you just reviewed. And honestly, i enjoyed seeing your opinion on it. I myself not exactly into most SUVs but i like some offroaders. Thank you
@@alifrazier4 I don't recall if we ever got a "sahara" over here but then again, i was mainly referring to the models sold locally so you're probably correct.
I feel like Toyota is making a huge mistake with their current product planning, by being really tunnel vision on a specific idea. The eliminations they have made so far may just hurt sales because they are limiting what consumers can choose from when we are looking for a toyota. It is great that toyota is making other vehicles in a hybrid version, but the hybrid model shouldn't be the only thing available to choose, such as what they did with the Sienna.
Don't hold your breath. Certifying a vehicle for US sale can cost upwards of a million dollars per model. Highly unlikely they would spend that late into a vehicle's production, as a company would want to recoup a vehicle's development costs. On the other hand, Ford did adapt the current world version of the Ranger pretty late into that model's production life.
Here's what I think is going on...Toyota sells enough other suv's and cars in the U.S. but Lexus has been struggling, they don't want to drop Lexus(like how GM dropped many of their brands), so in order to help Lexus sales and not let this Land Cruiser cut into their own market they simply gave the consumer no other choice other than either get a Tundra or get a Lexus... Well, that was worded poorly, but more or less what my thoughts are about Toyota's decision to no longer sell the Land Cruiser in the U.S. they'll probably bring it back in a few years once more market data comes in during it's absence & after they see how well/poorly the Lexus version does.
Lexus does sell well with the RX NX and even GX, their production isn’t as much as Toyota but that’s pretty obvious being the luxury variant of its parent company. The land cruiser didn’t sell at all and the LX outsold it’s cheaper alternative which is likely why they cancelled it altogether.
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Toyota not selling an iconic SUV in a country that loves SUVS doesn’t make sense imo. Great review as usual Doug!
Bc it’s too expensive and most ppl here buy a Tahoe/expedition otherwise
The legit Karens of the world are more interested in King Ranch and High Country.
when you compare the cash floating around in the middle east...they won't lose anything😂😂😂
That’s why the US gets the LX
@@vsrap71 This would cost the same come on lol
If it ever makes it to the US, they might consider adding a split tailgate option. How this age-old LC feature got deleted from the 300 really is mind blowing.
Nah Toyota barely changes every model change so I doubt
They should have retained the split tailgate feature period, at least as an option imo.
@@jameskim8676 If only Land Rover can copy the Land Cruiser's reliability lol
@@jameskim8676 Compensating much there James? If it takes a shitty expensive car that drops in value thousands of dollars per month to make you feel wealthy...you won't be wealthy for.long.
@@jameskim8676 This has to be one of the dumbest things I've read on youtube. I guess only poor people buy Lexus per your statement.
Any South African knows how much the land cruiser is loved by everyone here and the way they drive and the ride quality the reliability and the charm of them makes it a classic here
Yu can say that again mate...Love the Hilux nd Land Cruiser ❤🙂
I had a Prado for quite a while. I worked as an exploration geotechnical engineer, and was continually offroad. The prado on dirt roads was good, but on actual offroad, it was average, it was however reliable. My jeeps before and after it was far superior in every way, except reliability.
@@veridico84 me and my cousin had a old Prado called the green machine that thing had been bashed around for 20 years but it still started and the cooler box always worked so we could keep our hunters cool we needed up writing it off last year when we hit a dear on the main road but other then that that prado would’ve lasted 100 years 😂😂
@@Jedd0 definitely, they are bulletproof. I loved how the fridge kept my windhoeks cold, no matter where I went.
It’s every politicians dream car here lol
We don’t want more features, we just want a long lasting dependable car
Couldn't have said it better myself. If new cars available in the US were truly better built than the old ones... I would buy new. :3
If the land cruiser had the most popular features everyone looks for and if you can configure your land cruiser inside out it would sell more and it wouldn’t removed from the US MARKET
You're right, but unfortunately the people that want luxury & features compared to those who don't is about 60 to 1, so Toyota is going where the money is.
Land cruiser never disappoints ! T
people buying 100k+ want luxury and features..
So refreshing to see such a basic yet capable vehicle. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really grown out of wanting all of the excessive tech in my car. A simple life is a happy one in my case. Great vehicle.
This is why I use a four year old Samsung cell phone and will probably get a new one of similar model when this current one finally gives up..
Not sure this qualifys as basic
@@samuelrs5138 When it comes to interior tech and overall modern creature comfort, this is as basic as it gets in thee times. Lower trim Hyundai Sonatas are more equipped than this by a fair margin.
@@daedevillewrestling I'm pretty sure you already know but keep in mind that this is just a lower trim. Trust me, when you visit the Middle East, you'll constantly be glancing at Arabs chauffeuring their highest-trim Land Cruisers (I think it's the VXR or VXS trim with various features like premium leather seats and more goodies) while flashing their lights as they pass even the fastest cars on the highway lol
might be simple but it's still 100k
This is the kind of Land Cruiser that would be wildly successful in the US. The reason why nobody bought the new Land Cruisers are because they were too expensive and luxurious. I just want a tank, I don't need powered seats.
I hate that the new 2022 Land Cruiser won't come to America at all.
As many things mechanical as possible always is a plus to me. Unfortunately, most manufacturers don't want to pay for mechanical features that is seen by the newer consumers as old. Too bad.
Hardly. They sold all the LC’s and the values have gone up.
The us needs the 70 series like Australia and other places still get
Ever heard of the 70 series or the Kakadu? Seems its only the American market that undervalues the LC 300. That car is an Airbus on wheels, not even an escalade comes close
It makes sense this car is the most basic configuration. If you are going to armor it you have to take all the interior and put a lot of customer specific equipment. Hope Doug can review the Lexus soon.
@@yungboicontigo9278 I didn't even know there was a prominent Lexus community...
He already reviewed, Lexus LX 570.
@@intel2133 the past generation
@@intel2133 he reviewed the previous generation, this 300 Series is new and Lexus is going to launch the new model in US.
The GXR isn't the most basic LC300.. Oz sells the GX and models below the that with vinyl seats and steel wheels will be available.
As a former 80 series owner.... No Land Cruiser owner cares about the fuel economy. We care about reliability and ruggedness.
The irony of having gas in ur name
Diesel LCs would like a word
@@sniper8579 lol!
@@greatcolor lol! They are reliable.
Exactly you don’t buy any suv this large expecting to get Prius type fuel economy although it would be nice lol
The Landcruiser has been an I6 car for a large portion of its run (with quite a few I4 as well), from the 40s to the late 90s when they added a space saver V8. And now they've saved even more space by adding a V6. I think any straight engine is the Landcruiser norm, and any V engine is unusual, historically speaking.
Doug, the VXR trim available in the Middle East fixes all of your complaints. It gets updated styling, stop and go adaptive cruise control, electronically folding 3rd row seats, lane keep assist, heads up display, larger gauge cluster screen, huge infotainment display and cooled/heated seats in the first 2 rows. It has all of the features you'd expect in a full size luxury SUV.
He’s already mentioned several times it’s a strip down version because the company is going to take it apart and make it bulletproof, and it’s going to governmental bodies or organisations, hence it being pared down.
@Lee Iacoca no it doesn't. I dont see terrorists driving jeeps, land rovers and other cars. There is a reason why people who live in the middle of nowhere in the harshest conditions buy land cruisers.
@Lee Iacoca no
@@nemanjap8768 well terrorists don't have the time to spend to get a land rover
@@albertduncan6365 yes but then he said it wasn't changed lmao
Have you ever heard of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"?
It fits perfectly with the Land Cruiser.
The looks especially. It looks a lot like the outgoing model. And it's a good thing.
It was a great looking car.
Do you complain about the looks of a VW golf too?
it looks exactly the same since the Mark V generation.
not anymore, the mk8 golf front end looks quite distinct from the previous gen
the land cruiser looks meh. its fine. theres better looking SUVs, like the Tahoe and even toyotas own 4Runner. the Lexus version looks better though
Golf looks very different now, what are you on about
seeing them in the flesh they're incredibly ugly. I much prefer the outgoing model
@@antonym24 eww, the Lexus is soooo ugly with that huge grill
I liked the split tailgate offered in previous models. More usable and convenient than the lift up tailgate in this model.
"It's not high quality, it's designed to be easy to use and last forever". Um, that is quality. I think you are using the word quality when you mean fancy.
This 👍
no there's a big difference between quality and reliability
He was more referring to this base model GXR Land Cruiser. It uses completely different interior materials than the high spec models.
@@kristians2704 quality is part of reliability
@@kristians2704 is there?
"ay bro which trim land cruiser you got?"
"ah it's the enthusiast spec"
"you mean the base model?"
"yes."
More like “base model plus aftermarket modifications”
I wonder how low they could get the price with a stripped down model. It might make sense to do that in the US market.
I guess more options is good but I always appreciated that there were no packages or trims for a 200 because it simply is what it is. It's the top of the line and its a rugged car but also very comfortable, like if I'm paying so much for manual seats might as well get a Tundra or 4 Runner
I've been a huge Land Cruiser fan for years. I did sales for Toyota in 1994 with the generation that is still my favorite! I totally understand Toyota dropping the Land Cruiser here, annual sales are extremely low and while some might like what Doug described as people going with a low key, "less bling" persona - I would say there are more that are spending that type of money for it to be seen as status symbol. Which just makes "cents", to not have Toyota's line competing with themselves and allows Lexus to grab some more profit. Doug, maybe this is more my own interest, BUT people don't buy a Land Cruiser for the center cubbie, they buy it for the center locking differential. Why almost no info on what makes this such a desirable vehicle throughout the world - because it goes where other don't dare to go and doesn't break. How about some shots of the axles, & drivetrain components. Why did all the other makers drastically improve while Toyota stayed pretty much the same.... Maybe because this vehicle had perfected off road capability 30 years ago. At some point you are limited by physics how much a wheel will provide forward momentum in low traction environments, again the Land Cruiser has been there and others have had to catch up. Hey, years from now you can import and drive a 2022 Land Cruiser - It will still have plenty of life left in it, well except for those turbos, they will be trash!
I think part of the reason the landcruiser had trouble in the states was of the high price, maybe the basic spec would have made a difference
@@porschefanatic1049 that’s how it’s like in Japan though
@@porschefanatic1049 Pretty much every vehicle made "easily has a lifespan of 30 years," if it's properly maintained. Okay, discount several Ford models throughout the last 60 years that had "time bombs" designed in. But other than that kind of thing, absolutely.
True!
If you think they're expensive here my cousin just paid 150k for a new 2022
Importation, development and production costs per US market land cruiser are kinda high power copy sold. So, I think they HAD to make the US market land cruisers luxurious to help justify the high price to begin with to consumers.
Doug: Oh No we don't have the new land cruiser in USA
Doug: Complain about stupid stuff for 15 minutes
TOYOTA: that's why you don't have it
Yea.. Him complaining about the folding seats was annoying. They're manually operated because that latch will outlast an electronic motor for many years to come. He knows that yet he's still complaining
@@zeckwiz I'm confident in saying the age demographic of people who could actually buy it, would pull a muscle in there backs trying to reach that latch.
@@joeljeffrey9139 Then they shouldn't buy the GX trim? All the other trims have electronic folding seats
he loves a car but never buys it. lol he should've bought one if he loves it so much.
@@zeckwiz that's why i insist that this whole video is pointless...He knew, and still kept comparing and complaining about this specific trim.
I would imagine the demand for these in Oz is so insane that they need not risk a loss in the USA.
Por favor en Español ,gracias .
Fun fact: this is not considered the base model in the middle east, for us. The base model has no radio, no roof rack and none of the features like the cool box
Wow, well MSF and UNICEF probably don't need such luxuries.
@@MaximilianvonPinneberg and Al-Qaeda lol
What does it cost?
This GXR is very lowly specced though. There are nicer GXR yes but this one is very basic. Almost EXR.
So why don’t cars come with radios over there? There’s just nothing worth listening to? I’m genuinely curious.
If they stopped selling the Landcruiser here in Oz, Toyota would have a riot on its hands. We don't see it as an SUV - it's a work tool in Australia: reliable, capable and fit for purpose. You can buy a luxe version if you want, but they're mostly bought because they rule off-road.
We don't get all the cheap fuck off SUV the US gets. That's why people keep buying landcruisers. Escalades, lincoln aviator and Navigator, Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition and lets not forget the cheap american pickup trucks, where in Australia it's like 10x the price lol
@@den_525 This
@@iwrotethis4712 Because the hilux is smaller, less powerful, much less nice, and less capable. The landcruiser shares underpinnings with the tundra.
Also, The most popular landcruiser models is the top level Sahara or Sahara Horizon, Never seen another one in my area.
when you're driving around a country with remote wilderness like australia, reliability is life and death which is why the landcruiser is king in Australia. Crappy american cars don't stack up..
You also get mostly the 70 series, which is really an old work truck.
Man Toyota knows how to build an off-road truck. My buddy has a TRD 4runner and the thing is simply perfect.
And almost indestructible
My nephew just got a completely original 1988 Hilux for his first car (same as the famous Top Gear one but with a flat deck) and mechanically it doesn't need any work at all. It's at the body shop now to remove 33 years worth of daily use dents and scratches, it will come back looking like new and still be all original.
@@KiwiPokerPlayer Telll him not to sell it cause in 20 years it'll go up in value
@@jeanblezin7091 They are already going up in value. Want to know the kicker? He was GIVEN it by an old lady who he mows lawns for. It was her late husband's daily workhorse, he started mowing her lawns and she said he could have it for mowing her lawn for a summer. My bro-in-law (his dad) is a mechanic so the "restoration" (what little needs to be done) is being done right, hence the body work.
@@KiwiPokerPlayer Oh very good to hear that. He is a very lucky man. Thanks for the info bro. These trucks are made to outlasted us unfortunately...
I’ve owned a 200 series Land Cruiser since 2009. A great car which now has almost 230,000 km on the clock and is still going as good as new. Did over 700km yesterday. If the 300 is better than the 200 it must be a mighty car.
You cant find a lc 200 here in iceland with less than 450k km for sale most are driven about 500-700k
for such price point and so poor and obsolete equpment itd better be indestructible! lol ;
yeah I know, i know, nobody cares, its a workhorse...
I feel as though Doug might be missing a key point here in his review. The whole point of new version of LC is too basically keep everything that worked in previous models and add new features sporadically across the new ones version.
I can guarantee you if Toyota bravely decided to take risks with design or anything else many LC lovers would hate it.
At least in Aus they would where demand has outstretched supply greatly.
Similar to what happened with the Nissan Patrol, its why the old ones are wayy more popular than the new ones. Also Americans act a little like every car model in the world is made for them not where they are made (Asia pacific) for the patrol
Yeah, I think he's missing the point. We don't need a radically changed LC, it should be what it always was, but with some modernizations to keep up with the times. If anything, the 4Runner is their more radical Offroader
There is.an old saying in Australia “If you want to go (to the) bush get a Land Rover. If you want to come back get a Toyota. Toyotas are insanely popular in the outback where if your car breaks down you die.
Luckily we get them in southern Africa. I'm from Namibia and we (my dad) has the GR Sport spec. The 3rd row of seats on it are electronically operated so getting them back up is not a struggle.
different country has dfferent version
@@godwinjoseph391 it was 1.8 million rand, that's roughly $115 000
@@lightshunshine3861 Namibia and South Africa gets all the specs from the diesel 3.3 GX-R to the ZX to the 3.5T GR Sport
@@lightshunshine3861 All the models except this GX spec will have the electronic folding seats. Regardless of the country
Damn lucky Africa got GRS trim in 3.5T Petrol while in Australia 3.3T Diesel
I was lucky enough to snag a ‘21 Heritage Edition before they disappeared. By far the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. I’ve taken it off-road a number of times and it’s frankly incredible how such a large and heavy vehicle manages to be so extremely capable and poised. Every so often you encounter someone who actually knows what it is and there’s an immediate connection. That said, the vast majority of the time people don’t look twice. Just another big, boring kid hauler ;)
Ya, I got my wife (kid hauler for now) a 2020 used with 25K miles. Great car, and she loves it. Best of all it has actually appreciated in this weird market. But ya, the fuel economy sucks.
This guy went crazy over my LX 570 license plate that says LNDCRUZ at the gas station. He was in a QX80 but said he really wanted an LX.
@@yungboicontigo9278 yah his was white, so very bland.
Jus remember to never sell it in the future. They’re diamonds now and they gonna climb up in value 👍🏽
God DeMuro the type of person that has done their research and knows this car is hella reliable despite mpg. If one was to actually purchase an Escalade or Range Rover, then they are amongst the fools bc their money has jus been invested into a great liability. Look at all the nonsense tech inside these new Escalades and Range Rovers, there’s a reason y u don’t see older model of these vehicles on the streets as u might happen to catch a couple old gen land cruisers. Like I said before it all comes down to RELIABILITY
No mention of the most tragic loss of feature, the split rear hatch.
Exactly
rear hatch? do you mean the split tailgate?
@@KShauryaDwivedi but single door is much convenient
@@yt_bharat yes
Dull fact: pandemic and lack of semiconductors affected the land cruiser production so much that the waiting list is now over 3 years . And I'm writing from Japan.
But it's an 2022 model, so You already 1 year ahead ;p
They should cancel the production then, stop taking orders for new ones if they can't handle it.
They are all sent over to us in the Middle East.
Me too waiting my order since July hope my comes before u …h hh h joking
@@mauzouq I used to live in Kuwait.
I feel kind of mad because he's reviewing a car that is basically unattainable to me. But then I realize that that's true for almost all his cars.
get the LX600 ?
Because u broke
@@eFreesty not just him, me too, and I think most viewers are
@@eFreesty hahaha post a video of your car 🤡🤡
@@eFreesty u ain’t got shit neither Nigga
Americans got a Prado and call it a Land Cruiser
Because prado is a Land Cruiser. It is based on the same TNGA Platform which 300 series is based on.
This is society now. We think it’s a novelty to look at something that isn’t packed with the latest tech and luxury features.
This is America, now. There are a lot of high quality basic world market vehicles that don't come here because of crash/emissions regulations and because car companies in the US think everyone wants a $75k luxury pickup and not a Toyota HiAce van
Good thing I'm close to the Mexican border, stripped-down, sub 20k diesel Hilux here I go! 😁
@@isaac4273 you can get one in Thailand which is modded to 400hp and still has a waranty
That's why they probably pulled the Land Crusier the previous gen got so much sh1t and compared to other vehicles in its range
Didn’t Audi threaten Doug like a year or two ago just for reviewing a Euro-spec A8? God forbid us Americans find out that car companies have been cheapening out on US-spec vehicles for a long time
Why would audi do that?
Then they make a commercial with him... And cancel that too!
Really? What happened?
What ?
I work with US Special Operations and we use the armored J200's all the time overseas and I absolutely love them. Again, basic ones but I have no complaints about them.
The I6 4.2L twin-cam, twin-turbo diesel engine (1HD-FTE - not sold in NA) was one of Toyota's best engines.
Fu yea! It's a beast...
sinlge turbo*
Twin turbo?
One thing I'm grateful for living in Asia for: We have Land Cruisers at every corner of the street
Not in India though
@@punyaslokmohapatra7631 India is 3rd world
India's the worst possible place for a car enthusiast
@@punyaslokmohapatra7631 Pakistan has them literally everywhere
@@bdmxh Bro just because you see them in some parts of Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi doesn’t mean they’re common in the whole country.
Doug- I feel you forgot the most important omission for those who've had Land Cruisers. Losing the split tailgate is criminal!
other model have them like the GR
It's good to see that Toyota still continues to produce iconic cars like the Land Cruiser.
They have too, it’s a best seller in a lot of nations.
Yet they don’t sell it in a country that loves SUVS
@@花の-p6f Ban this bot
Lol, they make a ton of money by doing so, the supply never manages to meet the demand for Land Cruisers
Is the LC300 reliable with the new Infotainment and the turbo charged engine?
I’d take this conservatively styled boat hauling offroad capable, family hauler over the Lexus with that massive chrome grill.
Indeed, the Lexus appears to be preposterously overstyled.
@@DougDeMuro Those grilles are the true metallic embodiment of excess
@@camogap7392 Those grills are supposed to scream “I’ve made it in life”, but oddly enough, I had college instructor with a doctorate who had his wife drop him off in a Camry everyday. My sister is one of the highest ranking practitioners in her network and she drives a Dodge. Now, there’s a lady in my fitness group who works at her family’s pizza spot and she drives BMW and there’s a lot of teachers who drive Lexuses around here. I guess chrome and nameplates don’t always determine your success or status.
@@camogap7392 or the Lexus chrome grill is straight outta Battlestar Galactica - a Cylon.
Why do I want this more than any current new SUV!! Looks great and I love the simplicity!!
The key would be getting the diesel. The acceleration score would only be 1, but that torque would make it awesome.
Wow! It's interesting to see there's an even lower spec LC300 than the base GX model that we get here in Australia. In our local (Aussie) market, we get 6 variants. From the base GX (mostly for first responders, law enforcement, mines etc), all the way to the Sahara ZX (Luxury focused) and GR Sport (Offroad focused). But our base model GX still gets a 9" colour touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. After seeing this, I'll stop referring to it (base model GX) as the poverty pack. 😁 NOTE: The higher grade variants gets power raised and fold 3rd row seats, it's the same thing for the tailgate, higher grade variants gets powered tailgate. Other things the LC300 you reviewed didn't have that's worth a mention are the MTS (Multi Terrain Select), 4-camera Multi-Terrain Monitor, A-TRC, eKDSS, plus a host of other goodies. That model you tested is truly a very basic model.
...UN / 'government tender spec' model.
In most African countries this and the base model Toyota 'Prado' are common for NGO's and top officials of public entities that require routine access to far off places that are often without decent roads.
For Doug, the car that is not fully loaded with high tech gadgets is primitive.
Toyota hurt my feelings not selling the new Land Crusier in the US. I was waiting patiently to purchase. I ended up purchasing a 2019 Sequoia Platinum.
It's so funny how they've chosen the base version. If it was for the government in my country (Croatia), they would have chosen the maxed out version because they're not the ones paying for it.
then who is paying for it?
@@Pretzel829 taxpayers
It's probably one for the United Nations, i see these white basic trim Land Cruiser 200s in my country very often with the UN logo, they usually add a snorkel as well.
Doug’s logic is basically “I want to pay more money and look like I didn’t”
I mean, that logic isn't as backwards as you might think. Look at a lot of wealthy people who own things like very successful construction companies. Most of them aren't driving escalades, they're driving platinum super duties. Why? Well some people just don't like flashy brands, but still want luxurious features. But also, it helps to maintain your connection with your employees and business associates. Using the construction company example, you roll up in a Mercedes s class, it's just going to look out of place, you show up in a super duty, and all of a sudden, the people around you feel a sense of comrodery, they feel like they can relate to you more.
That's definitely a thing for many wealthy people. They want a luxurious off-roader but don't want it to look blingy. It totally changes how people treat you if you show up in a Range Rover vs a Land Cruiser even if they cost the same.
It's called stealth wealth
Reliability is in fact the ultimate luxury. The peace of mind knowing that no matter what you throw at it, it will keep you safe and get you to intended destination is priceless
I think the majority of people buying Land Cruisers have “old money” and don’t care about showing off because that isn’t important to them; unlike a lot of people with “new money”.
As said in another car makers commercial..."Can i have one in BLUE?"
The thing of it is, the LC200s were reaching into the $70-90k range in price when its competition was still only into the $50-60K range...so they only sold 1200 or so a yr for the past 5yrs...but now EVERY manufacturer has their top level SUVs into the $70-100+ K range...so now it has company. As far as a model like this one...stripped down and at $50-75k; that is the model soooooo many of us would love to purchase. Oh well, Ill keep my 4Runner and dream...but if i can find a comparable LC200 for a good price, ill jump at the chance.
We have a house in the Middle East that we stay from time to time and it’s in a place called yafa which is a really high altitude mountains that people been living on top of for hundreds of years, the roads are just Terrifying, only a 4x4 can manage to handle the road since all you do is drive up and down a steep off road dirt rocky road so most people you’ll see driving on a road have land cruiser as old as 1960s land cruisers also new ones too, all you’ll see is land cruiser and it’s many models FJ pickup trucks 2 doors etc, I truthfully have a 2007 also, and it’s so reliable I drive it so aggressively and all It need’s is a car wash every once while.
Land Cruisers are truly legendary.
You see, the problem with the Land Cruiser is it's an actual SUV.
Whereas most "SUV" buyers want a "SUV" with the utility and road manners of a minivan.
I think this base model would sell like hot cakes in the United States @toyotausa , assuming its at a lower price than what we're used to for a Land Cruiser. Great video Doug
1. For those who’ve never been, the Middle East gets pretty cold in winter.
2. Going to a V6 isn’t my issue, but adding a turbo is. That NA engine will most likely outlast the turbo’d one.
Not everywhere in the middle east gets cold, but some places get lower than 0 C
you have numbers on that, or is it just based off of 70s and 80s knowledge of turbo vehicles? Most of the issues in the recent ecoboost engines has been from ignition, not turbo issues.
Toyota has been building TURBO diesel Land Cruiser for decades. The Turbo on the gas engine will be fine.
@@bassam_salim I was born and raised in the Caribbean. It doesn’t take 0°C for me to be cold 😂😂
@@electrikoptik “turbo diesel” and yes I know, up until a few months ago, I was still driving turbo diesel Toyotas through the Sahara. They were ok, but not as reliable as our inline 6 NA Land Cruisers though.
OMG I love the land cruisers so much. I grew up around them in Africa and have fallen in love with them over time. Such an iconic, beautiful, indestructible truck!
19:13 I'll be very interested to see if they can still maintain the old NA Land Cruiser V8's reliability in a twin turbocharged engine. Twin turbo engines are certainly not traditionally known for their longevity and reliability
Its Toyota i bet they’d do great numbers
Totally agree. N/A engines are far superior.
I have owned many Toyota and Lexus SUVs and now have a 22 Lexus GX460 with the V8. No turbo for me. I’ll stick to the V8. Even Toyota(Mike Sweers) admitted that he likes the V8 better but they had no choice to switch to a V6 due to government regulations. So it’s not like Toyota moved from the V8 to the V6 because it’s better. They had to!!
Ngl, cloth seats are way more comfortable than leather seats. I really wish more cars had them...
Specially if you live somewhere hot and you get in your car and burn your buns. I live in Hawaii so I put seat cover on whatever I buy immediately. Custom made "waterproof" seat covers.
Toyota cloth seats are far better than Leather
More comfortable, don't heat up as much in the sun, don't stick to the legs, no need to kill animals (though alternative leathers are thankfully becoming more common). Cloth reigns supreme. In fact, I think that velvet in particular needs to make a comeback as the ultimate seat material.
Big fan of sheepskin seat covers. There’s a reason why pilots use them.
@@alexgarcia3900 I live near arctic circle, and in the cold leather freezers your ass. Cloth is much more comfortable.
I like that they didn't put in a touch screen. 10-20 years from now when this car is still running perfectly touch screens will be laggy and outdated meanwhile that type of screens will function just as day 1.
I'd have to agree, the only thing I would want to add to this model would be the front and rear lockers.
So for the next 20 years you want a crappy infotainment experience just so your car feels less outdated two decades from now? What kind of logic is that?
@@prasad530 the logic is when you're out in the middle of nature why would you want to sit in vehicle to watch a movie?
Except that they have 0 ways to "lag" when most of these infotainment systems do not receive major updates like and Android or iOS phones do. The performance you get now is what you will have in 10 years as silicon does not degrade, software just gets bloated.
@@prasad530 Some people don't mind having this type of infotainment. I rather not have a screen at all in my car. My phone is significantly better than any car infotainment. Just give me buttons and bluetooth.
The car designers have been hitting the designs out the park for the last 5-10 years now. They've hit the perfect boxy-smooth design ratio it seems.
I live in the gulf and these things are everywhere. And for a good reason, they are literally tanks. They never break, barely depreciate and people take pride in saying they drive a "landa cruza". What I've heard is that people in the us want better gas mileage out of their land cruisers but that's not really an issue over here considering how cheap gas is.
I'm from Kuwait and this is so freaking true!
Here in Qatar they’re considered the national car of the country lol more land cruisers than people here.
12:21
Speaking as a dad with twins. And a 5th gen 4Runner with an identical third row set up.
I’d rather give up the middle seat of the middle row for a pass-through for the third row personally.
It can be really laborious to remove and reinstall a car seat.
We usual access the third row from the rear hatch.
"We usual access the third row from the rear hatch."
Yeesh! Big sacrifice just to have a 4Runner... most other cars *DO* give up the middle seat from the middle row for this purpose exactly.
Jay you bought the wrong Toyota suv. Should have bought the sequoia or the Landcruiser. 4 runner is way too small inside.
@@user-tb5ns7hc5i idk I like it, apart from that third row issue (I rarely use anyway) but I had a Tacoma Xrunner as a daily driver when I found out twins was coming. I absolutely loved that xrunner , And had a lotus elise as a fun car. It was good times.
I used to Autocross both vehicles. The Xrunner made me look like a hero.
I like the "infomercial actor performance" on the 3rd row seats, kudos!
US sales of Land cruiser
18,000 in 1999
1,800 in 2010
3,000 in 2020
Japan 25,000 sold in 2020
Australia 18,000 sold in 2020
MAKES SENSES. BUY THE LEXUS LX
1 Land Cruiser sold for every 110,000 American
1 Land Cruiser sold for every 1,000 Australian
Every family owns one the UAE. Also cloth makes sense in 120 degrees weather
Go where you are treated best
This is true.
Take a look at the price they are sold for in the US and you will see why so few were sold in the US. For some reason we only had the luxury version sold in the US.
@@sanangelo7926 right on. Imagine how many would be sold at the $60k mark.
Can’t really compare because of price points and options
Doug 2022: thisss is my house in Mexico, so that I can own all the weird and quirky vehicles unavailable in the US
THISSSSS is a cartel.
@@Jack_The_Ripper_Here and im part of it! actually, im their boss!
That radio is from the 2015 Hilux Revolution Rocco (its actually im my dads hilux)!
Indestructible, reliable and comfortable . I’ve had 4 , all diesels .
I wish they could sell these in the US. Here in Dubai, there are so many Land Cruisers, Nissan Patrols, and other large rugged SUVs. Jeep Wranglers are popular here too, but the Land Cruiser seems to be the most popular large SUV here.
You know, what's I think, is great about being in Dubai, when we talk about cars? You're somehow in the crossroads. You can buy Skodas, and some other European only car brands to you can buy, you can buy Asian only car brands, and even American only cars brands (correct me, if I'm wrong). For me, that would be extremely cool to be able to buy cars, which are sold only in one specific continent (+ USA), and still be in one city. J
@@JakubSemoda I guess that's also a benefit of the fact that you're the largest oil producer on earth (correct me if I'm wrong)...
@@yungboicontigo9278 anybody in the rest of the world has a problem with it. Don't be badge obsessed.
the new land cruiser is for sure quite popular here but nowhere near the Patrol, the nissan patrol ( if you count the new ones and the y61 body) is by far the most common offroader/ suv maybe even car here in Dubai
The common us customers are not really paying 90k for an off roader. The Lexus lx, gx and Toyota 4Runner kinda took the market for this. The wrangler is a totally different vehicle. Kinda like comparing a station wagon to a dune buggy. One is practical and one is built for fun.
Another reason why this is a base model is weight savings. Adding armor on top of power leather seats, etc would be excessive to a point where you need to start upgrading the suspension, brakes, etc.
Fly here to the UAE you’ll get the full experience of it , and even the 2018 200 series here is way more luxurious that the us-dm lc’s.
What if i want to buy a car in UAE and want to drive it to europe.. what kind of documents i need to drive it trough this region.. and which is the best way
UAE?
No thanks. Too much slave labor, human trafficking and don't want to go to prison for kissing my own wife.
@@Mamo878 hhhhhhhhhh who told that I know a lot of people living in middle that they are happy and they think the life is beautiful in it , but you people you brains are definitely washed is not like we need your opinion any way
Is there a sewage system in dubai? I heard that Burj Khalifa’s poop is trucked out of town and that the tallest building in the world has no sewage system.
Uae where immigrants die because they're exhausting what a lovely country
Doug when reviewing a car: eww, this car doesn't have technology and features
also Doug when reviewing a car: I like that this car doesn't have technology and features
@@yungboicontigo9278 .
It’s correlated with price, He’ll say this when a car is 85k and has dogshit tech or outdated
Wish we could've seen a full-spec version of this land cruiser like the previous one that Doug reviewed
Actually a vehicle without all the high-tech and fineries would be desirable. The only tech I really like is collision avoidance, and lane departure. A simplistic radio setup; heaven. Bring it back here and
My 2005 Scion xB has none of the high-tech gizmos, and that's the way I like it. Tech is a big selling point in modern cars, but most of it is useless and a major distraction, not to mention the high additional cost.
@@paulparoma The real problem with all those electronic gizmos is when they fail. Because they will, and you won't be able to fix them aside from junkyard parts and magic in twenty years. X3
@@jamesgizasson That's right. It's one thing if an infotainment or lane departure warning system fails, but it's quite another when an electronic failure makes a car undrivable. And these things do happen more often than not, especially on pricier cars.
@@paulparoma Tell me about it. I replaced almost every sensor on my 96 4runner...
I love my old mechanical Cummins more every day! :3
@@jamesgizasson I guess when a car is 25 years old, even if it's a Toyota, things are bound to fail. I kind of long for the days of all-mechanical, too, although I realize electronics have made cars more efficient. But all that efficiency goes out the window when you have to replace expensive electronic components.
I think a lot of the issues you had with this base model would be solved with higher spec’ed models like the V.X.R or the GR Sport, a lot of what you hated about this one are vastly different on those higher spec’ed models
Completely agree 👌🏼
This model is so step-down because it will be armoured. All the electronics basic features breaks easily but the mechanical parts are difficult to break.
Computer: shows “Distance to empty 12km” (less than 8 miles).
Doug: and now I will drive this LR!
Doug 30 seconds later: and now I will show you how easy it is to go off-road
Doug 45 seconds later: and now I will show you how hard it is to push a LR with an empty tank…
LR = Land cRuiseR?
I hope they let Doug review a fully armored car so he can geek out over all kinds of quarks
Er... that sentence has an astronomical error in it.
@@wesgregg6451 I’m sure it does 🤷♂️
@@wesgregg6451 nice one
He already did that.
@@chrisp679 no shit I must have missed it
Been waiting for this review a long time
"I wish they would bring this to the US" - People who make $40k a year
You could make 40k at MCDONALD'S in San Francisco
yeah maybe I want one in 10 years 😭😭
😂
My dad is a little upset about the Land Cruiser going away, but he has one with 400k miles and it's never broken, so he'll just keep going in this one 🤣
Can’t tell if you’re a doggo talking about his owner or a person talking about his dad 😳
@@91JDMZ32 I do get to ride in the back seats 😄
Seeing this video I can only remember when my dad got a brand new 2004 Land Cruiser Prado (4 Cilinder, 3 Liter, diesel).
Great truck.
Having had a 77 FJ40 Landcruiser and now a 2019 4Runner SR5 I have to say it is the successor to the basic LC. It's so simple, tough and capable
I wish Toyota bring back the FJ brand
shame you gus never got the 70 series or any diesel engines. the petrols are crap
in Australia there is a 4 year waiting list for the 300 series, according to my local dealer. Toyota dealers are in the crap here as they are taking money for cars that they cannot supply. So if they had to fill production orders for America, that wait time would blow out to an even more ridiculous timeframe.
Land Cruiser is everywhere here in Australia, everyone’s dream car
I actually like this Land Cruiser, because its just so simple and utilitarian, like Toyotas back in the 80s and early 90s, less things to break and easier to fix IF something goes wrong.
Too bad they discontinued this Land Cruiser for the spoiled Americans who would find this to be outdated junk
I think this SUV exists for markets where there are more dirt roads than paved ones.
because IT is outdated junk the Yukon denali has 6.2 v8 and a more modern interior still costing less than the land cruiser
@IL62
Thats the thing, no one wants American cars, thats why you see more Japanese cars on the roads than those GM cars. And not only that, they are pricier because Toyotas interiors are better built and will last longer along the way, Toyotas hold their value very well, meanwhile most GM cars are either gone in junkyards, or really cheap with all their parts brolen and needing repairs, so I think me and most people would buy a more expensive land cruiser than a yukon.
@@LSnium how can you be sure? we have a 1988 suburban logged over 700k km that is still working today and im from saudi arabia
IL62 M
Yeah but they are less desirable, and parts and fixing Japanese cars are easier and cheaper.
Given the fact that Doug lives in San Diego he should go more often to Mexico, and review cars that aren't sold in USA, Toyota Hilux, Land Cruiser 70 Series, Yaris, Nissan Patrol, March, a 2003 VW Beetle, SEAT, Mazdas, Renaults, Citroens, weird chinese brands, etc...
The cartels would have a hoot with a guy wearing 2 t-shirts.
So far I've happily taken advantage of my location to film the Toyota GR Yaris, Peugeot 3008, Suzuki Swift, and Suzuki Jimny -- all from Mexico. I've loved doing it!
Mexican viewers don't contact me often. I wish they did! I'd love to film more Mexican cars.
The 70 series and the Patrol aren't sold in Mexico, I think we do get the Patrol as the Armada, don't quote me on that though
You forgot to add Toyota Hiace to that list lol. It’s a shame that the USA market never got the Toyota Hiace van.
USA doesn’t get the land cruiser prado as well not sure if that was ever offered in Mexico
Doug I purchased a LC Back in 1987 /88 No Color No OPP waited 4 months to get one & Reason i am telling you is The LC FJ Series 1988 FJ62 first year 4 Fuel Injection All LC Power Train STRIGHT SIX SLOW Yes But 500k miles engine
Can we get a review of an interesting fully-armored vehicle from alpine? Would love to see that!
Still love that Diesel torque ❤️
The blog of a couple driving a land cruiser across Africa a few years ago was for whatever reason why I think it is the coolest and understated SUV ever.
What is Toyota doing in the US? No FJ Cruiser. No Land Cruiser. The 4Runner/Tundra/Tacoma/Sequoia are not enough.
What? This is a land cruiser , what do you mean?
No GR Yaris...
Giant SUVs are more popular than ever.
Toyota: "Let's stop selling our most popular, longest running SUV model."
"Lets stop a consistent 10k units a year that we have been getting for years."
the Land Cruiser def isn’t their most popular model
According to Wiki, 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser is made in Japan and of Japanese parts. So this means GM/Ford US tariffs make it unprofitable to export to US. The US is basically North Korea of autos where we tariff every foreign brand. Yes the Mercedes you drive is actually made in Alabama.
my brother you are so right!!! they dont know the american market!! some of us just want the Toyota Model without all the bs from Lexus i love my Toyotas specially suvs like the 4Runner without the power lifgate and all those things i feel is just one of the few meanly suv's out there
The 200 series is personally my favorite, Toyota created perfection.
The only vehicle I regret selling in my 57 years is my (11 mpg) 100 Series Land Cruiser. Why wouldn’t Toyota sell a more basic 300 series Land Cruiser with the off road and a more reasonable option packages for $60-$70K? Probably because it would outsell the $100K LX. Maybe they will reconsider. Thanks for finding one to review, Doug!
The market just doesn't exist outside of auto enthusiasts, and even if it did do well it would likely cannibalize Sequoia sales.
Bruh you guys should be grateful that Toyota sells the Tundra and Lexus GX before you call them stupid cause they don’t sell them here in my country.
Doug's the kind of guy to love the character remodeling on the GTA Trilogy The Definitive Edition.
I think even he would be horrified if he sees Denise's new model in San Andreas.
@@ultraguy8771 THIS....... is Cyberpunk all over again
Seeing them side by side like that 17:30 the 200 series unquestionably looks way better.
Well the 300 is a basic version here, after seeing a loaded version of the 300, I disagree, especially the GR
I am working all hard ... just to buy a land crusier. May god give me strength to own this beast one for my self.
Having owned a GXR (stripped down) 200 series land cruiser in Dubai, I can tell you that all these negatives that you name are normal on stripper lane cruisers. Doug is simply used to the land cruiser being all fancy in the USA
Exactly, this car isn't made for American mentality. Its made for middle East, jungles in Asia and South America. That's why its simple and has nothing in it, so when your car breaks something in the middle of nowhere, you can fix it.
Which is literally what he said and explained in the video...
I think he's praises the car over and over again in this review...
FYI, the GX.R trim you're reviewing is the mid grade trim for the LC300, sitting between the luxurious VX.R model and the stripped down GX. LC300s starts around $50-60K, depending on where you live, and goes up to nearly $100K for the GR Sport & VX.R.
The trim models in the GCC goes like this:
GX -> GX.R -> VX -> VX-R -> GR Sport.
This is important because some of your complaints like the 3rd row seating and other lackluster "old school" features are somewhat already addressed in the VX lineup. Not saying you're wrong at all, just some context to consider.
This generation was really controversial to say the least. A lot of people hated how ugly the new Land Cruiser looks and how soft have it became. They also criticized the fact that they ditched all of the V8s in favour of a Twin Turbo V6, replaced the classic split gate & barn door configuration in favor of a normal hatch door and lack of any manual options.
Ultimately, your average middle class families and wannabe mall crawlers are still gonna finance the new Cruiser because it's a Toyota, most of which are going to be the exactly model you just reviewed.
And honestly, i enjoyed seeing your opinion on it. I myself not exactly into most SUVs but i like some offroaders. Thank you
this is the cheapest v6TT you can get
@@slkalmuhairi Pretty much
GR Sport -> Sahara.
@@alifrazier4 I don't recall if we ever got a "sahara" over here but then again, i was mainly referring to the models sold locally so you're probably correct.
I feel like Toyota is making a huge mistake with their current product planning, by being really tunnel vision on a specific idea. The eliminations they have made so far may just hurt sales because they are limiting what consumers can choose from when we are looking for a toyota. It is great that toyota is making other vehicles in a hybrid version, but the hybrid model shouldn't be the only thing available to choose, such as what they did with the Sienna.
Traditionally they've always kept their best cars back unfortunately
The Toyota statement said LC won’t return to the US for 2022. That doesn’t mean it won’t be back in 2023.
Don't hold your breath. Certifying a vehicle for US sale can cost upwards of a million dollars per model. Highly unlikely they would spend that late into a vehicle's production, as a company would want to recoup a vehicle's development costs.
On the other hand, Ford did adapt the current world version of the Ranger pretty late into that model's production life.
One can just skip the first 3 minutes of every Doug video.
People do skip this part, then they come into the comments "Why didn't he say when it's coming out?" "Why didn't he say what the sticker price is?"
@@DougDeMuro I’m sure he’s referring to your CarsAndBids pitch…
Here's what I think is going on...Toyota sells enough other suv's and cars in the U.S. but Lexus has been struggling, they don't want to drop Lexus(like how GM dropped many of their brands), so in order to help Lexus sales and not let this Land Cruiser cut into their own market they simply gave the consumer no other choice other than either get a Tundra or get a Lexus...
Well, that was worded poorly, but more or less what my thoughts are about Toyota's decision to no longer sell the Land Cruiser in the U.S. they'll probably bring it back in a few years once more market data comes in during it's absence & after they see how well/poorly the Lexus version does.
Lexus does sell well with the RX NX and even GX, their production isn’t as much as Toyota but that’s pretty obvious being the luxury variant of its parent company. The land cruiser didn’t sell at all and the LX outsold it’s cheaper alternative which is likely why they cancelled it altogether.
Arguably one of the greatest road/off road going vehicles ever built and we get stuck with the version that has the botch job facelift smh