Spy Shots: 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser totally uncovered
Toyota's next-gen Land Crusier 4x4 has been spotted again, this time totally undisguised while out shooting a commercial in a desert landscape. Sharing its design with its almost identical Lexus LX570 twin, the '09 Cruiser sports all-new bodywork, new rear-light clusters, a unique front end with tapered headlights and a prominent grille.
New to the range will be the addition of Toyota's 381hp 5.7L V8 shared with its Lexus counterpart as well as a new 4.5L V8 turbodiesel. One key difference with the new range is the more upscale appearance for the legendary bush-whacker. The interior dons some new features such as the engine starter button, telescopic instrument gauges and plenty of chrome and wood paneling.
The new model also appears much larger than the current version with sculpted flanks and a stretched glasshouse. Look out for the official unveiling at October's Tokyo Auto Show ahead of its sales launch early next year.
Thanks for the tip, HybridX!
[Source: Carschool Forums]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
kwc 3:01PM (7/20/2007)
Looks like a bloated RAV4/new Highlander with a Nissan Armada interior...not exactly impressive for a $50K+ vehicle.
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Viv 2:56PM (7/20/2007)
Sorry but i will take the GMT 900's over this anyday and twice on sundays.
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John P. 3:00PM (7/20/2007)
I'm diggin the 1970's chevyvan stripes on the side.
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Travis Rassat 3:13PM (7/20/2007)
For the dumb question of the day, what niche is the Land Cruiser supposed to fill?
With the number of SUVs that Toyota offers, I don't understand why the Land Cruiser still exists. Why is there the Sequoia and the Land Cruiser? Or, wording the question a bit differently, why would I choose the Land Cruiser instead of a Sequoia, especially since it's so expensive?
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Amber 3:23PM (7/20/2007)
Because Seqouia is based off the Tundra platform and competes with Expeditions and Tahoes.
The Landcruiser has its own platform and just takes the 5.7 engine and tranny from Tundra. Its a poorman's Lexus.
Also the Landcruiser is the most capable offroad compared to all other large SUVs.
phil 6:46PM (7/20/2007)
uh... yeah, I guess land rovers aren't off-road capable.
l.i.dave 4:18PM (7/20/2007)
Why does that think have stickers on it? yuck.
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Don 3:15PM (7/20/2007)
Bland-mobile!
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phil 6:47PM (7/20/2007)
totally agree, nothing to get excited about. I think I saw this design 4 years ago in the last land cruiser.
HotRodzNKustoms 3:21PM (7/20/2007)
Yeah I rather have any GMT 900 rather than this bland SUV.
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Jason 4:41PM (7/20/2007)
@dave:
Actually, with the exception of the rear jumpseats, the new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is closer in size to the TLC than the Commander is (the Unlimited actually has a longer wheelbase than the current TLC). Ironically enough, the new Unlimiteds are the biggest vehicle Jeep currently produces.
l.i.dave 4:21PM (7/20/2007)
"Landcruiser is the most capable offroad compared to all other large SUVs."
Capable at what?
The Jeep Commander would own this pig? What are you talking about?
Billy Bob 3:24PM (7/20/2007)
I'd rather have the Land Cruiser than the POS underpowered gas guzzling pathetic handling Ford Expedition.
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Robert 4:33PM (7/20/2007)
Because I'm sure that this beast won't guzzle gas or handle poorly.
I must note that every test drive of the Expedition has commented on how well it handles compared to other large SUVs. Just thought I'd point that out while you're busy trolling.
That One Person 11:50AM (7/21/2007)
I have a to agree with Robert on this one. Also, the Expedition has won several comparos against the Tahoe.
Expedition: $29,245
Sequoia: $33,160
Land Cruiser: $56,215
Tahoe: $34,880
The Expy is actually bigger than the LC. It offers more room inside when compared to the LC. The only advantage the LC has over the Expy is offroad capability...but how many people take these things offroad? I wanna know why anyone would drop $23k MORE on the LC than the Sequoia. The Sequoia is bigger and looks better.
This redesign isn't any better than the current LC. The current LC isnt that bad but it screams mid-90s design.
Frank 3:37PM (7/20/2007)
I agree. Looks like a giant Rav4.
The Outlook and Acadia are much better looking. And this thing will drink gasoline at an incredible rate.
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Aaron 3:45PM (7/20/2007)
looks like the outgoing highlander on steroids..
IMO they took a dump on a pretty storied vehicle..
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brian 4:08PM (7/20/2007)
ugly
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dani 4:07PM (7/20/2007)
I can tell you that the Land Cruiser is sold at a much bigger volume in developing countries. Here in the Dominican Republic you se 5 land cruisers for every rav4. It's reliable, it's comfortable on and of road, and its a Toyota. In the USA I don't think it's very competitive due to the pressence of the Lexus LX470, but the price difference is a lot more sustantial in developing countries. Here in the DR a brand new Land Cruiser costs between US$70 and US$80K, a new LX470 costs about US$110K.
The other thing you se a lot here are the Prado's, cause they are cheaper, smaller, but have a lot of the qualities of the big cruiser, and it costs "only" US$50k to US$60.
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dani 6:55PM (7/20/2007)
Yes, they are reliable. The conditions here are also quite hard on the vehicles. First you have the extreme heat, all year, then you have a lot of dust, and when it rains, the streets flood right away. The roads here are all broken, when there is a road, you find potholes that you can take a bath in and most important, toyotas are quite easy to fix that all the monkeys here working at the garages are able to fix them.
As for the miles driven, don't think that because it's a small island the miles should be less. Our Prado is at 180,000 Km in 6 years.
A lada wouldnt survive it's first breakdown because you wouldn't find the parts to repair it in the DR, although I must agree that they are more reliable, because they are much simpler in design and don't have most of the electronic crap the cars have today.
Gas costs about US$3.5.