It's typically taken as a praise, but your initial thoughts of the LandCruiser from the driver's seat are that it's not as large as you expected. It includes not just how it drives - and visibility is excellent - but also the appearance and feel of the real inside.
The high centre stack and high dashboard line likely contribute to the sensation of compactness. What isn't so wonderful is how the switchgear is organized. There appear to be a lot of switches, but no clear recognition that one is more significant than the others.
The dark-chrome buttons on the steering wheel appear to draw stray reflections, leaving their low-relief images unreadable. The volume-up push-button is likewise an ergonomic mystery.
With keyless entry and start, a starting button is mounted high on the dash and starts the engine after a brief cold-start delay to power the glow plugs. The audio of the V6 is plainly high-tech for a diesel, but yet very much a diesel.
And, although you can't disagree with the new engine's economy or power, there's no denying that it misses some of the charm (or, more correctly, character) of the previous V8 turbo-diesel.
In fact, the LC300 is so quiet in every other manner that when the engine is under load or revving hard, you will notice some characteristic diesel harmonics.
It's never horrible, but it's there, even if there's almost no mechanical noise at cruising speed. Part of the reason for this is the high gearing, which produces just 1400rpm at 100km/h in ninth gear. Why not try tenth gear? Since the gearing is so high, the Cruiser hardly never selects top gear.
While traversing small-amplitude bumps, there is some suspension jiggling. This is down to the suspension rates necessary to regulate so much weight carried so high, but it remains that when speeds climb and the bumps grow greater, the Toyota starts to deal better.
However, the steering is geared to perform off-road, so it might seem far and remote on the road. Nonetheless, the turning circle is small for such a large machine, making life simpler in the city.
Overall, the LandCruiser is a far more precise and accurate vehicle than its size and off-road abilities would imply. It's not a high-performance SUV, but it was never intended to be.
Toyota's 'Safety Sense,' now in its third iteration on the LC300, comes standard on the new LandCruiser. Autonomous emergency braking, pre-collision features, daylight cyclist detection, pedestrian recognition, intersection-turn assist, and steering assist are among the driving aids available.
The VX we tested is the lowest grade to be equipped with curve speed reduction, which means the car will slow down in a corner if it 'thinks' the speed is set too high for that bend. Lane-keeping assistance with steering-wheel vibration is also included in the package.
All LC300s include automatic high-beams, 10 airbags, and a reversing camera, as well as a tracking system to prevent thieves. In accordance with the most recent 2022 assessment standards, the LandCruiser 300 received a maximum five-star ANCAP rating.
