Skim through the specification of the Toyota Land Cruiser and it looks like a glorified people carrier.

Seven comfy seats, a nice quiet diesel engine, passenger-loving suspension and a bouncy-castle's worth of airbags all suggest big comfort for big road-loving families. But this description wouldn't do the beast justice.

The Land Cruiser always has been and remains a true off-roader. It’s robust and reliable design combined with handy driving technologies allows it to tackle the most tricky off off-road terrain.

Its go-pretty-much-anywhere vibe is only matched by a handful of other SUVs on the current market. Examples of rivals include the Land Rover Discovery and Mitsubishi Shogun.

Performance

Both specifications available for the Land Cruiser use a 3.0-litre D-4D turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine with 187bhp on tap.

That figure isn’t as much as direct rivals like say the Discovery and Shogun, but the Land Cruiser boasts an impressive amount of torque, making it a good strong hill car, off-roader and towcar.

All that pull is directed very smoothly through the automatic transmission, and in comparison even with other similarly sized modern diesel engines it is remarkably quiet.

The Land Cruiser can go from zero to 60mph in a respectable time of 11 seconds and reach a top speed of 109mph.

Ride and Handling

On the road the big car is so poised it's impossible to fault its ride quality.

On the road the big car is so poised it's impossible to fault its ride quality, and it virtually wafts along. Unless you're careful you could slip way over the speed limit without any signs of stress, wallow or skitter. In town too, it is as smooth as you could wish in slow traffic. The turning circle is so good that the only things making kerbside parking difficult are the size of slot it takes to accommodate the 4.85m-long beast, and the rather poor view out the back. The latter is caused by the high windowsill level, the great forest of headrests perched on the three rows of seats, and the weather systems that could form in the miles of clear air between the driver and the back door. Take it off-road though and even with this automatic gearbox the options for crossing the land are exceptional. On top of permanent four-wheel drive, you can lock the transmission into low, second or third gear for engine braking, there's a limited slip centre differential and the low-ratio transfer box, and the rear and central differentials can both be locked in extreme conditions.

Interior and Equipment

The first ever version of the Land Cruiser was originally developed in 1951, called the Toyota Jeep BJ. The name Land Cruiser was not actually designated for this off-roader until 1954. It was coined so that it would not sound ‘less dignified’ next to competitors like Land Rover.

Currently there are two trim levels for the Land Cruiser, Icon and Invincible. Even the standard Icon version of the Land Cruiser is well specified with standard equipment like a climate control system that can cater separately for the needs of the front passengers, and a six-speaker CD sound system. The kit list also includes ABS, front and side airbags, three-point seatbelts for all seven occupants, electric lumbar support for the driver, a split fold/roll/detachable back row of seats, fully reclining second-row seats, front fog lamps, headlamp washers and all sorts of colour-keyed stuff outside. Indoors the accommodation is commodious and the layout is clean. The third row seats leave no cargo space to speak of when they're occupied, and getting into them is a bit of a gymnastic exercise for all but the small and young, for whom the first step up might be the main problem. They can be ruled out for adults for any length of time, unless those adults are happy enough with the fact they'll be biting their own knees every time the driver brakes. The floor back there is very high.

Cost

It also emits 213g/km, which puts the Land Cruiser in as high as tax band K for Vehicle Excise Duty.

Sadly, all is not sweetness and light on the running cost side. The diesel engine running through the automatic gearbox will give you an average of 34.9 miles from a gallon of fuel. It also emits 213g/km, which puts the Land Cruiser in as high as tax band K for Vehicle Excise Duty. To be fair though, that output is about the same as you get with rivals such as the Land Rover Discovery and the Mitsubishi Shogun. Pricing for the Land Cruiser starts at £48,350 for the Icon trim, rising to £53,350 for the Invincible trim version. The Icon trim Land Cruiser is priced at considerably more than the standard Discovery (£40,005), and especially compared to the standard Shogun (£26,889).

Our Verdict

To sum up, from the driving seat the Land Cruiser is an extremely able car on and off the road. It also carries a deal of authentic mud-plugging kudos from its 50-plus year history. For any car buyers prioritising off-road driving, the Land Cruiser is automatically a very strong candidate.  Physically it's powerful and accommodating, and for day-to-day use it's quiet and smooth even in diesel form. On the downside it's a bit ugly and rather heavy on the fuel consumption. At a cost of at least £48,350 on-the-road, it's not the cheapest big four-wheel drive out there but it is one of the best, and it'll hold its value well.