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2013 Toyota Land Cruiser Features Refreshed Looks, Improved Standard Equipment

Benjamin Hunting
by Benjamin Hunting
January 10, 2012
2 min. Reading Time
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Toyota has refreshed the most expensive model in its lineup – the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser – and the venerable people mover / desert-crosser now boasts a new look and a longer list of standard gear in order to help tempt sport-utility shoppers to stray from premium European or domestic options.

In terms of appearance, the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser strays into Lexus territory with its smoothed-out curves, fresh grille and new headlights. The Land Cruiser shares its platform with the pricier Lexus LX 570, but with accents such as LED running lights and a number of tweaks and changes made to the vehicle’s exterior chrome and tail lights, it has become harder to tell the two vehicles apart from a distance. The LX 570 is due its own redesign, to be revealed this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and its new looks might put a bit more distance between the two full-size SUVs.

Inside, the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser gains ventilated front leather seats, as well as new wood trim and something called the “Multi-terrain Monitor” which offers camera views of the front, back and sides of the vehicle in order to assist drivers when negotiating off-road obstacles. The system can also be used when parking the large SUV. Toyota has installed an ‘Eco’ light on the dash, an unusual addition to such a large and thirsty truck, and drivers also benefit from a heated steering wheel as well as radar-guided cruise control.

Perhaps the biggest news for Land Cruiser buyers is the fact that the vehicle now comes in a single trim level that incorporates all of last year’s options. This means that each and every edition of the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser offers upscale gear such as a hard drive-based navigation system, the Entune multimedia interface, a DVD player for rear seat passengers, heated seats for the first and second row of accommodations, rain-sensing windshield wipers and an information display. Bluetooth connectivity is also now included free of charge in the eight-passenger Land Cruiser.

Under the hood, the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser retains last year’s 5.7-liter V-8, which is good for 381 horsepower 401 lb-ft of torque. This output is managed by a six-speed automatic transmission and a full-time four-wheel drive system ensures excellent traction in all conditions. The Land Cruiser’s transfer case features a low-range gear that maximizes torque in an off-road setting, and a new Multi-terrain Select system allows drivers to match the vehicle’s performance characteristics to the type of surface that the SUV is traveling across. The system, which functions by managing wheel slip, features settings for moguls, mud and sand.

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The Land Cruiser also now comes with CRAWL Control, which allows the vehicle to move from rock to rock – or down an incline – at five very slow and controllable rates of speed. CRAWL Control works in conjunction with the Off-Road Turn Assist feature which helps to tighten up cornering by using the rear brakes to help the truck pivot. On-pavement handling is aided and abetted by Toyota’s KDSS automated front and rear stabilizer system, which reduces body roll.

The 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser rolls out the door with an MSRP of $77,955. This is almost $9,000 more than the 2011 model that preceded it, a price chasm easily explained by Toyota’s decision to expand the SUV’s equipment package by incorporating a huge chunk of the previous edition’s options as standard – options that Toyota claims were ordered by 98 percent of Land Cruiser buyers. The Land Cruiser’s hefty price tag puts it in direct competition with vehicles such as the Land Rover Range Rover and above vehicles like the Porsche Cayenne – an unusual position for a Toyota-branded vehicle, especially given that the 2011 Lexus LX 570 starts at $79,000.

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