The Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial rejoined the market in 2018, four years after the demise of the previous generation. Sales of Commercial 4x4s have fallen sharply since the demise of the Land Rover Defender, leaving the Land Cruiser and recently relaunched Discovery Commercial as the most viable options.
Land Cruiser Commercial: Exterior
The Land Cruiser Commercial is heavily targeted towards the working end of the market, and therefore lacks the ‘bling’ of the Shogun and Discovery commercials. The ‘Utility’ is the only trim-level available, although there are a number of optional extras to choose from.
On the outside, there are colour-coded bumpers, but the grille, door handles and door mirrors are left in plain black plastic. Even the 17-inch steel wheels are left without trims. A film has been placed over the rear windows and the back window has been darkened to prevent break-ins, and there are roof rails for carrying longer items.
Land Cruiser Commercial: Interior
Despite its modest appearance, the Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial comes with quite a lot of standard equipment. Air conditioning, fog lights, push-button start, keyless entry, auto-dipping headlights and cruise control are all standard, while infotainment is provided by a six-speaker radio with Bluetooth, USB and auxiliary connectivity, although it only has a dot-matrix display. The Land Cruiser Commercial seats are finished in a no-thrills blue velvet-like upholstery.
Land Cruiser Commercial: Engine and Driveline
Under the bonnet is Toyota’s newly-developed 2.8 GD engine (2,755cc, straight 4-cylinder) which develops up to 177hp (3,400rpm) and 450Nm (1,400-2,600rpm) and is hooked to a six-speed manual transmission. It’s a permanent 4WD system with an option for 4Hi and 4Low, a centre diff-lock and Toyota’s Active Traction Control.
On the combined NEDC cycle, the Land Cruiser achieved an impressive 39.2mpg (ours returned 32.5mpg on a mixture of motorway and start-stop driving) – which is well ahead of the Shogun Commercial and Discovery Commercial.
The engine is surprisingly punchy, although it does generate quite a lot of noise at higher revs. The steering is quite vague and high centre of gravity and soft suspension means there is quite a lot of body roll in the bends.
Land Cruiser Commercial: Loading and Towing
There are two wheelbases offered on the Land Cruiser Commercial, with load bed lengths of 1,574mm and 2,216mm. Short wheelbase models have a gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 2,600kg and a maximum payload of 593kg, and the long-wheelbase models have a GVW of 2,930kg and a payload of up to 756kg. There is a standard towing capacity for both versions of 3,000kg and the load area comes with a rubber lined rear floor tray, four lashing points, bulkhead and mesh hatch.
Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial: Price
The Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial arrived into Toyota’s Approved Business Centres at the start of July 2018, and prices start from £27,546 plus VAT. This rises to £28,509 plus VAT for long-wheelbase models and includes Toyota’s respectable five-years, 100,000-mile warranty.
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