Hello, I'm Swiss, married. I have a technical back ground in power electronics, worked for car industry (Swatch mobile project) and watch industry. Since 2008 housekeeper with two children. From 2020 to 2024 caregiver to a familly member with cognitive troubles, today deceased. Occupation is family, then forestry management and nose working dogs for bark beetles (wood-boring insects). I drive a Dacia Duster, a small light 4WD car powered by a small 1,5L diesel engine but looking for a larger 4WD vehicle. Toyota 250/Prado is one of the contender.
Coucou from Switzerland
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Welcome!
Welcome! The LC is a great vehicle to consider. We are very happy with ours.
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Merci, thank you, danke, grazie to all. I'm Swiss but form the french speaking part of Switzerland. But I worked 10 years in the swiss german part, so under torture, I may speak german and a bit of swiss german dialect too. Thanks to my wife italian origin, and 20+ years of visiting my in-laws, ment I can express myself in Italian, badly but it worked so far. Plus a bit of english like every body.
I'm in the test driving phase, visiting garages, asking questions. From various brand too, but the LC check more boxes. I even discuss sub tank in an agency without having the sensation that I came from Mars. The vendors asked the garage responsible to spend a bit of time and with this forum resources, we set 80% of the sub tank retrofit problem.
Thank you!
I'm in the test driving phase, visiting garages, asking questions. From various brand too, but the LC check more boxes. I even discuss sub tank in an agency without having the sensation that I came from Mars. The vendors asked the garage responsible to spend a bit of time and with this forum resources, we set 80% of the sub tank retrofit problem.
Thank you!
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I heard on the Swiss national broadcast (I hate TV) that some big boys form US and China will discuss tariff in my country. I think Switzerland's role as a mediator is outdated (like the tariff 
) , it keeps the palaces running at least.
) , it keeps the palaces running at least.Switching from Romanian Dacia to LC250 is a major upgrade. Just do not get stripped down version of LC250...
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Well it depends. LC is 3x the price of the romanian low technology light car (900kg less). The Dacia/Renault 4 cylinders diesel 1,5L engine is eternal and 42MPG. It's a major upgrade in gimmick, cabine volume and off road capabilities.
We don't get stripped versions in Europe anymore. There was a horrible spec available in some countries, but now a LCLC equivalent spec is minimum around EU it seems. We never had 1958-like spec.
Also first-edition was a lot worse equipped (missing sliders, roof rack, underbody protection,..)
I get the impression that the 250 in Europe is sold as a luxury vehicle.
Yeah, it kinda is.
But you need to know bigger picture, you have a lot of Toyota cars available in US/Canada.
Europe doesn't get:
- Tacoma
- Tundra
- Sequoia
- 4runner
We get Hilux pickup as a working vehicle, Highlander as a "soccer-mom" car and Land Cruiser (Prado variants) for special people who have trouble fitting in. But for most people RAV4 is considered bigger car than actually needed.
Hilux has competition with Ranger and Amarok (maybe something very similar).
Land Cruiser has no real competition, apart from maybe Defender (usually more expensive)
For offroad there is only Wrangler and Grenadier (I wont count G-wagen here as it caters to different public and double price at least).
While cars gotten bigger over the years pretty-much nobody is buying cars of this size still. In Land-Cruiser you will be in a prettymuch biggest car on the market - apart from few pickups, which are rare and usually used by contractors.
So yeah, driving a Land Cruiser is a huge luxury here, car is priced at 100k$ for LCLC, but $ and € are very hard to compare when you actually account for how differently these countries function compared to US especially.
Let me say that average wage in Central Europe ranges from 13000€-35000€ net yearly, which means you will be spending at least 3 year income on a car.
Another thing to consider is that we really don't have big open spaces you are able to use these cars, even traveling on gravel roads is already forbidden in some countries.
GrĂĽezi! A close friend of mine is German, lives in Munich and recently got a Land Cruiser Premium with the 1GD-FTV 2.8L Turbo Diesel and it is better than the engine we get in North America.
He absolutely loves his Land Cruiser and is going to take it fairly soon on off-road trip in Austria.
With that said, in the States, it is a quasi-luxury car, about the only thing keeping it from being a full fledged luxury car is that its Lexus stablemate is more ubiquitous here.
He absolutely loves his Land Cruiser and is going to take it fairly soon on off-road trip in Austria.
It very much is, it is a direct competitor to the Land Rover Defender or the Disco in Europe and as such is considered a luxury car.
With that said, in the States, it is a quasi-luxury car, about the only thing keeping it from being a full fledged luxury car is that its Lexus stablemate is more ubiquitous here.
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I didn’t see this post until today, so I’m quite late with my reply…that said, I have driven the Dacia Duster and like it (and its amazing to those that know the original Dacia cars), To me, the LC 250 is a far better vehicle in every way, except maybe fuel economy, and size…you said you want something larger, but recognizing that a large vehicle can be very inconvenient in Europe. I think the Toyota Rav4 is more comparable to the Duster.
One thing that is surprising (to me) is that many Europeans are not as impressed with Toyota vehicles, as we are in the USA (where Toyota is generally considered boring, but very reliable) or those in Australia & Asia (where the LC is legendary for its reliability and capability). I mention this because you may be receiving feedback from friends/family against a Toyota, but I would simply counter that by saying Toyotas in my experience are exponentially better cars for reliability and maintenance than German vehicles (that many Europeans consider the “best”). I would buy Toyota in Europe no matter what others say.
I wish that I could bring my LC with me to Europe (some family there, including near Lausanne).
Hope this helps and good luck!
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From talking to my close friend who is German and lives in Munich (somewhat ironically he is a Powertrain Engineer with BMWAG) in terms of cars, VAG, BMW and MB are considered the best, VW is known for light trucks as is Dacia (Renault) and Toyota for the Hilux, but beyond that is it Euro cars or nothing.
In terms of real 4x4 offroad capable SUV, it is Land Rover/Range Rover or bust, my buddy has (although it is broken once again) a 2016 Disco L4 with the SDV6 and that was his body on frame SUV until after he drove my USA LC and decided that when he returned home to Germany that he was going to buy a Land Cruiser 250.
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I'm in the process of changing cars. Each time this happens, I scan the brands I'm interested in and don’t care about the commercial image a brand tries to project. I'm not a Toyota fan, but I’m genuinely impressed the Land Cruiser lineup and history.
I prefer to find a real garage with real mechanics. Luckily for me, there are plenty of Toyota garages around here—almost in every village—and guess what? I think I’ve found one slightly off road oriented and able to answers and understand my need. For example they know what is a diff lock....
The Land Cruiser market is very slow in Switzerland, for a few reasons. First, most users don’t recognize or need true off-road capabilities. The SUV and large 4WD market is dominated by German-made, high-powered vehicles where 22" wheels with low aspect ratio tires and 0–100 km/h in under 4 seconds are considered essential. IMO, these users don't need a car but a fashion accessory.
Farmers and people in the countryside tend to prefer pickups. And if you're looking for a true station wagon-style 4x4, the choices are limited: Land Rover, Grenadier, Land Cruiser—and that’s about it.
In Switzerland, emissions regulations change frequently, and taxes on high-emission vehicles have risen sharply. As a result, the Swiss importer who pays importation CO2 fees has removed the basic Land Cruiser models from the catalog. Only fully-equipped, top-tier versions are available now, which significantly increases the price. When you add the higher taxes, buying a new Land Cruiser becomes a costly decision.
So yes, it's a very expensive car in many ways.
I prefer to find a real garage with real mechanics. Luckily for me, there are plenty of Toyota garages around here—almost in every village—and guess what? I think I’ve found one slightly off road oriented and able to answers and understand my need. For example they know what is a diff lock....
The Land Cruiser market is very slow in Switzerland, for a few reasons. First, most users don’t recognize or need true off-road capabilities. The SUV and large 4WD market is dominated by German-made, high-powered vehicles where 22" wheels with low aspect ratio tires and 0–100 km/h in under 4 seconds are considered essential. IMO, these users don't need a car but a fashion accessory.
Farmers and people in the countryside tend to prefer pickups. And if you're looking for a true station wagon-style 4x4, the choices are limited: Land Rover, Grenadier, Land Cruiser—and that’s about it.
In Switzerland, emissions regulations change frequently, and taxes on high-emission vehicles have risen sharply. As a result, the Swiss importer who pays importation CO2 fees has removed the basic Land Cruiser models from the catalog. Only fully-equipped, top-tier versions are available now, which significantly increases the price. When you add the higher taxes, buying a new Land Cruiser becomes a costly decision.
So yes, it's a very expensive car in many ways.
