Doug isn’t a fan of our baby

[TakaraLC]

I find it comical too when people downplay LC250 and say “not a real Land Cruiser” regarding the 250. However when you look at the current LC300 I would argue that the LC250 is way more capable off road, on the beach, snow, trails, etc. The 200/300 series got WAY ahead of itself through the years and became a luxury wagon with off road goodies. I am definitely not knocking those vehicles, but the current Land Cruiser has simply gone back to its original roots.

As for Doug, it’s a shame that he feels this way. His comments are simply just another mans opinion. He has no more or no less car review qualifications than any of us.

This is because people think 200/300 series are heavy duty while 150/250 (prado) series are light duty Land Cruisers.

This is incorrect, as the heavy duty land cruisers are 70 series, and 150/250 are light duty. 200/300 series are wagons designed primarily for on road use.

 

[Altitude]

Complaining about the 0-60 time of a Land Cruiser is like complaining about the water fording depth of a Porsche 911.

That was literally one of the analogies I was considering. To the word.

 

[mayonayze]

I don’t generally have an opinion about him. Some of his reviews are decent. But this vid is a giant nothing burger. Harder to find a grand highlander? Is that the an appropriate objective benchmark for him for a LC? How in demand a LC is with the soccer mom crowd? As much as i hate to be cliche and rack it up to a click grab, it sure has that feel.

 

[ultane]

Who the fuck is Doug?!

And who the f*$k cares what he thinks!?

 

[ultane]

Station wagons are great. But they only count if they have rear facing seats and fake wood paneling.

View attachment 21029

My high school girl friend’s parents had a big Chevy station wagon, with rear facing seats in the back. She and I had some ‘nice’ times in those seats when her parents were up front driving.

 

[RUN-8]

I don’t generally have an opinion about him. Some of his reviews are decent. But this vid is a giant nothing burger. Harder to find a grand highlander? Is that the an appropriate objective benchmark for him for a LC? How in demand a LC is with the soccer mom crowd? As much as i hate to be cliche and rack it up to a click grab, it sure has that feel.

Of course it’s harder to find a Grand Highlander: production was shut down due to a design flaw until about a month ago.

DeMuro is a disingenuous sack of shit.

 

[msenske]

It seems like people really struggle with the fact that the new Land Cruiser (i.e., Land Cruiser 250) isn't Toyota's "halo" vehicle, at least from a price perspective. Although the Land Cruiser 80, 100, 200, and 300 series filled/fill this position in Toyota's product line, people are concerned with the fact that the price of the LC 250 puts it in the same range as other Toyota products. As far as I'm concerned, the LC 250 represents a solid value in terms of the combination of on-road performance, off-road performance, reliability, comfort, etc. that it offers as compared to the rest of the Toyota product line. Just because it isn't the most expensive vehicle in their portfolio, doesn't imply that it isn't extremely well suited for its intended purpose(s).

The LC 100 and 200 sold in such low numbers here in the United States, largely due to their price point, that Toyota made the decision to not bring the LC 300 here. From my perspective, we should be happy that we have access to the LC 250, even if we don't have access to the LC 70 "heavy duty" series, or the LC 300 "station wagon."

 

[LandCruiserJ]

If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s Doug Demuro’s "Disappointment Review” of the Land Cruiser.



On my way to 6,000 miles, I have a vastly different appraisal. Engine aplenty…generally quiet and efficient. Connected to the drive modes (which I’ve used), delivers excellent driving performance, and reasonable mileage. I think the interior is fantastic—“quietly rugged luxe.” Love the exterior, and I don’t think it will become “unclassic.” On the contrary, restoring squared off-angles and using flat lines vs. the universal jellybean approach of the nineties, oughts, and twenty-teens make this look eternally classic. Same reason Defender and Bronco have done the same.

If I’d wanted a GX, or a six cylinder, or a third row, I would have shopped for that. But I don’t want a third row. I could take or leave a six (in fact, I was cross-shopping the Bronco and drove both engines, and I’m not sure I really had a preference). I also don’t want “luxe in trucks.” The LC manages to make the interior as nice and comfortable as you could wish for (nice leather; soft touch surfaces; heated and cooled seats; heated steering; and it’s literally bristling with technology, some of which I’ve “de-tuned” because I prefer to drive myself.)

The tailgate is excellent. The ability to open the rear window is great. The grey/white roof is fabulous and retro. The OEM roof rack is excellent.

I’ve done several long road trips and it’s once of the easiest, most comfortable, and most pleasant cars I’ve ever spent time in (including a Tundra, and several BMW and Audi SUVs). My wife (who is usually the passenger) violently agrees.

Is it pricey-ish? Sure. But does it smoke an equivalent Bronco, Jeep, or Defender for the money, especially with undeniable Toyota quality-superiority and dependability (my LC has been 100% perfect since delivery, and I’m betting it will remain this way)? Heck yes.

I’m sorry Doug was disappointed. I can’t stop smiling, and the more I drive it and spend time in it, the more I love my LC.

 

[LandCruiserJ]

And BTW, I also owned a Gen 1 4Runner way back in the day. And an early 2000’s Sequoia. The 4Runner is great for what it is, but to say I wasn’t cross shopping the new 4Runner would be an understatement. No way is the interior space comparatively as comfortable.

 

[omgponies]

Most of his complaints, which he sort of acknowledges, seem to be that he is focused on "Land Cruiser" and what he thinks that should be Vs "here is a car, what do you think of it" in a vacuum.

I am sure many people like it and many people hate it, for their own reasons and needs - doesn't really matter to me, as I am not buying it for them, just for what I wanted and I love it.

 

[jptruck]

Test drove the Sequoia...Annoyingly too large and crap visibility. Could not pay me to have this as a daily driver. Overly large.

Have not driven the new 4Runner, but did drive the new Tacoma. I've never really enjoyed the seating and visibility out of these vehicles, as a tall person. I feel like they are for sub-6' skinny guys.

Land Cruiser just fits me better, and I disagree with him on interior of this vehicle. Other than storage, I think the interior is a home run. I'm coming from a Land Rover Discovery HSE Premium Luxury massage your balls vehicle, and this one is just as nice (if not better).

My only major gripe is the engine's MPG and small gas tank. Really bad design choice. I can live with 17/18MPG, but give me a 22-25 gallon tank. Also, the fuel sensor on these things does not help. It says you are dead, miles-wise, when you probably have 3 gallons and 40-50 miles of range left.

Land Cruiser name. I gotta say that this vehicle reminds me more of the 4 cylinder diesel I drove in Australia long ago than anything else. It has the utilitarian vibe, sounds like a diesel, and has the same torque. I think the previous generation LC's were overstuffed, overpriced pigs.

I'm interested to see how she slides in the snow, but that's a tire issue that can be resolved.

 

[jptruck]

Probably thinking Toyota shouldn't have asked for a second look at this baby.

 

[Marinna]

It seems like people really struggle with the fact that the new Land Cruiser (i.e., Land Cruiser 250) isn't Toyota's "halo" vehicle, at least from a price perspective. Although the Land Cruiser 80, 100, 200, and 300 series filled/fill this position in Toyota's product line, people are concerned with the fact that the price of the LC 250 puts it in the same range as other Toyota products. As far as I'm concerned, the LC 250 represents a solid value in terms of the combination of on-road performance, off-road performance, reliability, comfort, etc. that it offers as compared to the rest of the Toyota product line. Just because it isn't the most expensive vehicle in their portfolio, doesn't imply that it isn't extremely well suited for its intended purpose(s).

The LC 100 and 200 sold in such low numbers here in the United States, largely due to their price point, that Toyota made the decision to not bring the LC 300 here. From my perspective, we should be happy that we have access to the LC 250, even if we don't have access to the LC 70 "heavy duty" series, or the LC 300 "station wagon."

Buyers seeking for status affirmation should buy LX700h. I don't think there should be a place for Toyota pursuing luxury. Being offroad focus and luxury focus are almost always mutually exclusive, whether people are willing to admit or not (count how many encounters you ever had in trails with another LX or even GX)

For the heavy duty 70-series, I don't think US market will embrace the current 76 series too well. (though I would totally dig for GXL double cab with V8 diesel) For sure you will see even more reviewers go to YouTube complaining about its out-of-date everything. Consumers in US market are a little bit of spoiled brat that we never satisfied at anything really.

 

[ultane]

Of course it’s harder to find a Grand Highlander: production was shut down due to a design flaw until about a month ago.

DeMuro is a disingenuous sack of shit.

Can you explain the design flaw?

 

[TrailWhale]

"First, the door slam feel!"

lol what? I don't think "Doug" and I are on the same page here.

 

[trek805]

I need a 70 series. Very awesome

 

[RUN-8]

Can you explain the design flaw?

It had a stop sale and recall due to side impact and curtain airbags not deploying as designed if the windows were down. Didn’t get resolved until mid to late October. Both the Grand Highlander and Lexus TX.

 

[Altitude]

(count how many encounters you ever had in trails with another LX or even GX)

It actually seems at times like every third-owner GX has made its way to Colorado and is driving around with off-road mods. Sometimes even on trails, though I don’t go on that many of them myself.

I’m sure it not like this in other places. We’re also one of those states where every third vehicle is a Subaru.

 

[D-mac]

Buyers seeking for status affirmation should buy LX700h. I don't think there should be a place for Toyota pursuing luxury. Being offroad focus and luxury focus are almost always mutually exclusive, whether people are willing to admit or not (count how many encounters you ever had in trails with another LX or even GX)

LR and Mercedes have been doing luxury off roaders for a long time. The first Mercedes ML was BOF and had low range 4x4.
Now Lexus "Overtrail" and Ineos are all in on the high end off roader market.
Toyota has sold the Century and Crown luxury sedans, and even the Alphard luxury van for decades.

 

[Marinna]

LR and Mercedes have been doing luxury off roaders for a long time. The first Mercedes ML was BOF and had low range 4x4.
Now Lexus "Overtrail" and Ineos are all in on the high end off roader market.
Toyota has sold the Century and Crown luxury sedans, and even the Alphard luxury van for decades.

People buying luxury car prioritize things differently. This is why I don't think Toyota should pursue this market given they already have Lexus, the need for these audience should be addressed in that brand.

One good example for this is E-KDSS vs Sway bar disconnect. They are both for offroading, but E-KDSS provides more comfort in exchange of compromised approaching angle. They are also more expensive. Sway bar disconnect is simpler, cheaper and it's manual. But it gives driver more approaching angle.

Another effect of luxury car is the craving for a logo and requirement for premium post-sales services. People pay $100K+ not just for the car but also partially for these things. I don't care about these status affirmation or be treated like a celebrity. I don't want to pay for vanity and I don't think Toyota should charge average Joe for these.

There are indeed features that might shared across both type of buyers, like leather seat, more and better electronics, occasionally even message chair or adaptive suspension. They are often only put onto the non-luxury brand when the cost is dropped to certain level. Toyota can put them in higher trim, but I don't want to hear all these reviewer keeps complaining about the lack of these premium features. If you need them, go review Lexus and you will have plenty of options.