I placed a deposit on an LC last fall when it was announced. I thought the truck looked amazing and was interested in seeing what it could do.
I am coming from a ~15yr stretch of German cars, currently with a Porsche Macan Turbo and BMW M4 Comp. My underlying concern with the LC was that it was going to be underpowered and slow, but wanted to keep an open mind.
I went to pick up the car yesterday and had modest expectations as I really (really) wanted to like it. I drove it once for 20 minutes and wasn't impressed, but after looking at it from the outside again decided to drive it again just to see if I could convince myself to like it.
Unfortunately, I just couldn't do it.![Confused face :confused: 😕](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f615.png)
The good
The bad
To be fair, I didn't take it off road so I am not able to comment on those aspects. If that's where you plan to use the car then this may be a winner for you, but like most people who buy these 99% of my Land Cruiser miles were going to be on paved surfaces.
I really wish Toyota would have used the TTV6 from the GX550. I think this would have provided an entirely different experience and allowed for things like a 3rd row seat to be an option. Some people may prefer hybrids for reasons, but I am not a fan of this particular setup.
IMHO, the regular LC trim in the low to mid 60s is a good target price point for this car. Once you start talking ~$80K with the FE I think there are better options out there, such as the P400 Defender (or even the P300 for that matter). If you are planning on buying a higher end LC I would highly encourage you to drive a Defender first, just to see what you'd be missing. If you want something a little more yee-haw, the Bronco Raptor is actually much more fun to drive and probably more capable off road.
This community is great, and these are just my honest opinions. If you already have an LC and love it then I am truly happy for you and wish you continue to enjoy it in good health.![Slightly smiling face :slight_smile: 🙂](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png)
I am coming from a ~15yr stretch of German cars, currently with a Porsche Macan Turbo and BMW M4 Comp. My underlying concern with the LC was that it was going to be underpowered and slow, but wanted to keep an open mind.
I went to pick up the car yesterday and had modest expectations as I really (really) wanted to like it. I drove it once for 20 minutes and wasn't impressed, but after looking at it from the outside again decided to drive it again just to see if I could convince myself to like it.
Unfortunately, I just couldn't do it.
![Confused face :confused: 😕](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f615.png)
The good
- It looks amazing. Much better than in pics (definitely has a presence)
- Infotainment size and placement is perfect (it doesn't block the road or take over the dash)
- Physical button for most things like climate control (digital buttons for controlling temp is so dumb)
- Steering wheel look and feel. (it may seem small, but looking at the word 'Toyota' is much better than the script logo)
- Build quality felt good. Doors had a nice sound/feel when closing. Trim and buttons felt sturdy.
The bad
- Power was underwhelming. There aren't any official 0-60 times, but this is an 8s 0-60 car. Sport mode has no meaningful effect.
- Low speed acceleration was clunky and unpredictable. This may be due to the hybrid setup, but accelerating moderately from 20-40 didn't inspire confidence.
- Numb steering, especially over bumps (my wife's QX80 has a similar feel and I hate it)
- Leather quality (not impressed with the seats in the FE. The leather felt very slippery and vinyl like)
- Seat support (springs are on the soft side. I'm a fit 5'10 185lbs and found myself uncomfortable and shifting around a lot after 10min of driving)
- Too many nannies (I imagine some of these can be turned off, but it's overwhelming how many things light up on the dash while driving)
To be fair, I didn't take it off road so I am not able to comment on those aspects. If that's where you plan to use the car then this may be a winner for you, but like most people who buy these 99% of my Land Cruiser miles were going to be on paved surfaces.
I really wish Toyota would have used the TTV6 from the GX550. I think this would have provided an entirely different experience and allowed for things like a 3rd row seat to be an option. Some people may prefer hybrids for reasons, but I am not a fan of this particular setup.
IMHO, the regular LC trim in the low to mid 60s is a good target price point for this car. Once you start talking ~$80K with the FE I think there are better options out there, such as the P400 Defender (or even the P300 for that matter). If you are planning on buying a higher end LC I would highly encourage you to drive a Defender first, just to see what you'd be missing. If you want something a little more yee-haw, the Bronco Raptor is actually much more fun to drive and probably more capable off road.
This community is great, and these are just my honest opinions. If you already have an LC and love it then I am truly happy for you and wish you continue to enjoy it in good health.
![Slightly smiling face :slight_smile: 🙂](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png)