Waited 11 months and declined delivery

[Draper]

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.

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.

 

[Markarian421]

Can't argue with what you like. I really wonder about the low speed drive train clunkiness. The two (non-Toyota) hybrids we've had have been quite smooth, and every rental Prius I've driven has been fine. You'd think Toyota would have this figured out by now. Many many years back I got a rental Nissan Altima Hybrid I think, where the stated goal was V8 power with a smaller hybrid engine, and that thing was really irritatingly clunky and jerky accelerating. But that was about 15 years ago.

 

[shwazz714]

Fwiw I’ve found the powertrain to smooth out as I’ve driven mine more. Also I deflated tires to recommend level and that made a huge difference in ride quality. Imagine putting even bigger tires with more sidewall would help more so. I personally wish it was the hybrid v6 from the tundra (sans the issues) as I think you’d get similar mpg and more power, but overall I think it’s well powered. I considered the defender but given I plan to keep the vehicle long term I didn’t want to risk the historically worst in class unreliability of Land Rover. Maybe one day when I’m more flush and further distanced from back to back Audis that gave me constant headaches.

 

[Draper]

When driving I feel like the electric motor would help get you to 20mph reasonably well, then it just kind of sat back and chilled. Maybe I was just at a strange in-between speed where it was still kind of relying on electric but only for a little bit. I definitely didn't have enough drive time to get a feel for the quirks, but deep down I knew I didn't love it within about 30s.

One positive thing I didn't point out was the brakes. On the second test drive, a lot attendant whipped around a blind corner in the dealer's parking lot and I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting him. I wasn't going all that fast, but the truck stopped pretty darn quickly.

 

[LCNorth]

Based on what you've been driving, the LC isn't a fit for you. The Lexus would seem to make more sense. Even then, you're likely not a body on frame kind of person.

As someone who has had multiple Land Rovers I'd say it's a viable alternative only if you never want to own it out of warranty.

 

[Impatient]

It’s definitely not fast coming from a German car, but it moves fine coming from a Chevy truck. I think there is a little lag between 20-35 or so, it gets to 20 quick. Don’t think anything you said is necessarily wrong. Older LCs has become more luxury vehicles and this one is less that and far more utilitarian. If you want to skew more luxury and a little less go anywhere, the defender makes sense.

 

[MSLCFE]

Love the LC and actually appreciate the review!! When we purchased a Jeep Wrangler JKU for the spouse, we expected it to be noisy, handle like and be awful with gas mileage. We loved it.
Coming from an FJ Criuiser, I love the lineage and heritage that backs it up. Having a design background, yes, there are tons of things I would change…but, I’m not a vehicle manufacturer.
We have that brand split, Lexus, so if three rows were needed and wanted a Toyota, it’s there. I stopped questioning manufacturers decisions, but, in the end, I’ve loved and love my Toyota, (minus some nanny features).

 

[coryten]

You will be missed on these forums! Thanks for hanging out with us for so long.

 

[shwazz714]

When driving I feel like the electric motor would help get you to 20mph reasonably well, then it just kind of sat back and chilled. Maybe I was just at a strange in-between speed where it was still kind of relying on electric but only for a little bit. I definitely didn't have enough drive time to get a feel for the quirks, but deep down I knew I didn't love it within about 30s.

One positive thing I didn't point out was the brakes. On the second test drive, a lot attendant whipped around a blind corner in the dealer's parking lot and I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting him. I wasn't going all that fast, but the truck stopped pretty darn quickly.

I do agree that it loses some juice in between 20-40/45 and I do think a bigger engine would help with that. I was coming from 15ish years of German cars although lower level ones (base model a4 and recently base model q5), so the driving experience has def taken some getting used to.

I also agree with others that the gx might be a better fit. I really loved that car but as I drive about 12k miles a year I wanted better fuel efficiency… wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up trading in my LC for an overtrail hybrid down the road…

 

[romanservices]

I just drove the GX550 expecting it to feel more powerful but in all honesty I think the hybrid system helps to deliver that instant torque which made the LC feel better. It took me all of about 5 minutes of driving the GX550 to know I didn't like it.

 

[LCMud]

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.

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.

The LC is for driving into summit county on a Wednesday to snowboard in the middle of a monster snowstorm. It’s for driving up a jeep trail at Breckinridge to mountain bike and maybe get hit by hail storm and heavy rain. The interior sets it apart and it looks good too. You can totally destroy a tire and continue. It’s not about 0-60 but I don’t play boy racer in SUVs or full-size pick ups. The Land Rover bronco and wrangler all have rear mounted spare making bike transport very difficult. The new 4 runner is an interesting option but the visibility may not be great judging by the Tacoma. I agree with you that when you start pushing $85K out the door well it just seems a $65K mid LC trim w/o premium package checks the boxes.

 

[shwazz714]

The LC is for driving into summit county on a Wednesday to snowboard in the middle of a monster snowstorm. It’s for driving up a jeep trail at Breckinridge to mountain bike and maybe get hit by hail storm and heavy rain. The interior sets it apart and it looks good too. You can totally destroy a tire and continue. It’s not about 0-60 but I don’t play boy racer in SUVs or full-size pick ups. The Land Rover bronco and wrangler all have rear mounted spare making bike transport very difficult. The new 4 runner is an interesting option but the visibility may not be great judging by the Tacoma. I agree with you that when you start pushing $85K out the door well it just seems a $65K mid LC trim w/o premium package checks the boxes.

I haul myself to work (many times with my surfboard), me my family and dog all around (city, beach, hiking, mtns, mtn biking) etc and I couldn’t find a car that checked all those boxes plus reliable and fuel efficient like the LC did.

 

[bgeorger]

I’m coming from an X7 and I absolutely love it. Your criticisms are somewhat valid, but as another user stated the engine smoothes out after a few hundred miles. It’s a change of pace that I am thrilled with.

 

[hosewater2]

I agree it's a little rougher at low speed, but having now driven mine over several interstate freeway mountain passes in the PNW I was impressed with how potent, quiet, and smooth it is at speed. I expected some degree of 4 cyl coarseness, and found none of that thrashing I expected going up mountains at speed. But honestly, should anyone buy a LC because of engine potency? Anyone buy that beloved 80 series for it's engine? It's not the point of the vehicle, like at all.

 

[bennettlo]

I have a 1958 trim and I’d agree, it’s not for everyone. I’m personally really enjoying it. I like the idea that it’s a bit like an 80s/90s SUV. I’ve driven past cars for long periods of time and hope to do the same with this one.

I don’t care about 0-60 faster than 8 seconds for this type of vehicle. In my five weeks of ownership I probably have over 70 miles of forest roads on it. But, I drive it like it’s a 25 or 30 year old truck because I hope it’ll be a 25 or 30 year old truck someday.

I know I’ll have to do maintenance, but I really, really hope this combination of technology is as reliable as traditional Toyotas.

 

[Mopac51]

Sorry it didn't work out for you. I was almost put off from the Land Cruiser after I first drove the GX550. It felt lumbering and a little laggy to me. It never cracked 11mpg during my highway test drive either. I felt pleasantly surprised with the responsiveness of the Land Cruiser by comparison. I never would be looking at this type of vehicle if I cared a lot about 0-60 times, but I feel like it's just as responsive as I want a car this big and high off the ground to be. I got 21mpg on my first tank (better than my last car), which included driving stop-and-go in one of the worst New England storms I've ever been in to get it home from the dealer. It was immediately apparent that if I had to be in a storm like that (and we get all kinds of weather here), the Land Cruiser was the vehicle to be in.

I argued before I got one that this was an offering with a smaller market than previous Land Cruisers since it had no 3rd row for a family hauler, and the hybrid would piss off the purists. I was adamant about not paying markups because of this and it worked out pretty quickly for me. I don't think this is the vehicle for everyone and I'm not at all surprised by that. It is, however, the vehicle for me!

 

[jambo]

Based on what you've been driving, the LC isn't a fit for you. The Lexus would seem to make more sense. Even then, you're likely not a body on frame kind of person.

As someone who has had multiple Land Rovers I'd say it's a viable alternative only if you never want to own it out of warranty.

Totally agree

 

[solidbrix]

I just drove the GX550 expecting it to feel more powerful but in all honesty I think the hybrid system helps to deliver that instant torque which made the LC feel better. It took me all of about 5 minutes of driving the GX550 to know I didn't like it.

Same here, I wasn’t impressed with the 550. The instant torque feel of the LC was unexpected and I was sold instantly.

 

[Draper]

The LC is for driving into summit county on a Wednesday to snowboard in the middle of a monster snowstorm. It’s for driving up a jeep trail at Breckinridge to mountain bike and maybe get hit by hail storm and heavy rain. The interior sets it apart and it looks good too. You can totally destroy a tire and continue. It’s not about 0-60 but I don’t play boy racer in SUVs or full-size pick ups. The Land Rover bronco and wrangler all have rear mounted spare making bike transport very difficult. The new 4 runner is an interesting option but the visibility may not be great judging by the Tacoma. I agree with you that when you start pushing $85K out the door well it just seems a $65K mid LC trim w/o premium package checks the boxes.

Totally! The LC is definitely going to go some places other cars won't.

But when it comes to snow I can honestly say the Macan with a set of snow tires is simply fantastic! The way it distributes power coupled with the air suspension (which allows you raise up a few inches to get over the deep stuff) is just beyond anything else I've driven. We've owned a place in Breck for a number of years, and I have made that drive probably 100 times. If the roads are open I have no hesitation about taking this car.

 

[mrock]

The great thing is, we all have choices to meet our driving needs. If you love German car smoothness, the LC is probably not for you. I live on 8 miles of dirt roads at 7800' elevation. This is my 4th LC, and it is just what I want/need. But I recognize that many drivers are going to spend most of their time on pavement. I've owned BMWs and Porsches, and they are great, but expensive to maintain. I've had 2 Land Rovers, and regretted each one. Cool to look at, impossible reliability. I find the new design unattractive, but I know others love it. If we all wanted the same thing, the world would be a boring place.