Toyota's Mighty Land Cruiser gains a new EU6-Compliant engine and new Six Speed auto.

• New Euro 6 174bhp 2.8-litre D-4D engine
• New six-speed automatic transmission, replacing previous five-speed unit
• Improved engine torque delivery plus gains of around nine per cent in fuel economy and reduced CO₂ emissions
• Reintroduction of five-door/seven-seat Land Cruiser Active models
• Revised equipment specifications
• Available to order from 1 July, deliveries from 1 August
• Prices from £35,895 (three-door) and £37,695 (five-door)

Toyota’s mighty Land Cruiser gains a new engine this summer, ensuring the go-anywhere SUV remains one of the finest all-round propositions on the market.

At the same time, equipment specifications have been upgraded and extra models have been added to the line-up.

New 2.8 D-4D engine

The three and five-door Land Cruiser both adopt the new 2.8-litre D-4D unit, which replaces the current 3.0-litre engine. The focus is on improved driveability with better torque delivery, plus lower fuel consumption and reduced CO₂ emissions.

The 2,755cc, 16-valve DOHC engine produces a maximum 174bhp (130kW). Matched with the current six-speed manual transmission, it develops peak torque of 420Nm between 1,400 and 2,400rpm. A new six-speed automatic transmission (replacing the previous five-speed) allows even more pulling power to be delivered, with an extra 30Nm on tap between 1.600 and 2.400rpm.

The new automatic benefits from control systems that help Land Cruiser achieve around a nine per cent improvement in fuel economy and CO₂ emissions. Provisional figures show combined cycle performance at 39.2mpg and 194g/km for the five-door model.

Higher equipment specifications

The introduction of a new powertrain is accompanied by attractive new standard equipment features.

The entry-level Active grade models now come equipped with DAB digital radio for better quality radio reception. The options list has been extended to include Toyota Touch 2 with Go, which adds intuitive and comprehensive navigation functions to the vehicle’s high-resolution, touchscreen-controlled multimedia system (£750).

Customers can also specify leather seats for the vehicle. On three-door models this also includes heated front seats and leather door trims (£1,395); on the five-door Active the package includes power adjustment for the front seats and triple-zone automatic air conditioning (£2,795).

The Icon model also adopts DAB and the more sophisticated Toyota Touch 2 with Go Plus, adding voice command recognition, 3D city mapping and a text-to-speech function. At the top of the range, Land Cruiser Invincible gains the same new features, plus all the elements included in the new optional Safety Pack (details below).

Option packs

Land Cruiser’s new Safety Pack option (for Active and Icon models, £2,635) equips the SUV with a wealth of features to help avoid accidents and support safer driving on and off road. 

They include Adaptive Cruise Control and Pre-Crash Safety system; Lane Change Assist; Rear Cross Traffic Alert; Blind Spot Monitor; and a Multi-Terrain Monitor, which gives a 360-degree view of the vehicle’s immediate surroundings.

A Protection Pack (£595) is offered for all five-door models, adding side mouldings, a rear bumper protection plate and a boot liner.

Extended model range

The introduction of the new engine also heralds an increase in the Land Cruiser model range with the re-introduction of the Active grade five-door/seven-seat version, available, with either manual or automatic transmission. The three-door/five-seat Land Cruiser Active remains in place, exclusive with manual shift.

Performance data (provisional)

Engine	2.8 D-4D
Transmission	6MT		6AT
Body style	3dr	5dr	3dr	5dr
Max. power (bhp/kW)	174/130		174/130
Max. torque (Nm @ rpm)	420 @ 1,400 – 2,400		450 @ 1,600 – 2,400
Max. speed (mph)	109		109
Acceleration 0 – 62mph (sec)	12.1		12.7
Combined cycle fuel consumption (mpg)	38.2	37.7	n/a	39.2
Combined cycle CO2 emissions (g/km)	193	197	n/a	194

Prices and availability

The revised Land Cruiser range will be available to order from 1 July with customer deliveries from 1 August. All models are covered by Toyota’s five-year/100,000-mile new vehicle warranty.

Grade	BODY STYLE	ENGINE & TRANSMISSION	OTR PRICE
Active	Three-door/five-seat	2.8 D-4D 6MT	£35,895
Active	Five-door/seven-seat	2.8 D-4D 6MT	£37,695
Active	Five-door/seven-seat	2.8 D-4D 6AT	£39,295
Icon	Five-door/seven-seat	2.8 D-4D 6AT	£48,395
Invincible	Five-door/seven-seat	2.8 D-4D 6AT	£54,895

New flagship Hilux available to order, the Invincible X, sounds like a Superhero film.

• New, top-of-the-range model for Toyota’s super-tough pick-up
• All the features of the Invincible plus multiple new styling options – all included in the vehicle price
• Four 17-inch alloy wheel designs and choice of either a hi-over bar or Style Pack
• Chrome side bars with or without steps and four leather seat upholstery colour-ways
• Available exclusively in Double Cab body style with 3.0-litre D-4D engine, five-speed manual or automatic transmission
• Order books open now, deliveries to customers from late February
• Price from £23,842 (manual model, commercial vehicle on the road, not including VAT).

Toyota’s formidable Hilux gains a new top-of-the-range model this winter in the form of the new Invincible X. Tough enough to take on the worst of Britain’s rain, snow and ice, this newcomer is not just a Toyota thoroughbred, it’s big on style too with a wealth of stand-out features.

It retains all the go-anywhere qualities that give Hilux its “unbreakable” reputation, but adds a series of new styling elements that can be mixed and matched to create a highly personalised pick-up. All these “extras” are available as no-cost options to maximise customer choice.

To begin with there are four 17-inch alloy wheel designs to choose from: the standard Invincible rim and a new Rica five-spoke in all-black or two-tone black/machined or black/graphite finish.

Chrome tubular side bars are also part of the package, with or without step grips according to preference.

Similarly, customers can opt for a rear hi-over bar, or choose instead to have the Style Pack fitted, adding a front guard, silver-coloured under-run, aluminium-finish scuff plates, chrome door handles and chrome surrounds for the bonnet air intake and rear lamp clusters.

Finally there are four colour-ways for the leather seat upholstery: the standard Invincible black, or custom two-tone black with contrasting seatback and cushion inserts in grey, saddle tan or deep red. The custom designs are additionally embossed with the X logo, while the full black upholstery bears the Invincible name.

Equipment features, shared with the Invincible grade, include sports front seats, climate control, cruise control, dusk-sensing headlights, front fog lights, rear privacy glass, front side, and curtain airbags, Vehicle Stability Control, headlamp cleaners, rear-view camera, alarm, electrically adjustable heated door mirrors and the Toyota Touch 2 touchscreen-controlled multimedia system, with Bluetooth.

The Invincible X is available exclusively in Double Cab form with Toyota’s 169bhp 3.0-litre D-4D diesel engine matched to either five-speed manual or automatic transmission. With permanent four-wheel drive and an auto-disconnecting differential, the Hilux Invincible X is engineered to take on the toughest environments. It also benefits from a 2.8-tonne towing capacity.

The new Hilux Invincible X is available to order now, priced £23,842 for the manual model and £24,842 for the automatic (commercial vehicle on-the-road, not including VAT).

Business Edition grade introduced to the RAV4 range for 2015

• Business Edition grade introduced to the RAV4 range for 2015
• Standard features include Toyota Touch 2 with Go multimedia and navigation package, cruise control, climate control, automatic headlights and wipers, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and rear-view camera
• Powered by 2.0-litre D-4D engine with front-wheel drive
• On sale now, on-the-road price £23,995
• Equipment specification upgrades for 2015 RAV4 Active and Invincible

Toyota has added a new RAV4 to its famous SUV range, the Business Edition. While the name makes the model’s target market clear, the wealth of equipment features and RAV4’s proven quality and reliability make the newcomer an appealing prospect for a much wider group of customers.

The standard specification is led by Toyota Touch 2 with Go, the latest development of Toyota’s touchscreen-controlled multimedia, connectivity and navigation system. This includes DAB digital radio, Bluetooth, a rear-view camera and access to on-line information and entertainment services, via Toyota’s customer portal.

A comfortable, relaxing drive is supported by cruise control and dual-zone climate control. Automatic headlights and windscreen wipers are provided, together with an auto-dimming rear-view mirror. Chrome trim on the front bumper adds a dash of style quality, while inside the cabin the seats are upholstered in smart black Beaumont fabric.

The features are all in addition to the Active grade specification, including 17-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, front fog lamps, power-adjustable door mirrors and a four-speaker audio system with USB and Aux-in connections.

A single version is available, powered by the flexible and efficient 2.0-litre D-4D diesel engine, with six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive. Running costs are kept down with official combined cycle fuel consumption at 57.6mpg and 127g/km CO₂ emissions. The Business Edition also secures the lowest insurance group rating in the RAV4 line-up at 25E.

The RAV4 Business Edition is on sale now, price £23,995 on the road – an increment of just £1,500 on the entry level Active model.

Elsewhere in the range, enhancements for 2015 include a fresh chrome finish for the RAV4 Active’s five-spoke 17-inch alloys and the addition of silver front and rear under-runs for the Invincible (these are finished in Pearl White where Pearl White body colour is specified).

New RAV4 owners also now have access to additional equipment options, including heated, leather front seats (Active, Business Edition and Invincible) and Toyota Touch 2 with Go Plus, which adds extra functionality, voice command recognition and thee years of free map updates. The colour choices include a new Deep Titanium metallic.

2014 Land Cruiser to start at £35k

• UK pricing and specification announced for 2014 Land Cruiser
• Toyota Touch 2 touchscreen multimedia system available for the first time, featuring Google Street View – a UK industry first for Toyota with this technology
• 2014 Land Cruiser Icon and Invincible grades deliver enhanced specification for the same on-the-road price
• Deliveries from 1 December, with prices from £34,995

2014 Land Cruiser will be launched in the UK on 1 December. The model benefits from a refreshed exterior design, improvements to the interior, new entertainment features and advanced off-road technologies. The new range has a starting price of £34,995 on-the-road.

Toyota Touch 2 multimedia

Building on the success of the Toyota Touch touchscreen multimedia system, which is now widely available across the Toyota range, 2014 Land Cruiser gains the latest Toyota Touch 2 system.

The new system improves screen resolution by a factor of four, and introduces smartphone style ‘drag and swipe’ gesture technology for improved operation. Developments have been made to the provision and accuracy of traffic information with the adoption of Tom Tom Real Time Traffic alerts.

Destination selection has been improved with the use of Google Street View functionality, allowing users to see a high resolution image of their destination before selection. No other mainstream manufacturer currently offers this feature in the UK.

Tom Tom Real Time Traffic and Google Street View are pre-installed on Toyota Touch 2 and are available free of charge for one year from purchase of the car.

Model line-up

2014 Land Cruiser is the latest Toyota to adopt the new grade naming system of Active, Icon and Invincible. The car benefits from significant enhanced specification on Icon and Invincible grades, while retaining the pricing levels of the corresponding outgoing grades.

Full specification details of the model range can be found below:

In addition to the comprehensive range of safety features available as standard on 2014 Land Cruiser, customers can specify an additional safety pack. This includes adaptive cruise control with pre-crash system, designed to minimise the chances of injury in the event of a collision. This pack is priced at £1,360.

Off-road Pack

The Icon grade can be specified with all the off-road driver assistance technology available as standard on Invincible grade. This pack is priced from £1,650.

Two-tone leather

Icon and Invincible grades can be specified with two-tone leather upholstery as a ‘no-cost’ option.

 

2014 Land Cruiser is available to order now, with customer deliveries from 1 December