If ever South Africans wanted something that would climb every mountain they turned to the farmer’s favourite, the Toyota Land Cruiser from the venerable bakkie to the luxurious VX-R – all with the common denominators of a ladder-frame chassis and V8 diesel engine.
Now the SUV variants of the 200 Series have been given a few tweaks for 2019.
As before two grade options are offered – the utility-focused entry level model has been rebadged as GX-R (GX of old) – to align the naming convention with its luxurious VX-R sibling.
Both grades are powered by the same 4,5-litre V8 turbo-diesel engine with outputs of 195 kW at 3 400 r/min and 650 Nm from 1 600 r/min.
Notable changes to the VX-R model are mostly found at the front of the vehicle. A new front grille design features two prominent horizontal slats intersecting the large grille opening in an east-west fashion – replacing the previously utilised multi-slat design.
A smoked treatment has been applied to the Bi-LED headlamps and LED fog lamps, for enhanced visual differentiation. The headlamps themselves include Auto High Beam functionality, super bright LED illumination and Daytime Running Lights (DRL).
A new Brown interior trim colour has been made available, now affording VX-R buyers a selection of three interior palettes – Beige, Black and Brown.
The VX-R model continues to boast an impressive standard specification list, which includes:
• Blind Spot Monitoring
• Auto-dimming mirrors
• Integrated tow hitch
• Leather interior
• Power-adjustable front seats
• 3-zone climate control
• Front ventilated seats
• Heated seats (1st and 2nd row)
• ‘Coolbox’
• Optitron instrumentation
• Surround-view cameras
• Satellite Navigation and touchscreen infotainment
• Smart Entry
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring
• Multi-Terrain Select (switchable off-road driving modes)
• Active Traction Control (A-TRAC)
• Crawl Control
• Full suite of electronic driving aids including Lane Keeping system and 10 air bags
Pricing
Land Cruiser 200 4.5D V8 GX-R 6AT – R 1 021 900
Land Cruiser 200 4.5D V8 VX-R (Black/Beige/Brown) 6AT – R 1 405 600
All Land Cruiser 200’s come standard with a 9-services/90 000 km service plan (intervals are pegged at 12 months/10 000 km) and 3-year/100 000 km warranty.
