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This is not the famous Land Cruiser owned by the russian mob. Toyota Land Cruiser J150 is not the famous Land Cruiser owned by by the russian mob. Toyota Land Cruiser 150 is not the famous Land Cruiser owned by by the russian mob.

I don't know if I covered this in the previous review about previous model because I can't read, but the Toyota Land Cruiser J150 and J120 are not the regular, "full fat" Land Cruisers, but the light, child-friendly versions, also known as the Land Cruiser Prado. The regular Land Cruiser comes with serious off-road kit and proper engines, but also structural rigidity and is much better built for rough off-road than for tarmac. In other words, just like the Pajero, the regular Land Cruiser is like a wheelbarrow. Very good on rough terrain and especially on sand dunes, but quite weak on the road.

And here comes the Land Cruiser Prado with the same velocity with which Jeremy Clarkson's fist entered Pier Morgan's face, to calculate the kinetic force released, we consider that the surface area of ​​Piers Morgan's face is 266 square centimeters. The Land Cruiser Prado or Toyota Land Cruiser J150 comes with engines under 3 litre capacity and is more adapted to on-road and light to medium off-road, than the Land Cruiser usual business. Don't get me wrong, it's not as clumsy off-road as a Stelvio, because the Land Cruiser 150 also has a ladder frame chassis, transfer case, independent suspension and full of bonuses, but it also comes with satnav, a panoramic roof, an automatic transmission and the option of not having a spare tire holder on the tailgate.

Otherwise, the Land Cruiser 150 is more of an evolution and a massive facelift of the old 120 that it is retiring, the only real involution is that the fuel tanks have decreased from 180L to 150L capacity, because the Land Cruiser Prado is capable of serious work but too few use it for serious work. It remains a reliable car and remains a true Land Cruiser, even in this era of consumerism, and in 2015 it also gets rid of the only brown spot on its CV, namely the 3-liter 1KD-FTV diesel and introduces a 2.8 diesel that would remain the Toyota diesel village bicycle.

Toyota Land Cruiser J150 Engines

Petrol

• 2.7 i-4 7TR-FE of 161 horsepower – It has no specific reliability issues, the only specific problem on the Land Cruiser is the Land Cruiser itself. This engine drags the Land Cruiser the same way I drag myself to work after getting drunk like a regular pig at the local pub. But at least it's reliable.


• 4.0 V6 1GR-FE of 280 horsepower – If you live somewhere around Abu Dhabi and need a road car and don't really need all that much torque to drive through the desert, this engine is excellent. Otherwise it is the classic, legendary 1GR-FE so apart from the oil consumption that appears later in life, you have nothing specific to worry about.

Diesel

• 2.8D 1GD-FTV of 177 and 204 horsepower – 2015 brings the new 2.8 1GD-FTV and it has no specific problems. It has more power and comes into action earlier, at 1600-2400 rpm instead of 1800-3200 rpm like the previous engine. Basically, the 2.8 engine is just an evolution of the previous engine, but a correct evolution. And this should be the only engine that Toyota sells in Europe. Some engines did have some timing chain issues, but that's it. It's a miles ahead engine over the previous unit.


• 3.0D 1KD-FTV of 173 and 190 horsepower – The old 1KD-FTV with cracked pistons, cut hands, cut legs, yellow baking, injectors, and many other issues. You would think that the Land Cruiser is indestructible and you would be right. But not with this engine. I know, people will jump in the comments like lice from their foreheads and say that they drove 700,000 km with this engine and did not change anything. Not even the fuel. But it is best to be cautious with this engine.

Toyota Land Cruiser J150 Reliability Issues

• As mentioned earlier, the Land Cruiser 150 has a ladder frame chassis, basically it has a chassis over a chassis. Very good for off-road rigidity, but it weighs between 10 and 14 tons and will torture the brakes, tires, suspension, fuel economy and so on. The Land Cruiser Prado is reliable but not cheap to run. Its bigger brother, the Land Cruiser 200s, costs 100,000 euros in 8 years of use, according to estimates by the local council. Sure, a Prado 2.8D won't have such galactic costs but it's still no Corsa in terms of maintenance costs.


• It is a work and off-road vehicle so on the asphalt it is far from the last word. Even if it is the street version of the Land Cruiser, it is still a very capable car on rough terrain and in general cars that come with a ladder chassis and off-road toys like the Land Cruiser will be very good off-road but weak on road and they will not be the last word in terms of comfort because they simply aren't built for it. Of course, comments will jump out like lice from the forehead and they will say that the Land Cruiser is much more luxurious and comfortable than the 7 Series, Bentley Bentayga, S Class, Rolls Royce Phantom and possibly all of them combined.

Toyota Land Cruiser J150 Verdict

The Land Cruiser J150 is not necessarily a new car as much as it is a serious and correctly executed facelift. The aesthetic differences are minimal compared to the J120, but they worked a lot on the underside. Basically, a kind of automotive Ye who worked a lot on the inside. 

Which engines do I recommend? For gasoline, the 4.0 V8 1GR-FE with 280 horsepower, but realistically the 2.8D with 177 or 204 horsepower is all the engine you'll ever need here in Europe.