The powerful, luxurious 2015 Toyota Land Cruiser may seem far removed from the first Land Cruiser models offered in the U.S. market more than a half-century ago, but the newest model shares its forebear’s go-anywhere capability and spirit. It’s just a lot more civilized.

Appealing to a highly loyal customer base, the Toyota Land Cruiser is a premium-luxury, full-capability SUV with seating for eight. Its combination of power, room and towing capacity could make anyone pine for a getaway vacation home in the mountains where the roads end. Its advanced chassis systems, and Toyota quality, durability and reliability ensure that the Land Cruiser can make such excursions easily.

Unabashedly luxurious, the 2015 Toyota Land Cruiser comes only one way – fully equipped. There are no factory options.
         
The Power to Move You
The heart of the Land Cruiser’s capability is its 5.7-liter DOHC V8 engine, which produces 381 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 401 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,600 rpm. Having 90-percent of peak torque available at just 2,200 rpm makes this robust V8 an outstanding tool for towing.

The Land Cruiser, which comes equipped with a standard towing package, can pull a trailer weighing up to 8,500 pounds. The towing connector and sub-wiring harness allow connection of a commercial trailer-brake controller. A water-cooled oil cooler helps control oil temperature while towing. And, standard Trailer Sway Control, which uses the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) to help counteract trailer sway, can make towing a more relaxed proposition for newbie and veteran alike.

Even with all its power, the Land Cruiser’s V8 is no brute. It’s a highly refined machine, employing such technologies as dual independent Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i) and an Acoustic Control Induction System (ACIS) to help maximize performance and efficiency. ACIS changes the length of the intake tract in two stages, based on RPM and throttle angle to optimize torque across the engine speed range.

The big V8 delivers its punch using regular-grade (87 AKI) gasoline. 

The V8 is teamed exclusively with a 6-speed automatic transmission that adjusts shifting to road conditions. With a sequential shift mode, you can also shift manually — ideal for added control in challenging weather conditions. The Land Cruiser is ULEV-II certified.

As Solid As It Looks
Land Cruiser customers know great construction when they see it, in a custom-designed home or in an SUV. Body-on-frame construction gives the Land Cruiser a solid foundation for rugged durability in extreme driving conditions, along with impressively plush ride quality. Underbody panels help to protect the engine and transmission when traversing rocky terrain.

The suspension combines toughness and high-tech. High-mount double-wishbone front-suspension provides outstanding suspension articulation for off-road driving and still maintains smooth on-road driving comfort. A well proven four-link, coil-spring rear suspension provides a long suspension stroke for off-road axle articulation.

Then comes the high-tech portion. An old trick of true off-road drivers is to disconnect the suspension stabilizer bars in order to increase wheel articulation. That’s a tough and dirty job, and it can impair handling. The Land Cruiser offers a better way, known as Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS). This innovative system hydraulically adjusts the lean resistance provided by the stabilizer bars, reducing it for off-road driving to help minimize any tendency for wheel lift.

On pavement, where stabilizer bar function is vital for agility and control, KDSS lets the bars work conventionally to help reduce body lean by as much as 50 percent. The system operates hydraulically, without the need for complex electronics.
 
Genuine Full-Time 4WD and An Arsenal of Advanced Control Systems
The Land Cruiser comes ready for trail duty with a true full-time four-wheel drive system augmented by a wide array of advanced chassis control technologies. Approach and departure angles are 30 degrees and 20 degrees, respectively, for capable off-road maneuvering.

A compact 2-speed transfer case provides full-time four-wheel drive with a TORSEN^® limited-slip locking center differential that distributes torque 40:60 front-to-rear. Should wheel slippage occur, the differential can direct more torque to the wheels with the best grip. Active Traction control (A-TRAC) employs both brake and throttle intervention to help control wheel spin. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), with a cut-off switch, helps maintain directional control during cornering.

The transfer case’s low-range ratio can be selected while traversing challenging driving surfaces, such as steep inclines. High-tech help is ready to step in if needed. Using the Land Cruiser’s Multi-terrain Select system, the driver can choose a setting that matches the terrain in order to control wheel slip. In some cases, a certain degree of wheel slip is desirable. For example, in loose terrain such as mud and sand, the Multi-terrain Select system allows more-than-normal wheel slip to help the vehicle dig its way along.

On bumpy moguls, or solid rock, wheel slip is minimized and the system acts more like a limited slip differential. The Mogul setting is for any extremely uneven terrain, such as V-ditches, slopes, and ridges.

With the transfer case shifted into low range, CRAWL Control regulates engine speed and output, along with braking force, to propel the Land Cruiser forward or reverse at one of five low-speed settings. Suitable for driving over extremely rough level-ground or on steep grades, CRAWL allows the driver to focus on steering without also having to modulate the throttle or brake pedals.

Off-road trails can be tight. The Off-Road Turn Assist feature helps tighten the Land Cruiser’s turning radius by applying slight brake pressure to the inside rear wheel, creating a pivot effect.

Two more systems lend an invisible helping hand on the trail. Downhill Assist Control (DAC) is designed to augment the low-speed descending ability of low-range by helping to hold the vehicle to a target speed with minimal driver intervention. Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) helps prevent vehicle roll-back when stopping and then starting again on a steep incline or slippery surface.

Big P285/60 R18 mud-and-snow tires on 18 x 8.0-inch aluminum alloy wheels give the Land Cruiser exemplary grip in all conditions. There’s even a full-size spare.
         
The Epitome of Luxury: Everything Standard
Comfort in the Land Cruiser steadily evolved over the decades and design generations, culminating today in an SUV of impeccable luxury. Perforated leather trim, heated and ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel with power tilt and telescoping with memory are just a few of the comforts awaiting in the spacious cabin.

The driver faces a panel of bright Optitron instrument gauges, and a Multi-Information Display shows gear selection, odometer, tripmeter, fuel consumption, individual tire pressures and cruising range. The center console integrates a cooler box, USB port and cup holders.

Middle row seating is both luxurious and versatile. Seats are trimmed in perforated leather and feature multi-stage heating. The 40/20/20 split seat is built for comfort, with a recline feature and a one-touch tumble mechanism for easier third-row entry and exit. With the rear seats folded, the Land Cruiser offers 81.7 cubic feet of cargo space. The middle row seats slide forward and aft 4.1 inches, creating either more room for passengers or more room for cargo.

No matter where you sit in the Land Cruiser, you’ll be comfortably cool or warm. Its four-zone automatic climate control system, which features a 7-level blower control, circulates heated or cooled air through 28 air vents. The system keeps the air clean, too, with a micro-dust and pollen filter.

On especially cold days, the Land Cruiser’s auxiliary Positive Temperature Coefficient heater passes air over an electrically heated ceramic element to provide instant cabin warmth before the engine gets up to operating temperature.

The considerable list of standard features includes:

• Smart Key keyless entry with push-button start
• anti-theft security system
• engine immobilizer
• power moonroof
• auto-dimming rearview and side mirrors
• HomeLink^® universal garage-door/gate opening system
• steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

Premium Audio with Entune^®
There is no optional premium audio system for the 2015 Land Cruiser — it doesn’t need one. The standard Premium HDD Navigation with Entune and JBL^® Synthesis audio system delivers knockout sound through 14 speakers including a subwoofer. Controlled through an eight-inch touch screen with split screen capability, navigation and audio screens can be displayed at the same time.

There’s an integrated backup camera display, and then of course a cornucopia of music sources available, including an AM/FM CD player with MP3/WMA playback capability; SiriusXM^® All Access Satellite Radio capability (includes three-month complimentary trial subscription); HD Radio™ with iTunes^® Tagging; USB port with iPod^® connectivity and control, and music streaming via Bluetooth^®, which also provides hands-free phone capability and phone book access. Advanced voice recognition lets you speak simple commands to get what you want.

The Toyota Entune App Suite is a collection of popular mobile applications and subscription-free data services. Once a smartphone is paired to the vehicle using Bluetooth or a USB cable, Entune apps are operated using the vehicle’s controls or, for some services, by voice recognition. Entune offers apps for Bing™, iHeartRadio, MovieTickets.com, OpenTable^®, and Pandora^®. Entune data services include a fuel price guide, sports scores, stocks, traffic and weather.

Safety Star
The Land Cruiser is as solid as it looks, with a body structure that makes extensive use of high-strength steel, especially in the A-, B-, C- and D-pillars and rocker area. Like all Toyotas, the Land Cruiser comes standard with the STAR Safety System™. A four-wheel multi-terrain anti-lock braking system (ABS) automatically selects the optimal ABS profile to provide the most suitable brake force for on- and off-road driving surfaces. Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) balances braking forces between the front and rear brakes, while Brake Assist (BA) provides auxiliary force to assist the driver during emergency braking.

All eight seating positions have three-point seatbelts, and Land Cruiser has 10 airbags: driver and front passenger Advanced Airbag System; driver and front passenger knee airbags; driver and front passenger seat-mounted side airbags, second-row outboard seat-mounted side airbags and three-row Roll-sensing Side Curtain Airbags.
 
Active headrests on the driver and front passenger seats move up and forward almost instantly in the event of certain rear-end collisions to help reduce the distance between the occupant's head and the headrest. The advanced seatbelt system is designed to retract the front seatbelts when the brakes are suddenly applied or when the VSC system detects tire slippage.

Also included in the mono-spec Land Cruiser, the standard Pre-Collision System is designed to detect other vehicles and obstacles in its path and retract the front passenger seatbelts if a collision is imminent.

A direct tire pressure monitor system helps to alert the driver to severe pressure drops in any of the tires, including the full-size spare. The standard parking sonar system uses ultrasonic sensors on the front and rear bumpers to sense obstacles.

The Land Cruiser comes standard with the Safety Connect™ telematics system. Available by subscription (first year of service is included in the new vehicle purchase), Safety Connect offers Automatic Collision Notification, Stolen Vehicle Location, Emergency Assistance Button (SOS), and enhanced Roadside Assistance, which adds GPS data to the already-included warranty-based Toyota roadside service.
         
Limited Warranty and ToyotaCare
Toyota’s 36-month/36,000 mile basic new-vehicle warranty applies to all components other than normal wear and maintenance items. Additional 60-month warranties cover the powertrain for 60,000 miles and corrosion with no mileage limitation. Toyota dealers have complete details on the limited warranty.

The Land Cruiser also comes standard with ToyotaCare, a complimentary plan covering normal factory-scheduled maintenance and 24-hour roadside assistance for two years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first.