The King Of Off-Road Delivers Quality,
Durability, Reliability
September 18, 2007 - Torrance, CA - The all-new 2008
Toyota Land Cruiser sport utility vehicle (SUV), now in
its seventh generation, continues to carry its
incomparable reputation for quality, durability and
reliability. This Land Cruiser, known as the 200 Series,
adds significantly to the quality, dependability and
reliability (QDR) equation by including new components,
and more comfort, sophistication and value than ever
before.
The Land Cruiser, with its incredible
reliability and capability, is the iconic vehicle that
helped Toyota gain its first foothold in the world
automobile market. Over the years, it has evolved from a
basic four-wheel-drive utility vehicle into an upscale
vehicle with the capability of the original Land Cruiser
and the comfort and convenience of a luxury sedan. This
new Land Cruiser takes those values several steps
further than ever before.
"The Land Cruiser asserts its position at the very
top of the Toyota SUV lineup by building on our core
heritage - durability, capability, fun-to-drive, and
value," said Jim Lentz, executive vice president, Toyota
Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "For more than 50 years, the
Land Cruiser has delivered on off-road capability and
performance, and this generation will raise the ante for
overall capability and comfort."
The Land Cruiser cements its reputation as the "King
of Off-Road" with systems and features that also make it
the "King of On-Road." An all-new engine and
transmission delivers unparalleled power, efficiency and
smoothness. The sophisticated Kinetic Dynamic Suspension
System (KDSS) enhances the Land Cruiser's ride and
off-road capability. The Land Cruiser also receives a
new electro-mechanical system, CRAWL Control, which
improves its excellent off-road capabilities and allows
the driver to further concentrate on choosing a line
without also having to manage momentum. A sophisticated
new frame and suspension further help enhance Land
Cruiser safety.
"As I began this task, I understood what Land Cruiser
Chief Engineers have always understood: quality,
durability and reliability are the priorities," said
Land Cruiser executive chief engineer Hideki Watanabe.
"The engineering team realized there could be no
substitute for a Land Cruiser. This led us to believe we
should further enhance the basic concepts that have made
the Land Cruiser the iconic vehicle that it is. And so
that's what we've done."
High-Strength Chassis and Suspension
To develop the next generation of the toughest, most
desirable four-wheel-drive vehicle in the world, the
Land Cruiser's engineers began with the frame. Rather
than being tempted by a unitized body, the type used by
some car-based four-wheel-drive vehicles, they elected
to maintain a separate frame and body for the Land
Cruiser 200 Series. Land Cruiser engineers determined
that strengthening a unitized body, to stand up to the
stress of rough roads and high-capacity towing, would
increase the body's mass and weight as to completely
negate the lightweight character usually gained by
unitization.
Beginning with the current Land Cruiser frame
structure and using advanced engineering methods and
lightweight components, engineers developed an all-new
frame structure that offers superior strength and
rigidity while also enhancing towing capacity. Engineers
worked on insulation and body-on-frame mounting bushings
to reduce road noise, suppress vibration, and enhance
on-road and off-road comfort.
The result is a high-strength, high-rigidity frame
structure that uses lightweight, high-strength steel and
deeper, wider frame longitudinals help to provide
enhanced safety. The front of the frame adopts a
three-stage crush structure so frame damage to other
areas of the vehicle is minimized in the case of frontal
impact.
Chassis and suspension components received as much
thought and attention as the Land Cruiser's frame. It
receives a new double-wishbone independent front
suspension and four-link rear suspension with a solid
live axle.
Up front, the Land Cruiser employs a high-mount
double-wishbone system with tubular gas-pressure shock
absorbers, a hollow stabilizer bar, and coil springs.
The system was designed to suppress alignment change
while the suspension travels through its stroke and
maintains an optimal length of stroke. The purpose of
this system is to achieve a high level of off-road
driving performance and suspension control while
maintaining a high level of on-road driving comfort.
At the rear, the reliable and trusted four-link,
coil-spring with lateral rod format was redesigned to
provide a longer suspension stroke for improved on-and
off-road performance. The Land Cruiser's rear suspension
also features tubular gas-pressure shock absorbers and a
hollow stabilizer bar.
The brake system is enlarged and more powerful than
ever, with 13.4-inch ventilated discs and four-piston
calipers up front and 13.6-inch ventilated discs at the
rear.
The Land Cruiser features power-assisted
rack-and-pinion steering with a variable gear ratio that
requires just 3.1 turns to go from lock-to-lock. Gear
ratio is set larger around the steering center and
smaller around the end position.
Enhancing this advanced suspension system is KDSS, a
Toyota first, which provides a unique mixture of optimal
on-road roll stiffness and off-road suspension
compliance. This consists of a pair of hydraulic control
cylinders that vary roll stiffness depending on
suspension attitude.
Applying all this technology to the driving surface
are P285/60 R18 mud-and-snow steel-belted radial tires
mounted on 18 x 8.0-inch aluminum alloy wheels with a
high-gloss finish. The Land Cruiser also features a
full-size spare tire.
The Land Cruiser has a gross vehicle weight rating of
7,275 pounds, while it has a maximum payload of 1,585
pounds and a maximum towing capacity of 8,500 pounds.
Approach and departure angles are 30 degrees and 20
degrees, respectively.
Engine, Transmission and Drivetrain
The Land Cruiser is powered by an all-new 5.7L (346 cid)
DOHC V8 engine known as the 3UR-FE. The engine uses
electronic fuel injection, Toyota Direct Ignition, four
valves per cylinder and a variable-length intake tract
to produce 381 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 401 lb-ft of
torque at 3,600 rpm. The Land Cruiser uses regular
87-octane gasoline and has ULEV-II emissions status.
Features of this engine include Variable Valve Timing
with intelligence
(VVT-i), Acoustic Controlled Induction System (ACIS),
Electronic Throttle Control System with intelligence (ETCS-i)
and air injection. The engine also has aluminum block
and heads and employs resin-coated pistons that reduce
friction loss and a taper squish combustion chamber
shaped to improve anti-knock performance and fuel
efficiency.
Each camshaft on the intake side is chain-driven from
the crankshaft and uses VVT-i. On the exhaust side, each
camshaft is chain-driven, but from the intake camshaft.
The exhaust cams also use VVT-i.
ACIS uses a bulkhead to divide the intake manifold
into two stages. It alters the length of the tract in
the intake manifold using engine speed and throttle
valve opening to provide optimal performance in all RPM
ranges. The engine's throttle body links to the Land
Cruiser's accelerator pedal through ETCS-i to ensure
optimal throttle control in all operating ranges.
Each of the four valves per cylinder is actuated by a
rocker arm that rides on built-in needle bearings to
reduce friction and improve fuel economy. To help
control oil temperature while towing, this legendary
off-road vehicle uses a water-cooled oil cooler. The
Land Cruiser also features stainless-steel exhaust
manifolds and exhaust pipes.
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This advanced powerplant is connected to Toyota's
AB60F six-speed electronically controlled transmission.
In this smooth-shifting transmission, fourth gear is
direct drive, and both fifth and sixth gears are
overdrive gears. Fifth drive offers an overdrive ratio
of 0:728:1 while sixth has a ratio of 0.588:1.
Delivering power to this transmission is a compact,
high-capacity torque converter that offers flexible
lock-up control for improved fuel economy.
The transmission uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) Shift
Control, which allows the transmission's Electronic
Control module to estimate road condition and predict
the driver's intention to select the appropriate gear
ratio for the vehicle's speed and the driving
conditions.
This transmission also offers a sequential shift mode
that allows the driver to select gears manually. In this
mode, the transmission automatically selects first gear
when the vehicle comes to a stop.
The Land Cruiser is the first Toyota vehicle to use a
newly-developed JF2A transfer case to provide full-time
four-wheel drive. This lightweight, compact,
chain-driven unit offers a standard 1:1 high ratio for
highway travel and a low-range 2.618:1 ratio for
traversing challenging driving surfaces. The transfer
case employs a Torsen limited-slip locking center
differential. The locking function is actuated by a
push-button switch. High and low ranges are selected
with a rotary dial, located next to the HVAC and audio
control panels. Indicator lights in the right-hand
combination meter on the Land Cruiser's dash panel
indicate when low range and/or center lock is selected.
The Land Cruiser's front SD22A differential uses a
3.909:1 gear ratio and a ring gear that is 8.7 inches in
diameter. The rear BD24A differential uses precisely the
same gear ratio and employs a 9.5-inch ring gear.
Drawing from a multi-layer composite 24.6-gallon fuel
tank, the Land Cruiser has preliminary EPA fuel economy
estimates of 13/18 mpg city/highway, based on
calculations using the new EPA methodology for all 2008
and newer models.
Safety Systems
The Land Cruiser comes replete with a wide variety of
systems designed to help maintain the safety and
security of the vehicle's driver and passengers. Like
all Toyota SUVS, the Land Cruiser comes standard with
the STAR safety system. A new, 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) employs the multi-terrain
ABS to properly balance braking forces between the front
and rear brakes, while Brake Assist (BA) provides
auxiliary force to assist the driver during emergency
braking. Active Traction Control (A-TRAC) helps maintain
traction during acceleration by controlling engine
output and braking forces to the wheel, distributing the
drive force that might have been lost to the wheels and
tires have traction. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC),
with a cut-off switch, helps maintain directional
control during cornering by manipulating engine torque
and individual wheel-braking influence when it detects
tire slippage.
In addition to the STAR safety features, the Land
Cruiser also features Hill-start Assist Control (HAC),
which provides additional control for off-road driving
by helping to keep the vehicle stationary while starting
on a steep incline or slippery surface.
The new Land Cruiser features 10 airbags, the most
airbags found in any Toyota vehicle. These include
driver and front passenger dual-stage advanced airbags;
driver and front passenger knee airbags; front- and
second-row seat-mounted side airbags; and three-row
roll-sensing side curtain airbags with a roll-sensing
cutoff switch.
To this arsenal of safety tools, the Land Cruiser
adds various new standard features: CRAWL Control, a
direct tire pressure monitor system (TPMS), intuitive
parking assist and front active headrests.
With the transfer case shifted into low range, CRAWL
controls engine speed and output, along with braking
force, to propel the vehicle forward or in reverse at
one of three low-speed settings. This allows the driver
to maintain focus while steering over very rough level
ground or steep grades, without having to also
concentrate on the throttle or brake pedals. CRAWL
Control includes Downhill Assist Control (DAC), which is
designed to augment the low-speed ascending ability of
low-range by holding the vehicle to a target speed with
no driver intervention.
The direct-sensing TPMS receives air-pressure signals
from all of the vehicle's tires, including the spare
tire. When the pressure in one of the tires is below a
preset threshold, the system turns on a light in the
vehicle's instrument cluster to alert the driver.
Intuitive parking assist, new for Land Cruiser, relies
on ultrasonic sensors on the front and rear bumpers to
sense obstacles.
All eight seating positions feature three-point
seatbelts. The new Land Cruiser incorporates active
headrests for the driver and front passenger. Active
headrests move up and forward almost instantly in the
event of certain rear-end collisions when the force of
the occupant body is applied to the seat back and help
reduce the distance between the occupant's head and the
headrest. An available advanced seatbelt system is
designed to retract the front seatbelts when the brakes
are suddenly applied or when tire slippage is detected
by the VSC system.
Body and Interior: Civilized Comfort for all
Driving Conditions
Pursuing an "Advanced and Rugged" theme, engineers and
designers enhanced and enlarged the front and rear
fender overhangs. They also raised the height of the
beltline just enough to exemplify an "advanced" image
without compromising the vehicle's continuity of styling
and driver and passenger visibility. The thick,
rectangular grille and headlamps maintain Land Cruiser's
steady and intelligent expression, while the hood flows
gracefully into the grille and beltlines.
Character lines were given a new sweep and feel,
especially in the front and in the area around the rear
door handles, and the back door panels were styled to
suggest strength. The result is a design that is at once
fresh and new, yet very familiar because it closely
suggests its ties to the Land Cruiser designs that have
preceded it, making it instantly recognizable.
The body itself utilizes welded high-strength sheet
steel, especially in the A-, B-, C- and D-pillars, and
in the rocker area to reduce weight and increase
rigidity. Engineers designed the B-pillar to help absorb
side impacts and transfer them into the rest of the body
structure where they can more safely dissipate. They
also designed the hood to help absorb impact, especially
at the front, to help minimize injury in the event of
pedestrian impact.
The result of these subtle changes, in conjunction with
other safety enhancements to the vehicle's frame and
chassis, is a slight increase in the vehicle's overall
length by 60 millimeters, or 2.3 inches, and in width,
by 30 millimeters or 1.2 inches.
Engineers placed a foam substance inside the
A-pillars to aid in the reduction of wind noise. A
bifacial molding between the windshield and the body
helps reduce aerodynamic turbulence, and thus noise. In
addition, the cowl is carefully shaped to prevent wind
from interfering with the windshield wipers.
Land Cruiser features special underbody panels behind
the front bumper, extending under the engine and behind
the rear wheels designed specifically to protect the
engine and transmission and to help the vehicle traverse
rocky terrain smoothly. In addition, these underbody
panels smooth the airflow under the vehicle while
minimizing drag and turbulence.
The interior is optimized for the comfort, security
and safety of its driver and up to seven passengers –
two in the front, and three each in the second and third
rows of seating.
Engineers designed an all-new air conditioning system
for the next-generation Land Cruiser and focused on two
goals – developing a Toyota-first multi-zone system for
maximum cooling and heating performance, and providing
ultimate comfort and convenience for all passengers.
An ejector type cycle allows continuous operation of
the optional cool box and the air conditioning system
thereby eliminating the conventional switching
operation. As a result, the air conditioning system and
cool box are simultaneously supplied with refrigerant,
enhancing performance.
For optimal heating performance, engineers equipped
the Land Cruiser with an auxiliary positive temperature
coefficient (PTC) heater. The PTC heater consists of a
PTC element, aluminum fin, and brass plate. When current
is applied to the PTC element, it generates heat that
warms the air that passes through the unit.
Passengers will enjoy four-zone independent control
with 28 air vents located throughout the cabin. First
and second-row passengers have access to individual
climate control, so that all passengers will be
comfortable, even when only one side of the vehicle is
exposed to the sun. Finally, the system also includes a
micro-dust and pollen filter and a seven-level blower
control.
The driver's primary focal point, the instrument
panel, features a set of bright Optitron gauges with
clear turquoise illumination. The gauge on the left
contains a tachometer and an oil pressure gauge, along
with the Land Cruiser's warning lights. The gauge on the
right contains a speedometer and a voltmeter, along with
function lights that signal the operation of, among
other things, the Land Cruiser's four-wheel drive system
and the state of inflation of the vehicle's tires.
Between them are the temperature and fuel gauges,
high-beam and fuel warning lights. Beneath these gauges
is a multi-informational display that shows gear
selection, odometer, tripmeter, fuel consumption,
individual tire pressure for all five tires and cruising
range. Directly to the right on the center dash element
are the HVAC and entertainment controls. To the left of
the HVAC controls are the push-button start,
four-wheel-drive, VSC cut-off, and center locking
differential switches.
The vehicle's center console features a gate-type
shifter with sequential shift mode operation, the
parking brake, a storage box with several compartments
and a removable tray, universal mini-jack port and
cupholders.
For convenience, the passenger-side second-row seat
features a one-touch tumble mechanism for easier
third-row ingress and egress. The second-row seats now
slide forward and aft 4.1 inches for more passenger
comfort and cargo storage versatility. The second row
also employs an advanced child restraint system.
Convenience and Attention to Detail
The Land Cruiser features a number of thoughtful
standard details. These include a JBL premium audio
system with an in-dash six-CD/DVD changer and 14
speakers; Smart Key keyless entry; anti-theft security
system; push-button start which allows the driver to
unlock or start the vehicle by carrying the key on his
person; engine immobilizer; cruise control; power
moonroof; electrochomic rearview and side mirrors;
HomeLink®; steering wheel-mounted audio, telephone,
and voice recognition controls; heated, power front
seats with driver's memory; and power tilt and
telescopic steering column with memory.
In addition, the Land Cruiser offers a variety of
options as part of upgrade packages: a DVD rear-seat
entertainment system with a nine-inch LCD screen;
Bluetooth™ technology; back-up camera; second-row heated
seats; a touch-screen DVD-based navigation system with
an eight-inch display that includes navigation, audio,
HVAC, back-up monitor, headlamp washers, and Bluetooth™
controls. For towing convenience, the Land Cruiser has a
towing converter that supplies electrical power to
trailer lights and a sub wiring harness to connect to a
commercial trailer brake controller.
Colors
Land Cruiser will be available in eight exterior colors.
New to Toyota and unique to the Land Cruiser is Amazon
Green Metallic. Other colors include Classic Silver
Metallic, Magnetic Gray Metallic, Pacific Blue Metallic,
Sonora Gold Pearl, Salsa Red Pearl, Super White, and
Black. These exterior colors are matched with a choice
of sand beige or medium gray leather-trimmed interior.
Warranty
Toyota's 36-month/36,000-mile basic new-vehicle warranty
and applies to all components other than normal wear and
maintenance items. Additional 60-month warranties cover
the powertrain for 60,000 miles and corrosion
perforation with no mileage limitation.
