Page 67 - Motor Trend (February 2020)

its side steps and shod with gold BBS
wheels, really drives it home. The steps
don’t affect ground clearance, which,
like the wheelbase, is unchanged from
the previous truck. But losing the visual
weight makes the truck look taller, leaner,
and more muscular.
And it feels it, too. The 5.7-liter V-8
makes the Land Cruiser finally move
with some authority on the road, and it
gets better fuel economy while doing it.
The ride is quieter and more comfortable
than ever—an easy chair and a steering New as the FJ80 was, you really have to squint to see the Land Cruiser heritage
in the FJ100, especially with its V-8 engine and independent front suspension.
wheel. A midcycle update, something of
an anomaly for Land Cruisers, upgraded
the six-speed automatic to an eight-speed
that’s smoother and smarter. The ancient
infotainment system has been replaced
with one that’s just kinda old. Losing the
third-row seats for the Heritage Edition
dropped a hundred pounds, but it’s still a
nearly three-ton vehicle.
Although it drives like any other
modern, ostensibly three-row SUV on
the road, the current-era Land Cruiser
still does things in the dirt nothing else
this big can touch. Low range is selected
by twisting a knob, and it’s crowded by a
bunch of other knobs and buttons. The
100 added a manually lockable center FJ100
differential; the 200 adds a limited-slip
rear diff. You also get a litany of off-road
modes, plus low-speed crawl control, and, down for maximum traction even while without all the intervening generations,
a particular favorite, turn assist, which crossed up. but the shared kokoro is unmistakable.
locks up the inside rear wheel and forces A literal ton heavier, 3.5 feet longer, a A clarity of purpose permeates,
the 200 to pivot around that wheel and full foot wider, with a nearly 2-foot-longer announcing these vehicles are something
turn tighter than anything this long ought wheelbase, but, curiously, 2 inches shorter unusual. Not just SUVs, not just civilized
to. Less flashy, hydraulically adjusted anti- in height, the 200 series nevertheless military trucks, but an intersection. Call it
roll bars keep the body more level and towers over the 40 series. It’s difficult to a soul, a ghost, or a spirit, but the essence
combat wheel lift by pushing the wheels draw a straight line from one to the other of the Land Cruiser is unbroken. Q

FJ200

Like the FJ100, but
with a bigger V-8,
the FJ200 introduced
a pile of electronic
off-road features to
augment its already
stout capabilities.

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