Cruising for Adventure

How tough are you? Is your idea of fun driving through darkest Africa without navigation? Do you brush your teeth with a grasshopper and use a Piranha to trim your beard? If you’re anything like Bear Grylls, you’ve probably considered (or owned) a Land Rover Defender, Nissan Patrol, a Mercedes-Benz G-wagon, or a Toyota Land Cruiser, also known as The Master of Africa. We recently attended the launch of the Land Cruiser 200 in the Eastern Free State to see how it has been improved.

The Land Cruiser’s chrome-embellished, glamorous new face is not just pretty, but also functional: Restyled front headlamps are deep-set to prevent damage during serious bundu-bashing. On the opulent VX models, the headlights feature Bi-LED technology with Auto High Beam. From the side, you’ll notice 18-inch alloys on the VX models and 17-inch wheels on the GX models. The rear light clusters have been extended and enlarged. Personally I find the back-end a little boring - perhaps by trying to modernize the utilitarian look, the revised rear has resulted in being nondescript.

The inside of the Land Cruiser 200 has been completely redesigned and is sufficiently suave. Only VX models were available on the launch, and they aren’t at the top of the Cruiser food chain for nothing. Toyota says it’s “a balance between style, luxury and simplicity”. This translates to quite a Swedish look - the large 9-inch touch screen in the centre dash with vertical air vents on either side, is very Volvo XC90. Brushed aluminium, leather, chrome, wood inserts and a square interior layout all contribute to making this car feel like the R1 141 700 you’re paying for it. Leather inserts on either side of the centre dash, serve as knee pads during bumpy rides. Other luxuries in the flagship Cruiser, include heated / ventilated seats which are power adjustable (with a memory function), Navigation (also on the GX), Park Distance Control with reverse camera, a 9-speaker sound system, and a wireless charger for your phone - but it has to be Qi compatible. The lower-grade GX model retails for R850 000, and sadly, it has material seats. But the die-hard off-road enthusiast will be happy about the standard snorkel,Hill Assist Control, and the practical “barn doors” to make loading easier. It also has Cruise Control, Bluetooth, the same amount of airbags as the VX, and a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Our first journey would be on tar, through Golden Gate National Park. My co-driver elected to drive the white Land Cruiser 200 4.5 VX 6AT first. The Cruiser is a big vehicle with a kerb weight of 2740 kg , and if you’re a driving enthusiast, driving it in Sport mode is recommended. The 4.5 litre, V8 turbodiesel engine moves its voluminous body quietly along, but it’s not easy on diesel.

When the tar road turned to dirt and it was my turn to drive, I got a feeling of uncertainty, as the Cruiser didn’t feel too sure-footed on this section, especially on the curvaceous parts. The ride quality was harsh too, which made us wonder whether the tyre pressure in our particular model was higher than the others. Later that evening, we found out that our specific Cruiser didn’t have any air let out of its tyres before the launch.

Upon our arrival at the 4 x 4 track, we looked at the array of dumbfounding buttons on the centre tunnel. The new Land Cruiser 200 is fitted with plenty of high tech off-roading systems, and I nearly had to consult the user manual in the cubby hole as very little of the buttons and switches were recognizable. The 4 x 4 instructors quickly explained what everything was for, and we were off. The all-new Multi-Terrain Select System (on VX models only) makes easy meat of every possible road surface. Rock, Rock & Dirt, Mogul, Loose Rock, Mud & Sand and Auto can be selected via a rotary knob. We soon came to a very steep, rocky section and I activated the Crawl Control feature. When the Cruiser started making its way down, suddenly there were clanky, thudding noises. At first I thought there was something wrong, because it felt like I was riding a lazy, mechanical bull. But it’s only the brakes, working to keep the Cruiser exactly where it should be, with zero pedal input from the driver. I should mention that my selectable Crawling Speed was set to 1, which is the jerkiest of the lot, and meant for the more hair-raising descents that call for extreme measures. Still, it gave us a good idea of how effective the system is. Other technologies include the Multi-Terrain Monitor, to give you a 360-degree picture of your surrounds, in case there’s a nasty rock rock or tree that’s intent on harming your new wheels. A nifty feature is the “underfloor” view, which allows you to see what’s happening on the underside of your Cruiser as well, with regards to obstacles and wheel position. A full colour Multi Information Display in the middle of the instrument cluster, shows trip information, fuel economy, vehicle mode and audio system info. Our fuel economy showed 14 litres per 100 km upon completion of the 4 x 4 track, which took us the entire afternoon.

The new LandCruiser 200 VX-variant also gets every driver support system you can think of, such as Advanced Traction Control, Pre-Crash System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Alert and 10 Airbags ( GX models have 8 airbags). VX models have Rear Cross Traffic Alert as well.

Every Land Cruiser gets a 5-year / 90 000 km service plan as well as a 3-year / 100 000 km warranty.

Pricing:

• Toyota Land Cruiser 200 4.5 GX 6AT: R 850 000 (173 kW / 3200 Nm)
• Toyota Land Cruiser 200 4.5 VX 6AT: R1 141 700 (173 kW / 3200 Nm)