Toyota Land Cruiser 200: Which trim level depreciates the fastest?
Known as the Master of Africa, the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 is a sought-after machine. Years of development have made it luxurious, tough, and reliable and the desire of many. They are known to hold their values well but which is more attainable?
In this article, we are focusing on which trim level in the seven-seater Cruiser depreciates the least. Before we can get onto the analysis of the over 100 Land Cruiser 200 models listed on AutoTrader, we must have a look at the various models offered by Toyota throughout the years. The models seen since the Cruiser’s introduction include the VX, GX, VX-R and GX-R.
The Land Cruiser 200 has been the envy of many Toyota Prado and Fortuner owners for well over a decade now as it continues its reign at the very top of Toyota South Africa’s SUV line-up. The J200 generation Cruiser has been on sale in South Africa since 2007 and in that time the car has evolved slightly but remains as popular as ever in 2020.
Petrol Power
The engine and gearbox range in the Land Cruiser 200 has remained the same albeit with the petrol version being dropped half a decade ago. The petrol engine is a naturally aspirated V8 displacing 4.7-litres and producing 202 kW and 410 N.m of torque. This motor is mated with a five-speed automatic gearbox and has proven the less popular choice when compared with the V8 diesel. Since this model has been discontinued, and the fact that only three are listed for sale, we have excluded this variant from our analysis.
Diesel grunt (the one you want)
The 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel and six-speed automatic gearbox is now the sole powertrain option within the range. Pre-2017 diesel models produce 173 kW and 615 N.m while all models from 2017 onward produce 195 kW and 650 N.m
Related: 6 extras you should retrofit on a used Land Cruiser 200
The model line-up
The GX and GX-R represent a more affordable, less generously-specified version of the 200 series, aimed at those looking for a more basic off-road machine. The VX and VX-R, on the other hand, include a variety of luxury features and are quite a bit more expensive. If we take the list price of a GX-R and a VX-R, at the time of writing, the former is R423 900 cheaper than the VX-R flagship.
Comparing the various models
Of all of the examples listed on AutoTrader, the most ubiquitous, not surprisingly is the VX, with some 54 examples available ranging from 2008 to 2017 as the VX was the only trim model available until the GX was introduced in 2016. The more entry-level GX models are rarer, with just 5 listed. In 2018, the GX was replaced with the GX-R of which there are 7 used examples for sale. In 2017, the VX model was replaced by the VX-R, which is the second most popular model listed for sale with 35 examples.
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Holding their value
In 2007, a brand new turbodiesel Land Cruiser VX retailed for R770 000. When looking at 2008, 2009 and 2010 examples listed for sale, the prices range from R400 000 to R500 000, with the lowest mileage coming in at 170 000 km. This means that even the cheapest Land Cruiser VX from the first few years hasn’t even lost 50% of its value yet, despite an average mileage of over 200 000km.
Looking at VX models from 2013 to 2015, the prices range from R570 000 to R900 000, again representing far less than a 50% depreciation when we look at the 2015 list price of R1 141 700 which would have been lower in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Models priced from R700 000 have far lower mileage than the Cruisers priced between R570 000 and R700 000.
The GX models, despite only being available for a brief two-year period, appear to be holding their value well. There are only 5 listed for sale and their pricing ranges from R700 000 to R829 000. With a new list price of R850 000 back in 2016, these appear to be holding a large portion of their value.
The latest models
The GX-R replaced the GX in 2018 and came in at R1 021 900 versus its current list price of R1 086 200. The seven examples listed on the AutoTrader website range from R821 000 to R1 129 995 for a used example. Interestingly, a used example was listed for more than a new version. There were two new GX-R models listed below retail at R1 030 000 and R1 042 000. This means that the most affordable 2016 GX-R land Cruiser has still retained more than 80% of its value.
The flagship Toyota land Cruiser
Then we get to the current range flagship where new VX-R models have ranged in price from R1 345 000 in 2017 to R1 510 100 in 2020. Looking at the 35 examples listed on the AutoTrader website, we have pricing that ranges from R1 019 000 to R1 510 100 for used examples. The discrepancy between 2018 and 2020 models in terms of pricing is bigger than that seen in the more basic GX and GX-R models.
Related: Top 3 things you need to know about the Toyota Land Cruiser 200
Verdict
Having looked at the four Land Cruiser 200 series models for sale on the AutoTrader website, we have to surmise that the GX and GX-R models lose the least value when looking at their average used list price versus their approximate new price. The fact that the VX and VX-R models have been around longer and, on average, have higher mileage must also be considered. Overall, the Toyota Land Cruiser 200 is one of the more sound automotive buys available when we look at how well they appear to hold their value.
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