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Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial - 1 month review
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<blockquote data-quote="BenB" data-source="post: 6937566" data-attributes="member: 1129"><p><strong><span style="font-size: 22px"><u>Update – Land Cruiser Utility Commercial 1 year Review!</u></span></strong></p><p></p><p>Sorry folks, I’m a bit late with the 1 year update on the Land Cruiser, although with the agronomy season in full swing I’ve been struggling to find the time to this! Who’d have thought that a year ago I’d be writing this during the middle of a lockdown due to global pandemic….</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]878898[/ATTACH]</p><p><em>Overlooking the Candover valley, Hampshire</em></p><p></p><p>Let’s get to it then. I absolutely love it. Although not in a ‘wash and polish every weekend and obsess over every scratch and stonechip’ sort of way, but more that it just gets on with what I ask of it with minimal fuss. I don’t get upset when I have to drive half into the hedge meeting a tractor down a country lane and scratch the sides. I didn’t even get upset when a pheasant flew out in front of me and put a large hole in the plastic Toyota badge (big pheasant). I did get a bit upset when a lorry reversed into it when it was parked up, but the insurance sorted that one out!</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]878886[/ATTACH]</p><p><em>Lorry reversing round a blind corner in a yard opened the bonnet up like a baked bean can.</em></p><p></p><p>I have now covered over 30,000 miles, now at an average fuel economy of 32.5mpg. It was quite a bit higher, I was hovering around 34-35mpg for a long time, but then I changed to some slightly more knobbly tyres and the efficiency took a hit. Not a fault with the truck as such, but the factory Bridgestone Duelers were absolutely appalling. Great on road, but I picked up 3 punctures in 20,000 miles and they just weren’t designed for farm tracks, flints, etc. Changed to Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S, which so far have been good.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]878877[/ATTACH]</p><p><em>Swapped the factory Dueler highway tyres for something more appropriate... </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>[ATTACH=full]878884[/ATTACH]</em></p><p><em>...but fuel economy taken a bit of a hit. At least diesel is cheap at the moment!</em></p><p></p><p>I have had the Land Cruiser serviced twice now at Toyota Swindon, which has been a pretty good experience. One minor and one major service, the next minor service was due at 30k miles which unfortunately coincided with the lockdown and the dealership said they weren’t doing any non-essential work, so hopefully I can get that caught up soon. I am planning on keeping this vehicle a long time so want to make sure service internals are stuck to. I know I could take it somewhere else and make sure they use genuine oils, etc. but I’m keen to keep all Toyota service stamps in the book until the warranty is up – give them less opportunity to wriggle out of something in the future?</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]878895[/ATTACH]</p><p><em>The courtesy Toyota super-mini whilst getting a service was surprisingly good off-road...why did I bother getting a Land Cruiser?!</em></p><p></p><p>Nothing major (or minor, for that matter) has gone wrong yet (now just jinxed it!), so reliability good so far. Couple of niggly things, after one of my punctures I put the spare wheel on, which doesn’t have a tyre pressure monitoring sensor on it, so the TPMS system shows a fault and won’t let me clear it – seems ridiculous that a dealer has to reset this. Also went through the battery in the ‘main’ key fob quite quickly, this is my first vehicle with keyless entry/push start so perhaps it just uses more power doing all this? I’m used to car key batteries lasting a few years! Again it says ‘Key battery low, visit your dealer’ – SERIOUSLY?!</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]878883[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>The 2.8 Diesel is plenty adequate enough for me, I don’t do any towing. With the short wheelbase and being relatively light (as a stripped-out commercial) it is surprisingly ‘fun’ to drive for what it is! I find the ride extremely comfortable, I like the way the suspension and big tyres give plenty of cushioning down poor road surfaces. The seats are spot on, no complaints – given my mileage I would be complaining if they weren’t OK.</p><p></p><p>As lovely as the soft velour seats were, wanted to keep them protected so invested in some Escape Gear fitted cotton canvas seat covers, they weren’t cheap but I have regretted the cheaper ‘universal’ seat covers in the past. They were a pig to fit the first time, I was expecting to be taking them off to wash quite a bit, but I just wipe them down with a damp cloth and they come up really well. Good investment.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]878882[/ATTACH]</p><p><em>Escape Gear seat covers are excellent. The mud just wipes right off with a damp cloth.</em></p><p></p><p>The manual gearbox is fine, would prefer an auto, which you can now get but I think you have to ‘up’ spec to an Active instead of the Utility which I have. I’ve used the Low Range and Diff Lock a few times in anger (Cereals 2019 car park, anyone?!), I’ve not got stuck yet! I love having full time 4WD, it just grips and grips. I could happily do with another 0.5-1” of ground clearance – fine 95% of the time but do scrape the belly on some heavily rutted tracks I drive.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]878892[/ATTACH]</p><p><em>I bought a snow-foam attachment for the pressure washer, which is rather good fun (and helps with the cleaning).</em></p><p></p><p>It’s generally nice and quiet in the cabin when cruising, as expected from this kind of vehicle its mostly diesel grumble, wind and tyre noise, but nothing offensive.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]878881[/ATTACH]</p><p><em>WeatherTech floor mats have been another good investment, providing more protection than the standard rubber mats.</em></p><p></p><p>One annoyance does come from the automatic headlights. The sensor on the dash is extremely sensitive, to the point that driving along a B-road on a sunny day, the lights are constantly flicking on and off as you go through sun/shade! I sometimes wonder if people think I’m flashing my lights at them!</p><p></p><p>I love that the radio is ‘normal’, not a touch screen, I use my phone for Google Maps so have no need for another screen for the radio, etc. I just find them distracting and difficult to use by touch/whilst driving. Bluetooth works as it should do, no drama. Very important, the sound system/speakers are good/fine, nothing spectacular, may consider upgrading in the future.</p><p></p><p>There is no backup camera or reversing sensors on this spec. Took a while to get used to this again as my previous car had rear sensors and you come to rely on them heavily. However, I’ve gotten used to actually reversing ‘properly’ again (i.e. by looking out the window or opening the door Defender 90 style). The blanked our rear quarter windows obviously massively reduce visibility, got to be careful at tight junctions, car parks etc. Again I’m used to this now but again would consider fitting rear sensors and/or a backup camera.</p><p></p><p>I see the Land Cruiser Commercials now have tinted rear windows rather than the body coloured vinyl sticker to blank them out – another possible to do, is to get the vinyl taken off and replaced with a very dark tint (as long as its still legal as a commercial?).</p><p></p><p>Right onto the boot/back, which is generally the point of the commercial. I’m sorry to say that I’m still not really using it to its full potential. The spare wheel takes up a fair bit of space, then by the time I have a couple of boxes and boots etc, I’ve taken up the available floor space. I do have a grand plan for the back, I did get a company to quote to make a set of drawers to fit in the back (CAB Transit Boxes), it wasn’t silly money I just haven’t got round to it yet. I would like some sort of proper/secure mounting point for the spare wheel perhaps with some additional racking/storage above a set of drawers. I’ll figure something out eventually!</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]878879[/ATTACH]</p><p><em>I'll figure something better out.....eventually......<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite59" alt=":facepalm:" title="Facepalm :facepalm:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":facepalm:" /></em></p><p></p><p>There is a ton of between the back of the seats and the bulkhead. Unfortunately I just shove jackets/fleeces/folders/water bottles/etc down there and it has turned into a mess. Again, some sort of storage, even just some ply dividers, would probably be the way to go. I’ve debated taking the entire bulkhead out (not a difficult job)…..another option to think about!</p><p></p><p>Very importantly, the Land Cruiser appears to have gone down pretty well on-farm with my clients, many of whom have said they’ll be interested to see how I get on with it. On the whole, I am delighted with it, sure there’s a few things I would like to change but overall it is a no-fuss, practical vehicle ideally suited to both comfortable on-road driving and more than capable off-road, or at least for me out and about on farm.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]878887[/ATTACH]</p><p><em>I know what you're going to say......I've heard it before....a million times......don't even bother!</em></p><p></p><p>Let’s hope the next 30,000 miles are just as hassle free (with no more punctures!).</p><p></p><p>Any specific questions please feel free to ask.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]878899[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>[USER=27]@Rob Holmes[/USER] Rob, please could you update my first post of the thread with a link/clicky somewhere to this post? Thanks!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BenB, post: 6937566, member: 1129"] [B][SIZE=6][U]Update – Land Cruiser Utility Commercial 1 year Review![/U][/SIZE][/B] Sorry folks, I’m a bit late with the 1 year update on the Land Cruiser, although with the agronomy season in full swing I’ve been struggling to find the time to this! Who’d have thought that a year ago I’d be writing this during the middle of a lockdown due to global pandemic…. [ATTACH type="full" alt="IMG_4147.JPG"]878898[/ATTACH] [I]Overlooking the Candover valley, Hampshire[/I] Let’s get to it then. I absolutely love it. Although not in a ‘wash and polish every weekend and obsess over every scratch and stonechip’ sort of way, but more that it just gets on with what I ask of it with minimal fuss. I don’t get upset when I have to drive half into the hedge meeting a tractor down a country lane and scratch the sides. I didn’t even get upset when a pheasant flew out in front of me and put a large hole in the plastic Toyota badge (big pheasant). I did get a bit upset when a lorry reversed into it when it was parked up, but the insurance sorted that one out! [ATTACH type="full" width="545px" alt="IMG_2665.JPG"]878886[/ATTACH] [I]Lorry reversing round a blind corner in a yard opened the bonnet up like a baked bean can.[/I] I have now covered over 30,000 miles, now at an average fuel economy of 32.5mpg. It was quite a bit higher, I was hovering around 34-35mpg for a long time, but then I changed to some slightly more knobbly tyres and the efficiency took a hit. Not a fault with the truck as such, but the factory Bridgestone Duelers were absolutely appalling. Great on road, but I picked up 3 punctures in 20,000 miles and they just weren’t designed for farm tracks, flints, etc. Changed to Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S, which so far have been good. [ATTACH type="full" width="545px" alt="IMG_3361.JPG"]878877[/ATTACH] [I]Swapped the factory Dueler highway tyres for something more appropriate... [ATTACH type="full" width="545px" alt="IMG_4092.JPG"]878884[/ATTACH] ...but fuel economy taken a bit of a hit. At least diesel is cheap at the moment![/I] I have had the Land Cruiser serviced twice now at Toyota Swindon, which has been a pretty good experience. One minor and one major service, the next minor service was due at 30k miles which unfortunately coincided with the lockdown and the dealership said they weren’t doing any non-essential work, so hopefully I can get that caught up soon. I am planning on keeping this vehicle a long time so want to make sure service internals are stuck to. I know I could take it somewhere else and make sure they use genuine oils, etc. but I’m keen to keep all Toyota service stamps in the book until the warranty is up – give them less opportunity to wriggle out of something in the future? [ATTACH type="full" width="546px" alt="IMG_3070.JPG"]878895[/ATTACH] [I]The courtesy Toyota super-mini whilst getting a service was surprisingly good off-road...why did I bother getting a Land Cruiser?![/I] Nothing major (or minor, for that matter) has gone wrong yet (now just jinxed it!), so reliability good so far. Couple of niggly things, after one of my punctures I put the spare wheel on, which doesn’t have a tyre pressure monitoring sensor on it, so the TPMS system shows a fault and won’t let me clear it – seems ridiculous that a dealer has to reset this. Also went through the battery in the ‘main’ key fob quite quickly, this is my first vehicle with keyless entry/push start so perhaps it just uses more power doing all this? I’m used to car key batteries lasting a few years! Again it says ‘Key battery low, visit your dealer’ – SERIOUSLY?! [ATTACH type="full" width="545px" alt="IMG_4094.JPG"]878883[/ATTACH] The 2.8 Diesel is plenty adequate enough for me, I don’t do any towing. With the short wheelbase and being relatively light (as a stripped-out commercial) it is surprisingly ‘fun’ to drive for what it is! I find the ride extremely comfortable, I like the way the suspension and big tyres give plenty of cushioning down poor road surfaces. The seats are spot on, no complaints – given my mileage I would be complaining if they weren’t OK. As lovely as the soft velour seats were, wanted to keep them protected so invested in some Escape Gear fitted cotton canvas seat covers, they weren’t cheap but I have regretted the cheaper ‘universal’ seat covers in the past. They were a pig to fit the first time, I was expecting to be taking them off to wash quite a bit, but I just wipe them down with a damp cloth and they come up really well. Good investment. [ATTACH type="full" width="545px" alt="IMG_4095.JPG"]878882[/ATTACH] [I]Escape Gear seat covers are excellent. The mud just wipes right off with a damp cloth.[/I] The manual gearbox is fine, would prefer an auto, which you can now get but I think you have to ‘up’ spec to an Active instead of the Utility which I have. I’ve used the Low Range and Diff Lock a few times in anger (Cereals 2019 car park, anyone?!), I’ve not got stuck yet! I love having full time 4WD, it just grips and grips. I could happily do with another 0.5-1” of ground clearance – fine 95% of the time but do scrape the belly on some heavily rutted tracks I drive. [ATTACH type="full" width="545px" alt="IMG_3784.JPG"]878892[/ATTACH] [I]I bought a snow-foam attachment for the pressure washer, which is rather good fun (and helps with the cleaning).[/I] It’s generally nice and quiet in the cabin when cruising, as expected from this kind of vehicle its mostly diesel grumble, wind and tyre noise, but nothing offensive. [ATTACH type="full" width="546px" alt="IMG_4096.JPG"]878881[/ATTACH] [I]WeatherTech floor mats have been another good investment, providing more protection than the standard rubber mats.[/I] One annoyance does come from the automatic headlights. The sensor on the dash is extremely sensitive, to the point that driving along a B-road on a sunny day, the lights are constantly flicking on and off as you go through sun/shade! I sometimes wonder if people think I’m flashing my lights at them! I love that the radio is ‘normal’, not a touch screen, I use my phone for Google Maps so have no need for another screen for the radio, etc. I just find them distracting and difficult to use by touch/whilst driving. Bluetooth works as it should do, no drama. Very important, the sound system/speakers are good/fine, nothing spectacular, may consider upgrading in the future. There is no backup camera or reversing sensors on this spec. Took a while to get used to this again as my previous car had rear sensors and you come to rely on them heavily. However, I’ve gotten used to actually reversing ‘properly’ again (i.e. by looking out the window or opening the door Defender 90 style). The blanked our rear quarter windows obviously massively reduce visibility, got to be careful at tight junctions, car parks etc. Again I’m used to this now but again would consider fitting rear sensors and/or a backup camera. I see the Land Cruiser Commercials now have tinted rear windows rather than the body coloured vinyl sticker to blank them out – another possible to do, is to get the vinyl taken off and replaced with a very dark tint (as long as its still legal as a commercial?). Right onto the boot/back, which is generally the point of the commercial. I’m sorry to say that I’m still not really using it to its full potential. The spare wheel takes up a fair bit of space, then by the time I have a couple of boxes and boots etc, I’ve taken up the available floor space. I do have a grand plan for the back, I did get a company to quote to make a set of drawers to fit in the back (CAB Transit Boxes), it wasn’t silly money I just haven’t got round to it yet. I would like some sort of proper/secure mounting point for the spare wheel perhaps with some additional racking/storage above a set of drawers. I’ll figure something out eventually! [ATTACH type="full" width="546px" alt="IMG_4099.JPG"]878879[/ATTACH] [I]I'll figure something better out.....eventually......:facepalm:[/I] There is a ton of between the back of the seats and the bulkhead. Unfortunately I just shove jackets/fleeces/folders/water bottles/etc down there and it has turned into a mess. Again, some sort of storage, even just some ply dividers, would probably be the way to go. I’ve debated taking the entire bulkhead out (not a difficult job)…..another option to think about! Very importantly, the Land Cruiser appears to have gone down pretty well on-farm with my clients, many of whom have said they’ll be interested to see how I get on with it. On the whole, I am delighted with it, sure there’s a few things I would like to change but overall it is a no-fuss, practical vehicle ideally suited to both comfortable on-road driving and more than capable off-road, or at least for me out and about on farm. [ATTACH type="full" width="544px" alt="IMG_1465.JPG"]878887[/ATTACH] [I]I know what you're going to say......I've heard it before....a million times......don't even bother![/I] Let’s hope the next 30,000 miles are just as hassle free (with no more punctures!). Any specific questions please feel free to ask. [ATTACH type="full" alt="IMG_1496.JPG"]878899[/ATTACH] [USER=27]@Rob Holmes[/USER] Rob, please could you update my first post of the thread with a link/clicky somewhere to this post? Thanks! [/QUOTE]
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Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial - 1 month review
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