You might recognize the face of the 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser from yesterday, when we saw the exact same front bumper bow on the Japanese model. In addition to the facelift, the American version also has a new transmission and a whole lotta off-road toys.
The U.S. Land Cruiser is still powered by Toyota’s prolific 5.7-liter V8, with 381 horsepower and a healthy 401 lb-ft of torque. That’s ditching the old six-speed in favor of an eight-speed automatic which Toyota promises will improve acceleration and fuel economy.
The 2015 truck was EPA rated to 13 MPG city, 18 highway and 15 combined, but the new one’s rated to... 13 city, 18 highway, 15 combined. Well, maybe real world results will be better. And there’s still all that acceleration to look forward to!
The Land Cruiser’s infotainment software is also being upgraded, and is supposed to link up with your iPhone and Siri a lot more easily now. A new suite of safety features like pedestrian warning, lane keeping, collision avoidance will be standard to help us focus on what matters most; picking the right emoji before that traffic light turns green.
But the truck’s off-road tech sounds a whole lot cooler. Here’s a breakdown of everything the Land Cruiser has... it’s a long list:
Full-time 4WD with a two-speed transfer case (low range), as you probably knew.
TORSEN limited-slip locking center differential: distributes torque 40:60 front:rear, and directing power to wheels with grip.
Active Traction control (A-TRAC): uses throttle and brakes to manage wheel spin.
Vehicle Stability Control (VSC): maintains directional control during cornering.
CRAWL Control: regulates engine speed and power output along with braking force to drive in one of five “driver-selectable low-speed settings.” It’s basically off-road cruise control, turn it on and all you do is steer.
Downhill Assist Control (DAC): Helps low-range descents even further by acting maintaining speed on steep drops.
Hill-start Assist Control (HAC): Obviously, gives you a little extra juice going uphill.
Multi-Terrain Select system: allows driver to match wheel slip control to driving conditions. As Toyota explains in the press release:
Multi-terrain Select allows more-than-normal wheel slip in loose terrain, such as mud and sand, to help the Land Cruiser keep moving without digging itself in. The Mogul setting is effective for traversing extremely uneven terrain, such as V-ditches, slopes, and ridges; wheel slip is minimized and the system acts more like a limited slip differential.
Multi-Terrain Monitor: a set of cameras that beam a “near” 360º view of the truck to the infotainment screen, including a “five-second front undercarriage projected path video playback.” That sounds pretty amazing.
And finally; Off-Road Turn Assist: literally tightens the Land Cruiser’s turning radius “by applying slight brake pressure to the inside rear wheel, creating a pivot effect.” Clever.
All those features and not a single option on this tank. But seriously, the only thing you get to choose when you buy a Land Cruiser is what color it is. They don’t even have gold badging anymore!
That long list of toys, plus a soft-looking leather interior, is why this vehicle costs $80,000 I guess. Whether or not it’s actually worth that much, well, I guess you’ll have to look at what they sell for used to find out. Or test drive one.
If those surfaces are as nice to touch as they look in this photo, the Land Cruiser might actually be worth Range Rover money after all.
Andrew P. Collins is Jalopnik’s off-road and adventure guy. Shoot him an email at andrew@jalopnik.com or hit him up on Twitter @andr3wcollins to talk trucks.