Talk about wander lusting in style – the 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser knows how to mix luxury with adventure. Jeeps aren’t the only vehicles that are capable of hopping off the blacktop and onto some rougher terrain. If you want to drive something that looks fly in the streets yet stays sturdy amongst the trees, then the Toyota Land Cruiser is worth looking into.
The 2021 model is jam-packed with off-roading assets, top of the line safety features, and an attractive aesthetic. Its 5.7-liter V8 engine paired with its 8-speed automatic transmission make it a powerhouse for rural adventuring, yet its visual appearance makes it look lavish under the city streetlights. Not many vehicles are able to pull off both power and fashion. Let’s take a closer look at what makes the 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser so unique.
Off-Roading Capabilities
It’s hard to compete with the new Toyota Land Cruiser’s off-roading abilities. This vehicle is loaded with modern technology to help off-roaders stay safe and secure. Starting with the Multi-Terrain Monitor, Land Cruisers come with front, rear, and side camera views so that you don’t miss out on any surroundings. This is great for dodging obstacles on narrow trails or mountain roads, and it even includes an inclinometer so you can tell if you are approaching dangerous levels of tilt.
Now let’s take a look at some traction assistance features. First, we’ve got the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System with a sway bar disconnect, which holds traction when you’re riding on rough terrain. Second, we have the Torsen limited-slip center differential, which may sound like a bunch of malarky to the average reader, but it actually allows for perfect mechanical power distribution between the front and rear axles no matter how slick the surface. And when the going gets particularly rough, you can manually lock the center differential for a true 4×4 capability.
Okay, so everyone is hopping on the whole multi-terrain option bandwagon. Should we be happy about this? Absolutely! Off-roading comes in many shapes and forms, so having the choice to tailor driving to specific atmospheric situations is handy as heck. The Land Cruiser comes with the following options: Rock, Rock and Dirt, Loose Rock, Mud and Sand, and Mogul. If you’re wondering what that last one is, it basically helps when you’re on bumpy roads. That backroad to your friend’s house that always has potholes and breaks in it? That’s a great time to use your Mogul setting.
Lastly, let’s take a look at the Land Cruiser’s Crawl Control/Off-road Turn Assist feature. This allows you to put your full focus on controlling the wheel. The rest is up to your Land Cruiser. It takes over your braking and acceleration, so you’re not trying to do a billion things at once while combating rough terrain. This only works at lower speeds, though, so don’t expect CRAWL to work while you’re speeding. But you should probably steer clear from speeding on rough terrain in the first place.
Safety First!
There’s a lot to say about the Land Cruiser’s safety. Let’s start with the basic stuff first. This crossover comes with ten airbags, including Row-sensing Side Curtain Airbags. It also comes with something called Active Front Headrests, which help to prevent whiplash by positioning the headrests in a way that supports the occupant’s heads and necks. This safety feature is built to sense certain types of low-speed accidents that may lead to a nasty case of whiplash so that it can automatically deploy. Lastly, the Cruiser’s side-impact steel door beams add extra protection, reducing the impact if you get T-boned. These three safety features alone are helpful, and that’s not even the half of it.
Next, we’re going to look at Toyota’s Safety Connect. This feature alone offers multiple resources, including Emergency Roadside Assistance, Stolen Vehicle Locator, and Automatic Collision Notification. Yeah, we know what you’re thinking. Don’t most people know when they’ve been in an accident? Well, this system isn’t designed to alert you – it’s designed to alert emergency services.
Depending on how bad an accident is, anxiety or injury may confuse or incapacitate you and keep you from calling for help. Even the shock of an accident can create delirium on its own. So this cool feature is designed to sense a collision and automatically contact emergency services to get you the help you need even if you cannot call for it yourself.
The whole Stolen Vehicle Locator is nice for obvious reasons, so let’s move on. The Emergency Roadside Assistance feature comes with handy services like battery jump-starting, lockout protection, tire services, towing, winching, and even emergency fuel delivery! This certainly isn’t a reason to let your tank run low, but it’s comforting to have just in case. This is available 24/7, so if you blow a tire at 5 in the morning, don’t fret. You’re covered.
Driver’s Assistance Perks
We can’t leave the safety talk behind without addressing driver assistance assets. First off, we’ve good Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross-Traffic Alert. BSM is super helpful because it actually sends alerts to your side mirrors to let you know when it is or isn’t okay to cross lanes of traffic. Further, RCTA sends an audible heads-up when a vehicle is approaching while you are backing out of a parking space or driveway.
That’s surprisingly not everything. On top of all those cool safety features, the Land Cruiser also comes with something that Toyota calls its Star Safety System. This comes standard with the Land Cruiser and offers Vehicle Stability Control, Active Traction Control, Smart Stop Technology, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, and a Multi-Terrain 4-wheel Anti-lock Brake System. What a mouthful. It goes without saying that the Toyota Land Cruiser helps you drive on and off-road with the utmost possible protection.
Did We Forget Touch On The Whole “Riding in Style” Thing?
Now that you know you’re safe and prepared to hit the hills let’s look at the Cruiser’s aesthetic. First, we’ll look at the exterior. This crossover comes in two different editions, the standard and the Heritage Edition. The standard version is chromed out, but the Heritage Edition takes more of a subtle approach. The Heritage Edition Land Cruiser has darkened chrome assets, darkened headlight casings, and black exterior paint with an optional Blizzard Pearl shade. Its unique 18-inch Bronze alloy wheels really make it pop.
Speaking of Bronze, the Heritage Edition has a beautiful Bronze stitching that covers the black leather interior. The Standard Land Cruiser comes in either Black or Brown Leather, and both editions get four-zone climate control and heated seats. Unlike a lot of vehicles, the Land Cruiser comes with heated passenger seats too, and not just in the front either. Again, this is where that whole Luxurious Wander Lusting thing comes in.
Balancing Nature and Style
Off-roading doesn’t always have to look rugged. The Land Cruiser’s lavish looks and features show why it’s been a desired model for over 60 years. It has the capabilities of a Wrangler, with the bougie appeal of an Escalade. No wonder it’s still going strong.
Just like the Jeep, this vehicle was originally intended for military use – in fact, the original Land Cruiser was actually based on Jeeps captured by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser is the best addition yet. It’ll be hard to top this one, but they always do, so who knows what the next model has in store. In the meantime, let’s get to cruising!
