Toyota Land Cruiser to be Discontinued

mmcartalk

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Hope this isn't a repost...I didn't see one.

Anyhow, I don't necessarily agree with the author's reasoning here, but it seems that the long-running Land Cruiser may, after many years, be put out to pasture in another year or two. I agree with him that is is overpriced, but Toyota could address that, if they want, by simply keeping the same tough durable frame/platform and decontenting it somewhat, lowering the price as a result....not everyone may want or need all those standard features.


Toyota Is Canceling The Land Cruiser In 2022 And It's About Time


Bryan Campbell
Bryan Campbell
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Cars & Bikes
2020, Toyota, Land Cruiser, Heritage Edition, SUV


The 2020 Land Cruiser Heritage Edition may be the last we see of Toyota's longest-lasting model name.


TOYOTA
It’s no secret the current generation Toyota Land Cruiser, which has been in production since 2007 and only received a mild refresh in 2016, is an outdated piece of machinery. At $85,000, it’s arguably overpriced as well. And, as of 2022, the Land Cruiser will be “exiting the market,” according to Jonny Lieberman at MotorTrend. And you know what? It’s about time.
Before the pitchforks are sharpened and the torches get lit, I want to make it very clear the J200 Series Land Cruiser is still a capable off-roader despite being a decade old. It does everything you ask of it fairly well, including hauling your family during the week and all your gear and off-road toys on the weekend. But when Toyota still insists on charging nearly $90,000 dollars for a ten-year-old SUV and sales don’t justify its existence, it should be no surprise the Land Cruiser is getting the ax. It also doesn’t help every J200 comes fully-loaded from the factory and you can find low-mileage examples from 2018 going for $10,000-$20,000 cheaper.

If the second hand market isn’t enough, internal competition from the 4Runner and Sequoia effectively make the Land Cruiser a completely obsolete SUV. That’s because if you want an SUV from Toyota for camping and trail riding, the community favorite is undoubtedly the 4Runner. If you’re looking for luxurious SUV from Toyota but don’t want to spring for a Lexus, the top trim Sequoia has you covered. In reality, the off-roading and luxury communities rarely intersect, making the modern Land Cruiser uselessly over engineered and designed.

Off-roading is all about affordability. Why? Because damage and dirt are inevitable and cleaning plush leather seats and carpets and paying thousands of dollars for a new paint job every weekend is insane. Take a walk around any overlanding or off-road get-together and you’ll be hard-pressed to find any attendees showing off their brand-new Land Cruisers. Sure, the J200 Land Cruiser is more than capable off-road, but so is the 4Runner TRD. And the $40,000 you save with the 4Runner goes a long way in upgrades to make it even more of a formidable adventure vehicle.

On the other hand, the car shopper looking for a luxury SUV from Toyota, who doesn’t want to shell out for a Lexus, probably isn’t worried about off-road handling, which is where the Sequoia comes in. The more suburban SUV sports the same V8 engine as the Land Cruiser, carries groceries just as well and comes with a nearly identical high-quality interior, all for about $20,000 less. However, as mentioned above, if you’re really still adamant about getting a J200 for its luxury and nameplate, and are on a Sequoia-budget, the used market is the place to look.

When people hear “the Land Cruiser is canceled,” there will be an uproar, but not over the J200. The backlash will be fueled by nostalgia for the iconic FJ40. The classic Land Cruisers are the models everyone lovingly associates with Toyota’s longest lasting nameplate, charmingly bare-bones amenities, and brutish off-road capability. The J200 is not that. Should the Land Cruiser name disappear? Of course not. It deserves to live on just as much as any other car with such a rich history, but not purely for name sake. If Toyota were to bring the Land Cruiser back to its roots and focused less on moving up market, stepping on toes at Lexus, I’d be all for it. But, until that happens and Toyota realizes the error of its ways, the Land Cruiser needs to be put to rest.
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mmcartalk

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Hate to be a buzzkill but yes its being covered in the thread already: 300-Series Land Cruiser (Next LX)

Thanks. The Land Cruiser never was a big seller in the U.S. anyway. It was more suitable for Third World conditions. Personally, I think it would've done better had Toyota decontented it a little (while keeping the tough and durable frame/platform) and lowered the price.
 
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Thanks. The Land Cruiser never was a big seller in the U.S. anyway. It was more suitable for Third World conditions. Personally, I think it would've done better had Toyota decontented it a little (while keeping the tough and durable frame/platform) and lowered the price.
Absolutely, the LC is usually spartan, but Toyota USA sells it fully equipped, and obviously priced too close to the LX.
 

Ian Schmidt

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I think the US market expects trucks in that class to be fully equipped, because of the Land Rovers and the Escalade. I could be wrong and there could be a market for a decontented LC, but IMO people who want off-road cred in the US will just buy and mod a Wrangler.
 
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I think the US market expects trucks in that class to be fully equipped, because of the Land Rovers and the Escalade. I could be wrong and there could be a market for a decontented LC, but IMO people who want off-road cred in the US will just buy and mod a Wrangler.
Tacomas and 4Runners fill that void for Toyota
 

mikeavelli

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"its about time" that author can go f himself.... the hell is wrong with some of these journalists? Why would anyone want the LC to die?

Edit- just read it, he must think everyone eats Vanilla ice cream.
 

mmcartalk

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"its about time" that author can go f himself.... the hell is wrong with some of these journalists? Why would anyone want the LC to die?


That's one reason why, at the beginning of the post, I myself mentioned that I did not particularly agree with his reasoning.

I personally think the LC would have done better if it had been decontented (while keeping the tough frame and underpinnings) and the price dropped. It simply costs too much...although one can probably say the same for the Range Rover, which does sell.
 

mmcartalk

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I think the US market expects trucks in that class to be fully equipped, because of the Land Rovers and the Escalade. I could be wrong and there could be a market for a decontented LC, but IMO people who want off-road cred in the US will just buy and mod a Wrangler.

True, but even a decontented LC would probably sell for substantially more than even a top-line, loaded Wrangler. You would still probably be looking at two different buyer-groups.
 
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"its about time" that author can go f himself.... the hell is wrong with some of these journalists? Why would anyone want the LC to die?

Edit- just read it, he must think everyone eats Vanilla ice cream.
That article came out real quick after Jonny had posted. He isn't even a car journo (Forbes really?), and even Jalopnik would ever say that about the LC.
Ideally a new FJ would too.
The FJ came out at the wrong time, but right now Toyota is missing out since these things would be selling well. The 4Runners sales have gotten better since it was refreshed heavily in 2014. Not coming out with a replacement was short-sighted.
True, but even a discontented LC would probably sell for substantially more than even a top-line, loaded Wrangler. You would still probably be looking at two different buyer-groups.
IDK if a discontented LC would sell more than Jeep, but there would be a market for LCs priced around $50K, especially when ATPs for Wranglers are close to that since off road enthusiasts love them, just as much as LC owners theirs as well.
 

mmcartalk

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Absolutely, but they'd be selling tons of them right now if it hadn't been discontinued.

From what I remember, after the initial hype, the FJ did not achieve the 4Runner's level of popularity when it was in production. One problem it had was poor visibility out the sides from the large pillars and blanked-out areas. Another was the fact that you couldn't open or close the rear doors independently from the front.

Image result for fj cruiser
 

ssun30

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One thing I would love them to revive is the Toyota Blizzard/Daihatsu Rugger. It is basically Daihatsu's answer to the Suzuki Samurai/Jimny and the Mitsubishi Pajero Jr. but was never as popular. It is not subject to the Kei car dimension and engine limits so the design is not as compromised (the Jimny is nowhere near as capable as many people think). The LWB version has enough space to be popular in the rest of the world, unlike the Jimny that really doesn't work in most markets.

A modern version would be about the same size as the FT-4X which is perfect for a small off-roader. And it has enough space to house the GD turbodiesel engines from the Hilux: the 2.8L has over three times the torque of the puny 1.5L petrol on the Jimny and even a detuned 2.4L would be more than twice as capable. The Dynamic Force petrol engines (2.0 or 2.5) will also be very nice for such a SUV. But alas they decided to make the FT-4X on the transverse GA-C platform. I hope it works well, but it certainly isn't a worthy FJ successor.
 
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