Stylistic nods to the past don’t detract from the new Toyota Land Cruiser’s impressive abilities

Not many cars can simultaneously claim to be a mainstay of global humanitarian aid and also have wars named after them. Welcome to the world of the Toyota Land Cruiser, the off-roader that’s more rugged than any Land Rover, can beat a Jeep across all terrain and has a heritage to match. Like Land Rover, the Land Cruiser’s origin story is aligned closely with military vehicle design; Toyota’s first venture into the field was with a licensed version of the original Willys Jeep.

Throughout the 50s the company evolved the original American design, making it more refined and flexible, without losing any of the off-road capability. In 1954, the ‘Land Cruiser’ name appeared for the first time, a deliberate attempt to create a more ‘dignified’ contender to the UK’s Land Rover.

Over the subsequent decades Toyota produced innumerable variants and versions of the Land Cruiser. The earliest models are collectible classics, with companies like Icon 4x4 offering heavily restored and reworked versions. Whilst the military connection is no longer especially marketable, Land Cruisers have found favour with agencies like the UN and NGOs around the world. That war? The Great Toyota War happened at the tail-end of Chadian-Libyan War in 1987, so named for both sides’ reliance on modified Toyota Hilux and Land Cruisers as battle vehicles.

We’ve recently spent some time in the J250 model, also known as the Land Cruiser Prado in some markets, which is produced alongside the larger and slightly less tech-heavy J300 model. Experts in the marque point to the fact that the Land Cruiser name currently adorns three different model lines, Station Wagon, Heavy-duty and Light-duty. Despite its physical scale, the J250 is rated as ‘Light-duty’, but it’s still a hugely capable and appealing machine.

First up, once you’ve hauled yourself up into the cabin (a handy step-plate is provided), is the now unfamiliar but strangely comforting sound of diesel combustion. A 2.8-litre engine putting out just over 200hp drives all four wheels, with a plethora of low gear ratio and special off-road modes to assist when the going gets rough. The engine itself is far from smooth, especially in this era of hybrids and EVs, but it certainly conveys the car’s purposefulness, with massive amounts of torque surging through the pedal giving one confidence in any situation.

Seven decades on, the Land Cruiser still finds itself in close competition with the Land Rover Defender, despite the latter comprehensively outgunning it in terms of power, luxury and sales volumes. But while the Defender is now more overtly lifestyle-focused than it ever has been, the LC carries a bit more credibility.

Partly that’s due to the longevity of the model cycle and Toyota’s traditional disdain for style over substance. The previous generation Land Cruiser was not an attractive machine, but aesthetics are absolutely besides the point when it comes to getting out of a muddy riverbed or crossing thousands of kilometres of desert.

The new car is a little different. Mindful of the ever-growing cult of the early models, Toyota has taken the unusual step of offering two kinds of front-end styling for the new car; round headlights, or rectangular. The former provides a direct visual link to the Land Cruisers of old and form the basis of the limited number of First Edition cars. The rectangular units are less friendly-looking and convey a certain humourless intent.

The rest of the LC is self-consciously rugged, with squared off edges, chamfered surfaces and unusual elements like the body-coloured bumper panels beneath the headlights. There’s a faint suspicion amongst purists that the toughness of the newest Land Cruiser is compromised and perhaps that’s true when compared to the Land Cruiser 70 Series, still in production for certain markets despite being introduced in 1984.

It’s an easy car to drive, despite its bulk, with excellent forward visibility thanks to the height. The innate sense of impregnability that comes with a large SUV is also undeniable; a pleasure to experience, but not such a nice thing to inflict on others. Whilst the LC was never going to be quick or dynamically appealing car, it has a smooth and relaxed manner on the highway and enough shove to make joining junctions easy and not intimidating.

Accusations of going soft might be linked to the high specification levels, with plush leather upholstery, JBL stereo system, huge sunroof and dual-zone air con. Yes, there’s a 12.3in touchscreen, digital dials and a head-up display, but very sensibly, all the primary controls are buttons and dials with not a capacitive switch in sight.

Like all big 4x4s, the LC is profoundly unsuited to city life and being big, heavy and purely ICE powered, it’s not exactly cheap to run. But if you’re hauling horses or boats or regularly contend with rutted tracks and icy slopes, the Land Cruiser promises ability and reliability in equal measure, and that’s worth surely worth more in the long run.

Toyota Land Cruiser, from £77,845, Toyota.co.uk