Toyota modified the Land Cruiser to suit commercial purposes in the United Kingdom. The Land Cruiser Commercial is equipped with a powerful diesel engine and permanent four-wheel drive, but it also features steel panels over the back windows and no rear seats. Unfortunately, only the United Kingdom will be able to buy this rational Land Cruiser. The most recent Land Cruiser offered in the United States is identical to the smaller Land Cruiser Prado sold elsewhere, with a more rugged and practical demeanor. In contrast, the preceding generation of Land Cruisers sold in the United States were high-end off-road vehicles. Toyota is expanding its capability-first strategy in the UK with the introduction of a new, stripped-down Land Cruiser Commercial model that restores the SUV to its working roots. Although the Land Cruiser Commercial appears almost identical to the passenger-carrying type, the steel plates in place of the rear windows indicate the SUV’s functional use. According to Toyota, the intended market for this Land Cruiser vehicle is personnel who need to go off the beaten path but do not require the open-bed capabilities of the Hilux pickup. Toyota eliminates the back seats and replaces them with a full-height aluminum bulkhead with a mesh panel on top. Behind this barrier lies a sturdy load tray, and the Land Cruiser Commercial boasts a cargo capacity of 71 cubic feet. The Land Cruiser is substantially more capable of traversing difficult terrain, but it still has far less space than a business van, such as Toyota’s small Proace City in Europe. In addition, the Land Cruiser is capable of towing over 7,500 pounds. Toyota kept the industrial vehicle looking more appealing with grey 18-inch alloy wheels, but the Land Cruiser would have looked great with steelies. Despite being a workhorse, the Land Cruiser Commercial includes many of the same safety and comfort features as normal LCs.The SUV’s Toyota Safety Sense package includes a power-adjustable driver’s seat, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, automatic dual-zone climate control, blind-spot monitors, and front and rear parking sensors. The steering wheel and seats are heated, and the rear hatch operates with a motorized system. This is a lot of content for a labor vehicle. The dashboard features a nine-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. The car is powered by a 2.8-liter four-cylinder diesel engine, which is not available in the US. It is equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission and permanent four-wheel drive. The Land Cruiser is equipped with Crawl Control, Hill-Start Assist Control, and Downhill Assist Control to help tackle challenging terrain. Toyota said the diesel engine in the European-spec Land Cruiser, including the commercial variant, will eventually be equipped with a 48-volt hybrid system. The Land Cruiser Commercial, currently available exclusively in the United Kingdom, is a single-door, long-wheelbase model adapted at Toyota’s Burnaston assembly plant in Derbyshire, England. The Land Cruiser Commercial will be available in the UK this fall. While the new Land Cruiser offered here is more practical than its predecessor, we still favor a more straightforward SUV like the Land Cruiser Commercial. Unfortunately, we suspect we will never see anything like it in the United States.
