► New Toyota Land Cruiser gains a Commercial variant
► Now LWB, auto-only
► With a little sprinkle of Derbyshire magic on it
Like us, did you scoff at the price of the new Toyota Land Cruiser when it came out? Well, there’s now a way of getting into a new model without having to stump up £80,000. The unfortunate catch? You won’t get any back seats.
This new Commercial represents a big step forward over the previous Land Cruiser Utility, which was always a very bare-bones specification primarily targeting utility companies and farmers in the sticks. Though this new ‘van’ isn’t quite as salubrious as the standard car, it’s undoubtedly a plusher, but no less capable, version of this workhorse.
At a glance
Pros: Impressively tough off-road, much improved interior, big load space
Cons: Not the most well-mannered on road, unsettled ride
What’s new?
Toyota in the UK orders a batch of Land Cruiser J250s and specifies them without rear seats from the factory in Japan, before kitting them out with the ‘van’ conversion at its plant in Burnaston, just outside Derby.
Burnaston is best known for producing the Corolla, but has taken on more roles in recent years, such as refurbishing thousands of used Toyota and Lexus cars every year for resale, and it’s also the hub where every new car from the two firms comes in Britain before being sent off to dealers.
But Burnaston also modifies existing vehicles. It developed the Corolla Commercial a few years ago, and has now set about changing the Land Cruiser for a van use. The rear windows are blanked off, a plastic load liner is put down and a full-height metal bulkhead is also installed. It’s worth noting that the Commercial is only available for UK and Ireland, too.
What are the specs?
The same 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel engine as a regular Land Cruiser appears in this Commercial model, putting out 202bhp and 369lb ft of torque. Getting to 62mph will take 10.9 seconds, with a 102mph top speed.
Though it’s the same capacity engine as the previous Land Cruiser, there is a new turbo and an eight-speed automatic gearbox with two more gears than before. Permanent four-wheel-drive is, of course, present.
As for running costs, Toyota claims just 26.6mpg, though we saw 30mpg throughout our test drive until we took it off-road where it then plummeted. CO2 emissions are, however, very high at 278g/km.
It’s worth a reminder that the new Commercial is also only being sold in LWB, five-door guise, rather than the three-door SWB you could buy previously. A 48-volt mild-hybrid model will also follow in 2026 when it’s introduced to the standard car.
How does it drive?
Let’s start with where the Land Cruiser excels, and that’s away from the beaten track. I’ve driven the current generation off-road extensively already, though Toyota also had a surprisingly challenging route created around the perimeter of its factory site to put this Commercial through its paces.
The first time I do the course I have it in 4L, but for the next laps it’s left purely in its auto settings without even struggling. A rock crawl mode also works in tandem with the drive mode dial to control the speed and serves as a highly effective off-road cruise control. This slightly lower-spec version of the Land Cruiser also foregoes the regular model’s disconnecting front anti-roll bar and rear differential lock, though even without this you’d do well to ever get it stuck.
It’s back on tarmac where it begins to feel out of its depth compared to a Land Rover Discovery Commercial or Defender, though. This revised engine is a big improvement but still feels a bit agricultural and vocal next to the six-cylinders commonplace in the Landies, and in comparison with the BMW units found in the Ineos Grenadier – the only place the Ineos is at an advantage, I hasten to add. Performance isn’t quite so off the pace as the figures would have you believe, but it’s not something you’ll hurry along.
Hydraulic power steering has thankfully been binned for this new generation of Land Cruiser, and though the steering is slow it’s fine once you get used to it, and there’s a decent amount of grip even if you are driving it faster. The body-on-frame chassis means the ride can be quite unsettled on rougher roads and, especially around town, it’s here where a Defender or Discovery feels light years ahead.
Our test cars are unladen and do feel like they’d be better off for having a few hundred kilos of weight in the back as the front suspension does a much better job of dealing with imperfections than the rear. The Land Cruiser’s forward visibility is excellent, however, and blind spot monitoring alleviates the issue with the blanked-off windows. Pity that the digital rear-view mirror from the standard model isn’t fitted to the Commercial, however.
What’s it like inside?
Much like a normal Land Cruiser, unsurprisingly. The previous Utility model was quite cheap and basic inside, but this new Commercial feels 95% as good as the new standard version. There are a few blanked-off buttons here and there, but the differences are minimal.
You get a slightly smaller touchscreen than the regular Land Cruiser, but it’s still easy enough to use and does everything you need, and we rate it for having plenty of physical buttons to press. The switchgear all feels solid, too, and up to the task of being a work vehicle, with physical climate controls (rejoice) and proper buttons for the heated seats. The controls on the steering wheel can be quite small and fiddly, though.
Behind the rear seats is where all the changes are, though. The Land Cruiser comes from the factory with a fully carpeted rear floor, which is then covered in a rubber lining and a full metal bulkhead installed. It’s a big, useful and flat space with few intrusions and isn’t quite so high to access as a Discovery. The maximum payload is 810kg, slightly more than a Discovery Commercial but less than a Defender Hard Top.
Before you buy
The Land Cruiser Commercial is an interesting proposition, not only because of the cost saving over the standard car model but also because of its availability. It’s incredibly hard to get a factory ordered standard Land Cruiser and many are selling ‘used’ for more than its £78,000 list price.
Available in a single trim level, the Commercial therefore seems a bit of a bargain at £51,729 (excluding VAT) or just over £62,000 with it included. Though you do trade a few extras you get on an Invincible model over the standard car, such as getting 18-inch alloys instead of the normal 20s, losing its roof no bars, having no head-up display and no JBL sound system, neither of those things should be make or break.
The standard kit in general is also still excellent, including heated and ventilated front seats, an electric boot and adaptive cruise control.
Though an Ineos Grenadier Commercial starts from a similar price, the spec on offer is poor in comparison, and its road manners are also dire. But you’d be foolish not to consider a Defender Hard Top or Discovery Commercial (both starting from circa £53,000 excluding VAT).
Verdict
No matter which way you look, the Land Cruiser Commercial represents a big step forward over the previous Utility model. Toyota has added some much-needed creature comforts and extra refinement without taking away of the capability or hard-working nature.
Its driving manners are still a bit rough around the edges compared to the latest Land Rovers, but at least reliability should not be an issue, and Toyota’s warranty lasting up to 10 years or 100,000 miles is a real selling point. If you can forego a pair of rear seats and simply want a big and useful 4×4 (which happens to be a van), it’s also worth a look at the Commercial for its savings and to avoid the waiting lists of a regular Land Cruiser.