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There’s plenty of summer for exploration with the 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser. On-road or off-road, the Land Cruiser turns your adventurous soul into a fun getaway.
The 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser remains a benchmark for combining no-compromise capability with luxury. Its robust yet refined 381-horsepower 5.7-liter DOHC V8 engine produces 401 lb.-ft. of torque. Ninety percent of peak torque is available at a low 2,200 rpm, helping to make Land Cruiser an outstanding towing vehicle.
The standard Trailer Towing Package equips Land Cruiser to pull a trailer up to 8,100 pounds. The hardware includes the tow hitch mount, an engine oil cooler, connector, and sub-wiring harness for a trailer-brake controller. Trailer Sway Control uses Vehicle Stability Control to help counteract trailer sway for a more relaxed towing experience.
The 8-speed Electronically Controlled Automatic Transmission with intelligence teams with a versatile full-time 4WD system, which uses a TORSEN limited-slip locking center differential and a 2-speed transfer case with selectable low-range. The transmission allows manual control when the need calls for it, such as while descending steep inclines.
The TORSEN center differential distributes torque 40:60 front-to-rear. If wheel slippage occurs, the differential can direct more torque to the wheels with the best grip. Active Traction Control employs both brake and throttle intervention to help control wheel spin. Vehicle Stability Control helps maintain directional control during cornering.
The two-speed transfer case with low-range doesn’t work alone to handle steep inclines and difficult trails. The Multi-Terrain Select system allows the driver to match wheel slip control to the surface and driving conditions.
In loose terrain, such as mud and sand, Multi-Terrain Select allows more-than-normal wheel slip to help the Land Cruiser keep moving without digging itself in. A “Mogul” setting is effective for traversing extremely uneven terrain, such as V-ditches, slopes, and ridges; wheel slip is minimized, with the system acting more like a limited slip differential.
Other features of the 2021 Land Cruiser:
- When engaged in low range, CRAWL Control allows the driver to focus on steering without also having to modulate the throttle or brake pedals.
- Two other systems provide assistance on trails. Downhill Assist Control can augment the low-range ratio’s low-speed descending. Hill-start Assist Control helps prevent nerve-wracking roll-back when stopping and then starting again on steep inclines.
- On narrow trails, the Land Cruiser can even make itself “smaller” with Off-Road Turn Assist, which tightens the turning radius by applying slight brake pressure to the inside rear wheel, creating a pivot effect.
- Sway resistance is reduced for off-road driving to help minimize any tendency for wheel lift. On pavement, where stabilizer bar function is beneficial for agility and safe control, KDSS enables the bars’ ability to work conventionally to help reduce body lean by as much as 50 percent.
- Skid plates help to protect the Land Cruiser’s front suspension, radiator, fuel tank, and transfer case. Drivers can even see potential hazards using the Multi-Terrain Monitor with selectable front side or rear views. The system provides near 360-degree visibility and front undercarriage projected path video playback.
Land Cruiser’s off-road capability is rooted in high-strength body-on-frame construction and sophisticated double-wishbone front and four-link coil-spring rear suspension. A key to the Land Cruiser’s off-pavement competence is suspension articulation, facilitated by long wheel travel. It’s aided by the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System which hydraulically adjusts the lean resistance provided by the stabilizer bars.
Land Cruiser features 10 airbags: driver and front passenger Advanced Airbag System; driver and front passenger knee airbags; driver and front passenger seat-mounted side airbags, second-row outboard seat-mounted side airbags and three-row roll-sensing side curtain airbags.
Active headrests on the driver and front passenger seats are designed to move up and forward almost instantly in the event of certain rear-end collisions to help reduce the distance between the occupant’s head and the headrest. The advanced seatbelt system is designed to retract the front seatbelts when the brakes are suddenly applied or when the VSC system detects tire slippage.
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