Born Free: An Alternative Outlook on the Toyota Land Cruiser

I did what it would eventually do. Sad but true. Went for a meeting, had lunch on the way back, parked it in front of my office and slammed the huge doors shut. Bam! The parking attendant almost jumped out of his skin.

In hindsight, there are countless other ways of extracting fun out of one of the world's best off-roaders than by simply taking it off road. And it's no sin in a country where owners don't wince while tossing the keys of their Porsches to chauffeurs. But irony apart, the Land Cruiser is no chick flick, especially when it comes to walking the tall talk.

At 5 metres long and 2 metres wide, this juggernaut is not meant to caress the senses at all. It's conventional, it's butch and it's simply overpowering. Just to give you an idea of the size of this brute, we parked a Maruti Suzuki Gypsy next to it. And we weren?t at all shaken up when it disappeared from view.

The Land Cruiser adopts Toyota's "Vibrant Clarity" design philosophy. "Vibrant" refers to the forward looking, vital nature of new designs, and their energy; "Clarity" stresses on the rationality element, the need to keep the design crisp, its functionality intact and its concept easy to interpret, according to Toyota. And this is where the Land Cruiser scores over its rivals.

For instance, the chunky door-mounted rear view mirrors not only add to the overall package but are extremely functional as well - drive a Mercedes ML320 and you will figure out the difference. Then, on the inside, the Land Cruiser's controls are simple, practical and highly efficient. The vehicle has an advanced four-zone air conditioning system with 28 outlets, which was a breeze to operate. But while trying the same in the Merc, I got a bit flummoxed with all the sophistication dripping from the centre console. Even the cigarette lighter in the Land Cruiser was slim and easy to hold between the fingers, though I am not sure whether it's an offshoot of the "Vibrant Clarity" concept. (Smiley).

On the go, this Toyota proved to be a genuine tarmac scorcher. It was 11.30 am. And traffic in the Capital was at its worst. We had to reach Gurgaon from Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg (35 km) in roughly an hour for an important meeting. My colleague glanced at the Land Cruiser and then at me... tentatively. "With this truck we are not gonna make it," he said, shaking his head. I pointed to the V8 logo on the tailgate and smiled. And then I guess the V8 logo did the trick.

"Let's do it," he declared before quickly climbing into the cockpit. I suffer from vertigo and the next 45 minutes was tough, given the Land Cruiser's height. Beneath the hood, the Land Cruiser cradles a big 4461 cc V8 oil burner that churns out 282 bhp@ 3600 rpm. And between 1600-2900 rpm this fantastic engine unleashes a mammoth torque of 650 Nm, which is significantly more than many of its nearest rivals. Also, throw in acceleration figures of 0-100 kph in 8.5 seconds to widen the grin. But what's more important is that while cruising at around 140 kph the rpm needle barely inches over the 1500-1600-rpm mark. So, expect hours of hassle-free cruising.

And to top it up, anticipate good road holding abilities as well. During the dash to Gurgaon, the gigantic Yokohamas squealed away to glory while we were busy carving corners at high speed. But thanks to the permanent all-wheel drive, we just couldn't do enough to rattle the monster. There is negligible body roll. Also, the normal front rear torque split of 41:59 automatically changes to 30:70 while accelerating or cornering, which allows for superior grip. But I was a tad disappointed with the steering which is good but not excellent for point and shoot situations. The ML320 handles a lot better.

Credit should also go to the ride quality of the Land Cruiser that gains from a new mechanical system, which allows hydraulic pressure to be synchronised across all four wheels. Toyota has also endowed its baby with Active Height Control (AHC), which enables a 100-110 mm of height adjustment.

In the fuel efficiency department, don't expect much, at best an average of 4-5 kmpl, which gives the Land Cruiser a range of around 550 km on a full tank. But while parking, again look forward to a pleasant experience. A turning radius of around 12 metres and a brilliant park assist system make it at least look easy. (Smiley again). But one last grudge: The key of the Land Cruiser lacks the "Land Cruiser" attitude. After pocketing a brilliantly detailed ML320 key, the key of this Rs 90 lakh car at best looked flimsy and tacky. Not done Toyota. Get some "Virtual Clarity" here as well. You can't keep a 3-tonne car on the table, you know, just for the flaunt quotient.

But to sum it up, if you are looking for a vehicle that can outlast you and perhaps even your children without whipping up sweat, look no further. Also, if you consider yourself the strong silent type this is a machine that will help you to flaunt your strength, silently. And of course, it always helps to dream because the Land Cruiser just makes all the possibilities look more possible, even if it means scaring the daylights out of your parking attendant (two more smileys).