Toyota Land Cruiser V8 - not just roughing it

When it comes to the rough and tumble world of off-roading, Toyota's humble Land Cruiser has been the king of the hill for donkey's years now. Sure, there are more capable vehicles to take on tricky terrain, but there is no other SUV that really offers the best of all worlds along with legendary reliability at a fairly affordable price - something that makes it the highest selling off-roader in the world. But apart from its ferocious appetite for devouring rough roads, the Land Cruiser is just as at home in the urban jungle, offering a luxurious interior and features to complement its Spartan and functional exterior.

The new Land Cruiser does look like a brute on the outside. But step inside, and the stylish black plastics and leather touches really give the car a feeling of luxury, yet exude a sense of ruggedness and reliability.

The two-tone design of the interior does liven up the cabin, making it feel airy and fresh - like most modern luxury sedans, breaking the Land Cruiser V8 away from a purely functional feel. But the interior doesn't compromise on practicality either and has a choice of a five or seven-seat configuration which with a versatile seat folding option, offers ample space for luggage as well. The 'premium-car' feel also comes from the design of the large tactile switches placed in dashboard that features classy wood-grain and metallic touches. The new Land Cruiser V8 also features a new multi-information display in the centre of the dash that is designed to display everything from the audio system information to the car's satellite navigation system.

So it definitely looks the part of a luxurious, premium car, but looking good is just one part of the equation. To make the Land Cruiser an urban prowler, it offers great practicality and versatility. In the seven-seat configuration, the third row seats can easily accommodate two adults and when not in use, they can be neatly folded away to the sides to make room for luggage. And if you want to carry bigger items than the boot allows, even the second row seats tumble and fold away nicely. A split-folding tailgate also allows for easy loading of the boot and ensures that the rear hatch has a minimum footprint when open. Of course, the Land Cruiser is not an ogre when it comes to passenger comfort. The large cabin allows plenty of leg-room and head-room while the new four-zone air conditioning features a total of 28 ventilation ducts and the ventilation functions can be operated by voice commands

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All luxury cars need to have an in-car entertainment system that's worth bragging about, and the Land Cruiser V8 doesn't disappoint on this front either. The standard Pioneer nine-speaker audio system comes with a six-DVD changer and that supports playback of MP3 and WMA files and can also play DVD movies on the central dashboard screen when the vehicle is stationary. Optionally, buyers can choose 2 LCD screens for the rear seats that can play movies independently from USB sticks or SD cards, infra-red headphones, remote controls, and a Premium Audio pack that comprises of a JBL sound system with iPod integration and a 440-watt amplifier designed to rival top quality home audio systems.

But the audio system isn't the only luxury specification on the Land Cruiser. A full-map navigation system, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free mobile phone use and a rear view camera that overlays the vehicles projected path on the rear picture on the monitor screen are just some of the toys that a potential buyer can specify on this car. Apart from these features, the Land Cruiser V8 comes with a multitude of luxuries that have only been the forte of German luxury saloons so far and really make this SUV one of the ultimate urban people movers. Some of these goodies include automatic headlamps, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, an electric sunroof and a driver's seat that has three memory settings.

All-in-all, the new Land Cruiser V8 isn't a rural off-roader that is designed purely as a beast of burden. Nor is it a luxurious soft-roader that looks like it has the pedigree of a thoroughbred mountain goat, but loses its composition as soon as the first wheel leaves the tarmac. What it is, is in fact the perfect combination of an extremely potent off-roader - a true terrain tamer, and a luxobarge that works just as well when you swap the hills and sand dunes of the countryside for the slick tarmac of the cityscape.