On the beaten track

Having recently tested the smallest Toyota, I was lucky enough to spend a week in the biggest one.

LandCruisers have been around since 1951 but were first seen in Australia in 1958 when Thiess Bros imported a dozen to assist with the construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme. The story goes that Thiess was so impressed with those early LandCruisers that he lobbied Toyota to become the official distributor and the LandCruiser then became the first Japanese vehicle to be regularly exported to Australia. Toyota still uses Australia as its main test bed for the LandCruiser, given the variety of harsh terrains and also huge variety of road quality.

The 300 series was introduced in 2021. It has proved so popular that the waiting time for one is now about 12 months. The test vehicle was a middle-of-the-range VX. All 300s are mechanically the same with a 3.3 L twin turbo V6 diesel delivering 227 kW and 700 nM through a 10-speed automatic gearbox to all four wheels.

The GX retails for just under $100,000, increasing to just over $150,000 for the GR Sport. The VX sits right in the middle at $125,000.

The VX is very comfortably appointed, including many of the luxuries and safety features found on most luxury cars. Even the GX is equipped with smart entry and keyless start, Apple CarPlay, digital radio, climate control air conditioning, reversing camera and safety issues including lane departure alert with brake to steer (which does take a bit of getting used to but is a very positive safety feature).

Upgrading to VX adds sidesteps and roof rails, wireless phone charging, front and rear parking sensors, rear cross traffic alert, auto levelling headlights, heated and ventilated front seats and a sunroof.

The top-of-the-range Sahara ZX also adds a hands-free back door with kick sensor, rear torque sensing LSD, adaptive variable suspension, a cool box between the front seats, dual rear seat entertainment screens, heated and ventilated second row seats. heated steering wheel and 20-inch alloy wheels with appropriately low-profile tyres not necessarily an advantage for off-road driving. And five seats rather than seven.

One of the really neat features was the large, double-hinged bin between the two front seats that can be opened by the driver or the front-seat passenger. The dashboard is a traditional two-dial affair, and the large central touchscreen screen can be used to control most of the infotainment. There are buttons under the air conditioning vents that also manage some of these functions.

As with all Toyota vehicles there is a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty. There is also a further two years of engine and driveline warranty provided the vehicle has been maintained as per the service book, and three years of complimentary access to Toyota Connected Services that provides stolen vehicle tracking, automatic collision notification and an SOS emergency call function. Toyota has a capped fixed price service program for the first five years or 100,000 km at $375 per service but these need to occur every six months or 10,000 km, whichever comes first.

This large four-wheel-drive is not a particular convenient city car. Even with all the cameras and alarms I found it difficult to park in standard carparks. The boot is huge and Toyota claims 2000 L of storage space with the middle row of seats folded down. The car is also massive: over 2 1/2 tonne, nearly 5 metres long and a shade under 2 metres wide and high. However, this makes for superbly comfortable driving. Around the city, speed humps can be ignored and on country roads it’s a matter of setting the cruise control and selecting your favourite podcast or music Apple CarPlay. If you’re not concentrating and approach the white line at the edge of your lane not only does the steering wheel vibrate but the car brakes and loses about 5 km/h, which is the ‘brake to steer’ function mentioned above. Many folk will buy these for towing, and the big ’Cruiser is rated to 3.5 tonnes.

The only annoying quirk to this otherwise fabulous machine was the factory-fitted side step, which I found to be quite narrow and not especially helpful when climbing into the vehicle.

I managed more than 1,000 km in the week I had the ’Cruiser. This included a trip to Port Augusta and Quorn. I drove through Balaclava and Blyth, past Wirrabara, and then turned left to traverse the bridle track described as suitable for novice 4WDrivers. www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/bridle-tracklower-flinders--2. I recommend taking a passenger as there are several gates.

The initial several hundred metres were quite interesting as it had been raining and the uphill section, though not particularly steep was slippery and muddy and challenged the 300. In low ratio and with the central differential lock there were occasions when all four wheels were spinning and the big ’Cruiser simply slipped sideways into someone else’s tracks. Traction would have been improved with proper off-road tyres, but this option was not fitted to the test vehicle.

The view from the top is fabulous and being a clear day I could see Ports Pirie, Bonython and Augusta, as well as the nearby Port Germein gorge.

The following day, with family and including my granddaughter safely strapped in her car seat, we drove to Quorn for a walk around the little known Quorn Native Flora Reserve https://www. frc.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0038/879743/Quorn-Flora. pdf, which preserves some of the local vegetation in this interesting transition zone between the hills with its slightly higher rainfall and the arid Willochra plain to the north. We followed this with a visit to the Main Street playground then coffee and delicious home-made scones at the delightful Teas on the Terrace. www.teasontheterracequorn.com.au

I also managed a work trip to Murray Bridge via Mannum Falls for a picnic lunch and an overnighter to Victor Harbor.

In summary, the latest LandCruiser really does deserve the moniker ‘King off the Road’.

- Dr Robert Menz is a GP and enthusiastic motorist. Any members who would be interested in sharing the pleasure of test driving and writing about new cars are welcome to make contact through the AMA office.