Toyota delivers more power in Land Cruiser V8

TOYOTA claims that its new Land Cruiser V8 is the most capable four-wheel-drive vehicle ever and one of the most technically advanced, too.

The new Land Cruiser V8 is slightly longer, taller and wider than the outgoing generation of 4x4s.

At the heart of the four-wheel-drive system is a newly developed Torsen 'torque sensing' limited slip centre differential, which claims to give smoother cornering performance and improved driving stability.

In the straight-ahead, dry-road mode, the torque distribution is 40/60 front to rear. However, torque can be biased to the front wheels to a maximum of 50 per cent or to the rear wheels to 70 per cent.

4W ACH & AVS links all four wheels' suspension system for the first time, and also provides an all-new system of spring rate control. This is claimed to be the most sophisticated suspension system available in any SUV. Toyota claims that this gives optimum off-road performance and exceptional on-road refinement, comfort, pitch and body roll control.

The new Land Cruiser V8 is now available with one of the most powerful engines ever developed by Toyota. It has been developed to enhance the overall performance under all road conditions with high power output, a broad controllable torque band and low fuel consumption for its class.

At the heart of the new Toyota in Ireland will be the brand new 4.5 litre V8 D-4D diesel engine. This new engine delivers 286bhp and 650Nm of torque. These figures represent a 40 per cent increase in power and a 50 per cent increase in torque output over the engine it replaces. This engine is mated to a brand new six-speed automatic transmission with a sequential manual gear selection.

While other manufacturers have moved towards a monocoque design, Toyota has not compromised on the fundamental body-on-frame design construction for the new Land Cruiser V8 in order to retain its go-anywhere capability.

An all-new high-strength, high-rigidity frame has been designed to accommodate the body of the new Land Cruiser V8. The new frame's torsional rigidity is 1.4 times stronger and its flexural rigidity is 1.2 times stronger than the outgoing model.

The new Toyota Land Cruiser V8 is designed with many active and passive safety features to offer maximum protection for occupants should a collision occur. A new multi-terrain ABS system incorporates a new control logic (the first in the world) that recognises any road surface being driven and automatically switches to the optimum braking control for the given road conditions.

Fourteen SRS airbags are available on the new Land Cruiser V8, with both driver and front seat passenger having knee airbag protection for the first time.