A metropolitan thing? / Toyota test drives

But the "Toyota cruiser" is a completely different matter: you sit down and drive wherever you need to go. So, as soon as a fresh Land Cruiser 200 appeared at Toyota's Moscow office, I did exactly that: got behind the wheel and hit the road. No demonstrative test drive, especially on the dubious land of Atlantis, can give such an honest impression of a car as ordinary use in its "native element." And in Russia, this element, oddly enough, is not at all endless off-road, but quite decent asphalt of city streets, at least in Moscow.

I admit, I drove out of the representative office's gates with some apprehension: the new Land Cruiser is very massive. At the first intersection this became especially noticeable when it found itself next to its "ancestor" — the glorious but already aging LS 100. The "offspring" has clearly grown and surpasses the "parent" in all three dimensions: the role of an elephant in a china shop suits it very well.

However, the first few kilometers showed: despite its "elephantine" dimensions, the Land Cruiser is surprisingly nimble and handles more like a mid-size sedan than a huge SUV. The center of gravity is, of course, still a bit high, but body roll has become noticeably less, and now you can make a lane change without the inner fear of "catching the ears," while smearing a couple of small cars on the asphalt along the way. The only thing that bothered me in city traffic was the brakes. There are no complaints about their effectiveness, but the pedal is so uninformative that during smooth deceleration from high speed it constantly seemed that a couple of meters would definitely not be enough. At first, I instinctively pressed the pedal harder.

As a result, the heavy car stopped dead in its tracks, and the photographer and I were once again convinced of the effectiveness of the pre-collision safety system: in a fraction of a second, the seatbelts literally "glued" us to the seats. "Vzhzhzhik" — and the belts tighten so that, out of habit, it seems you can't breathe. But the body fixation in an accident is phenomenal! And after a couple of seconds, another couple of such "vzhiks" — and freedom again. We also drove on snow — both on what covered the asphalt and on what lay on the ground. Bravo! Bravissimo! The LS 200 cuts through snowy expanses and even snowdrifts as confidently and imperturbably as asphalt and rocky mountains. The transfer case and its control are completely new. The case itself has become lighter, stronger, and its center of gravity has shifted forward, which improved handling. Switching to low range and back can be done with a simple turn of a small switch on the center console — right on the move, at speeds up to 5 km/h.

Next to it is the Torsen center differential lock button, which helps on slippery surfaces. Depending on the situation, the differential can send up to 60% of torque to the front axle and up to 70% to the rear; when driving straight on dry asphalt, torque is distributed in a 40/60 ratio. What else? The interior and comfort should also be assessed in real conditions, and here everything deserves only the highest praise. I won't go into details: the LS 200's cabin is exceptionally beautiful, pleasant, comfortable, and ergonomic. Everything is done intelligently, tastefully, and with the most demanding drivers and passengers in mind. Among the features, I'll note the third row of seats — rather conditional, but easily and conveniently folding, the rear door split horizontally into two parts (which simplifies loading and unloading the trunk), a new four-zone climate control system, and a large color touchscreen display that shows navigation from the built-in hard drive. Safety in an accident is ensured by ten airbags.

It's worth adding that in addition to the 288-horsepower gasoline V8, Russia also offers a version with the latest turbodiesel producing 235 hp, but with a huge torque of 615 Nm from the very "bottom." This provides both a higher top speed and acceleration a whole second faster than the gasoline version. The turbo engine works in tandem with the latest sequential 6-speed automatic transmission, while the gasoline engine is paired with a 5-speed automatic, whose operation for this type of vehicle raises no particular complaints. But what does raise complaints — at least from me — is the targeting of the LC 200. Why, with its excellent "executive" qualities, all this primitive power, why the ingenious off-road systems and even for driving over huge rocks, if most potential owners are inhabitants of urban "concrete jungles," where the stones are not at all like those on Fuerteventura? Unless such an owner, turning on the CRAWL Control system, wants to use the car instead of an elevator and drive up the stairs right into their office behind the mirrored glass of a business center?

Well, and who, besides the few off-road fans, needs such outstanding off-road qualities (which, moreover, cost a lot) daily, and not once a year "for fun"? Oh, if only these qualities could be given into good hands — for example, into the hands of the same Sergei Giri...