The 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser is a handsome SUV from a company often associated with trucks. This vehicle competes in the luxury SUV class, with even more standard comfort and convenience features than offered in the previous model year, but it does not skimp on engine power or speed to achieve this. This vehicle is even an environmentally friendly, ultra low emission vehicle.
New For 2013
Minor exterior changes include a revised grille and new LED accent lights. Formerly optional equipment, including a rear-seat DVD player, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and navigation, are now standard. Said navigation now incorporates Entune.
Exterior
The 2013 Land Cruiser’s fully galvanized steel body comes painted in seven different paint choices, ranging from white-black and a red and a green. A chrome grille adds an extra touch of class. Handsome silver aluminum wheels come paired with Mud and Snow tires, excellent for offroad driving. A skid plate comes equipped as well, another handy feature for rough road/offroad driving. For driving in nice weather, a sunroof – complete with sunshade- is standard.
Not only is the Land Cruiser suited to on-road and offroad driving, it is also well suited to being a cargo carrier. It has a class III rated trailering system with a harness and hitch. Two tow hooks are included in the front and one tow hook comes in the rear. A roof rack is also standard.
Interior & Cargo
Automatic dual-zone air conditioning is standard in the front, with separate controls in the rear for the comfort of all passengers. The rear passengers even have a dual-zone auxiliary heater all to themselves. There are bucket seats in the front, a 40-20-40 split-bench second row seat, and a 50-50 split bench third row seats for seating up to eight passengers.
These seats come with all the comforts: driver and front passenger seats are eight-way adjustable, heated, and ventilated. They also come with power two-way adjustable lumbar support. The rear seat comes heated as well. All seats are upholstered in luxurious leather.
The audio/entertainment system is fantastic. A Sirius XM/AM/FM/HD/Satellite/six-CD player is standard and comes with an MP3 decoder and DVD-audio. Music can be controlled through buttons on the steering wheel. There are separate audio controls in the rear as well. Music plays through 14 JBL brand speakers. An entertainment system with DVD also comes standard and includes two second row LCD screens, making this vehicle a good choice for a family vehicle. Two wireless headphones are included, which come in handy for listening to music or watching movies without disturbing the other passengers. A navigation system with voice activation is standard and includes an LCD screen for the front row. HomeLink comes standard, for use with automatic garage doors.
The third row seat can be removed for additional cargo storage potential. The Land Cruiser can carry up to 1295 pounds of cargo in its maximum 81.7 cubic feet of storage space. Or, it can tow an 8500 pound trailer.
Safety
There are unfortunately no official crash test ratings for the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser yet, but when they are available they would be good. A-TRAC anti-lock brakes are standard and come with brake assist. All the airbags are included as well: driver and passenger front-impact airbags, seat mounted driver and passenger side impact airbags, curtain first, second, and third row overhead curtain airbags, front knee airbags, even a rear side impact airbag. The front passenger’s airbag can be cancelled. Front and rear parking sensors with surround view cameras help the driver park the SUV in tight spaces and helps prevent collisions with stationary objects. Side-impact bars provide additional safety for the passengers in the case of a crash.
Remote keyless entry is provided through a key fob. This vehicle’s ignition key is integrated into the key fob, which makes for a lighter keychain and provides for a proximity key feature. This allows the car to be started without putting the key in the ignition, it just has to be close; a handy feature to have when the drivers hands are full. They key fob also comes with a panic alarm. An emergency communication system, Safety Connect, also comes standard. A stolen vehicle-tracking feature is included in this system. The Land Cruiser comes with a plethora of warnings, from low fluid level warnings, to door-ajar and tire-specific low-tire pressure warnings.
Driving Experience
The 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser comes equipped with a 5.7-liter, 381 horsepower, V-8 engine paired with a six-speed automatic transmission with overdrive and auto-manual. This engine produces 401 lb-ft of torque and is rated at 13/18 mpg city/highway. The Land Cruiser is a four-wheel drive vehicle. The standard cruise control is intelligent, with distance pacing, for added convenience when driving in traffic. Automatic ride control, which automatically adjusts the firmness of the suspension system for on-road driving or offroad driving, comes standard. Electro-mechanical limited slip differential comes equipped, which increases traction and performance in good weather, on dry pavement, as well as during poor weather, on wet or icy pavement.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is supported by a double independent suspension in the front, which is in turn supported by an active anti-roll bar, coil springs, and gas-pressurized shocks. In the rear, is a multi-link suspension, also supported by an active-roll bar, coil springs, and gas-pressurized shocks. This suspension and support combination allows the Land Cruiser to provide a smooth ride onroad, but also be ready to tackle offroad trips with ease. The steering is speed-sensing hydraulic power-assist rack-pinion steering.
Key Competitors For The 2013 Toyota Land-Cruiser
- Cadillac Escalade
- Lincoln Navigator
- Mercedes-Benz GL-class
- Range Rover