Toyota Land Cruiser review - MPG, CO2 and running costs

Big cars come with big running costs, and the Toyota Land Cruiser is no exception. The downsized diesel is a big improvement on the 3.0-litre it replaced, although the latest WLTP tests don't show it in a very good light. Economy is quoted at around 27-30mpg, although there’s no escaping CO2 emissions ranging from 239-251g/km. They mean hefty road tax bills for company users.

A large off-roader is going to be expensive to run no matter what badge it’s wearing, and the Land Cruiser has the added advantage of being cheaper to drive out of the showroom than those from many of the premium brands. 

The Land Cruiser comes reasonably well equipped in Active trim, so you won’t feel as though you’re missing out on luxury goodies. The top-of-the-range Invincible model includes keyless go and a 360-degree camera, as well as adaptive suspension and a terrain monitoring set-up. There’s also a 14-speaker JBL audio set-up. 

Insurance groups

Insurance premiums for the Land Cruiser won’t exactly be cheap. Although there’s only one engine choice, the big 4x4 is ranked in groups 38-39, depending on trim level.

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Depreciation

Thanks to its reputation for bomb-proof reliability, the Toyota holds on to its price well: our experts predict a strong residual value of 56 per cent over a theoretical three-year/36,000-mile ownership cycle. Bear in mind that the five-door, seven-seater Land Cruiser will retain much more of its value than the three-door, five-seat version. The latter is much less useful as a family car, and used demand reflects this. Either way, the second-hand market will be less enamoured of a low-spec Land Cruiser, while models with an automatic transmission will be valued more highly, too. These are all things to remember in the showroom if you want to maximise your returns come resale time.