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A few weeks ago, we test drove the 2017 Toyota Land Cruiser Luxury SUV, and visited Nighttime Zoo at San Diego Zoo presented by San Diego Toyota Dealers. The nighttime zoo had extended zoo hours until 9pm, but it will end September 4th. It was totally unexpected and a nice treat before the new school year. When they first dropped off the car, my first thought was, “This car is a Beast!” With a third row and lots of space to spread out, it seats 8. This model has been around since 1951 and has the longest running history for Toyota. I think it is best known for its 4 wheel drive and it’s reliability for off-roading. With 381 horsepower, I think this vehicle would be great to take to Big Bear during the winter. Not only will it fit a family comfortably, it would do well in the snow. In the summer, it could pull a boat, trailer, or jet skis.
We had visitors in town and it comfortably accommodated two families of four which is also nice during traffic or road trips because the children wanted to sit together. Their favorite is in the last row, of course, but I think that they had some difficulty seeing the movie with the headrests in the way from the second row so we removed them. There are two 11.6 inch screens with remote control and headphones with the rear-seat DVD entertainment system for movies and gaming. Front passengers can simultaneously listen to the radio while the movie is playing thanks to the headsets. This worked out great with just my two kids but additional headphones may be required when other children are in the car. The Land Cruiser features 40/20/40 split second-row rear seats which means when it is upright, it will seat 3 rows in the front. The end slides forward for easy access to the third row. All three sections fold down when you need it for additional cargo space. The third row is 50/50 split rear seats which can fold flat or away against the interior wall.
My car came in a brandy wine color with beige interior. Some of the features I liked was the cooler box in the center console and the blind spot warning indicator. I think it might be a standard feature in most new models. The leather seats were nice and comfortable for the long road trips. More features include: leather trims, heated steering wheel, ventilated & heated seats, touch screen display, four zone automatic climate control, and the rear-seat DVD entertainment system. Safety features include: Lane Departure Alert, Auto High Beams, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Driver & Front Passenger Airbags and Knee Airbags, Side Airbags for All Row, Blind Spot Monitor, Headlight Washers, and Rain-Sensing Windshield Wipers. Off-road features include multi-terrain monitor, kinetic dynamic suspension system, Torsen limited slip differential, and CRAWL control with off-road assist. You can learn more about their features here: www.toyota.com/landcruiser/landcruiser-features/.
