A Preview of the New 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser

I have been car shopping lately so I've taken a few vehicles out for test drives. I am partial to Toyota for family reasons and love SUVs, so my list of possibilities was shortened greatly. I went to a local Toyota dealership and test drove two vehicles, the Highlander and the Land Cruiser.

The 2008 Land Cruiser has a sleeker looking body than it's 2007 brother. It's edges have been rounded and it has more of a "luxury car" appearance than previous years' models. The interior of the vehicle is also reminiscent of a luxury vehicle. One thing I really liked about the one I drove was the upgraded package. The upgraded package includes a back up camera to assist those of us who sometimes find themselves in tight spaces, a remote engine starter (that's just neat), voice activated DVD navigation, and individual climate controls. The back seat is very open and has plenty of leg room. The trunk is just the right size to hold all your things for a weekend getaway and with the ability to tow up to 8500 pounds you could easily take a small boat or trailer with you. On the road it has great turning capabilities and drives very smoothly. I think it's designed on a Camry base track so the ease of driving is built in. Overall, it's a really nice car. If you don't plan of keeping it for very long it's good to know that the resell value of this SUV is quite high.

However, there are a few things I don't particularly like about this vehicle. First of all, the price. With a MSRP of $63,200 it's a little high for most middle class families. Also, the fuel economy. It only gets thirteen miles to the gallon on the street and eighteen on the highway. That's pathetic considering both the price of gas and the advances in engineering. Apparently, the miles per gallon are so poor in comparison to similar vehicles because it has the same engine as Toyota's premiere truck, the Tundra. The other thing I don't like is the "safety" lock system. You can't lock the doors while any door is open. I like being able to lock the doors as I get into the car but before I've even had a chance to close the door. Thus when I go to close the door I know it's already locked. It's my own safety precaution. Therefore Toyota's safety system doesn't work for me. But oh well, there are other things I like.

The 2008 Land Cruiser is a nice vehicle but I see no reason to jump for joy over it. Toyota has a lot of other wonderful vehicles. I highly recommend the Highlander, that's what I ended up buying.