Re: Winter 2013/14 | Page 110

Wheels for winter If you believe the weatherman then we are in for some serious weather this winter, the sort of weather that brings the roads to a standstill and causes disruption to our lives. The sort of weather that stops most cars from being able to get off the drive. But not if you drive a Toyota Land Cruiser. The Land Cruiser enjoys a global reputation as an ultimate go-anywhere vehicle, a status built on its formidable performance in the world’s toughest environments over more than 60 years. Throughout that time, Land Cruiser has been progressively developed to harness new technologies to extend its capabilities, both on-road and off, and to increase in customer appeal in terms of styling, equipment, comfort and practicality. Next year will see launch of the latest version of the famous 4x4 which sees a number of revisions over the current model. On first glance you will see that it comes with a new face; a more prominent grille, new headlight clusters with daytime running lights and an oversized bumper. There are new rear lamp clusters and 17in/18in wheels. While the wheelbase remains the same the overall length has crept up a smidge, so on the whole, it’s still an enormous motor that would make short work of a bit of snow. A bugbear for previous Land Cruisers has been the perceived quality of the interior but this seems to have been finally addressed in the 2014 model. There’s a new centre console switch panel (to select the drive modes), a new 108 look speedo and rev counter, brushed metal finishes, wood grain and upgraded seat upholstery. The choice of function has been extended in the new 4.2in TFT colour screen to include an angle gauge, traction control operation on each wheel and the status of the differential locks. The driver can select the screen functions u