First impressions of the 2016 Land Cruiser vs the 2014 LR4.
This will be brief as I have no where near the experience with the LC that I/we had with the LR4. I may do a more extended comparison on its own thread in the future. But let me first say that whether one is "better" than the other depends wholly on your requirements. They both have many things in common (strong, body-on-frame construction, true SUV rather than a crossover, heavy, relatively poor MPG, built to handle off road adventures, "command seating position", large windows, not a sports car, etc.)
Here are some of the things I miss about the LR4:
- the highly configurable cargo area with a floor that goes flat and real foot wells for the 3rd row. Even though I have removed the 3rd row seats in the LC, it doesn't compare to all of the ways you can make use of the space behind the first row. This is a huge win for the LR4 - and always will be.
- the air suspension and the independent suspension. Though the KDSS on the LC is clever and the front suspension is independent, it doesn't have quite the same feel as the LR4. And when I had to load the Compos and tires in the LC to take them to the new owner, it would have been very nice to be able to lower the vehicle. And also to raise it when going off road. (the LC clearance comes up about an inch shorter and the approach and departure angles are not as good and it has the "pumpkin" - differential - hanging between its rear wheels so I'll need to modify my off road driving habits a bit.
- the "alpine roof" or whatever they call those windows on top.
- storage. The LR4 had far more storage areas and capacity from the double glovebox to the side compartments in the rear - not to mention the foot wells in front of the 3rd row.
- a Nav system that will allow you to upload GPX data - very handy for off road trails
- paddle shifters. OK, maybe not.
- the moon roof "screen" style shade. I know some who would have preferred a solid shade as it blocks more light. But it was great to open the moon roof when out in the woods and know that no bugs would get in. Especially good when sleeping in the LR4 while camping.
- my Voyager sliders. OK, I added those. But they were pretty sweet as an alternative to running boards.
- the bronze color. I know this may be silly, but that color just seemed to fit with our Colorado adventures. The LC is a boring, albeit highly visible, white.
Here are some of the things I like about the LC:
- of course there is the 401 ft lbs of torque and the higher HP of that venerable 5.8L V8. I now understand what those of you with the earlier model LR4s were talking about with a V8. Not that the SCV6 didn't have great power for a 6 and especially at elevation. But the V8 has a sweet sound.
- the large Nav/Infotainment/Camera display. Much easier to read - although the LC, like the LR4 still suffers from glare on the screen. I really which manufacturers would built the dashboards so there was more shading of these screens. Taping a cardboard shared around it just doesn't seem right in a high end vehicle like this.
- Camera systems. OK, these are cool - and potentially even useful. The surround camera system for the MY16 LC has a "birds eye" view that simulates looking down from above the vehicle and being able to see what is around it. Obviously not perfect but good enough to help with parking - both on and off road. Cameras are easier to get to and will even turn on automatically (if you want) when you are going in reverse or forward at slow speeds. This sort of thing may show up in the new Discovery?
- OK, no "virtual transparent bonnet" heads up display, but one of the forward camera options - when going offroad - is a camera that has a delay designed to show you what was 10' in front of the vehicle. So what you see is approximately what you are about to drive over.
- Interestingly, all of the off road modes are only available when you are in 4L. Yes, all LCs come with 4L. This includes various terrain modes and something they call CRAWL which is similar to Rock Crawl and Hill Descent in the LR4. You set it to one of 5 speeds, take your foot off the gas and brake, and let it do its thing. (Noisy as all get out so for going down hill I'll just stick with first gear in 4L.)
- Radar/adaptive cruise control and Lane Departure Warning. These, I believe, are in the MY15 and 16 LR4 but they were not in my MY14.
- Monster cool box. I know this is silly, but the thing is much larger than what we have on the LR4s. I actually wish the would have made it smaller and provided more storage. But if you need to put full height water bottles in there and a sizeable lunch, it works.
- More stuff in the multipurpose information display in the console. You can have front wheel direction showing all the time. (Most helpful when positioning a trailer or being off road.) PSI for all 5 wheels. Other stuff. I expect that this is also much improved in the new Discovery.
- Stock 285/50 R18 tires! Though I'll eventually replace the tires with an LT tire, at least there is not question about a wide tire fitting and no need to buy expensive 18" wheels.
- This one from my son - a moon roof that is large enough for a person to call through it. I guess in case I try to ford a river that is too deep and need to climb out the top.
- Reliability reputation. I think the LR4 is in a great place now and I fully expected ours to last at least 150K. But the Land Cruisers have always been in a different class. I expect to get a minimum 300K out of ours. (Unless I die first.)
And a couple things I don't like about the Land Cruiser.
- The stupid, unremovable rear entertainment display screens. Big ones, one each behind the driver and passenger headrest. They stick out like crazy. Are you kidding? When you roll the 2nd row forward it smashes into the screen. And they block your blind spot view to the right. In the days of tablets, those are dumb. (And they are not optional.)
- The fact that the 2nd row can only fold (not at all flat) and "roll" which essentially eliminates the ability to access work/cargo space from the side doors like you can do on the LR4.
OK, enough first impressions. Bottom line - if your LR4 is serving your needs, hold onto it for a long time. It is unique. Strong, yet with a certain elegance in the design. The LC is a bit more "beast" than "beauty". It will get the job done. But it certainly doesn't "feel" special as the LR4 did. That said, I know I'll enjoy driving it as much as I did the LR4 - especially for the kinds of driving I see us doing in the years ahead.
Later...
