Commercial 4x4 o ers practicality and performance

The Toyota Land Cruiser enjoys a long-earned reputation for reliability and comfort, and is a common sight in car parks at agricultural shows and dealer events. David Williams borrowed the Commercial variant for a week-long test, to nd out if it is a suitable option for farmers.

The Land Cruiser Commercial shares its design with the standard passenger version. Drive is mainly through the front wheels, but the all-wheel drive system distributes power to the rear when needed. The vehicle is available in long or short wheelbase variants. The same 2.8-litre diesel engine is shared, and either a six-speed manual in the Utility speci cation, or a sixspeed automatic in the Active variant.

Well designed and nished

The model supplied for the Farmers Guide test was the short wheelbase (SWB) in Utility speci cation.

Ruggedly made, well nished and looks the part. Inside, the seats are durable, the steering wheel is chunky and comfortable, and controls are logically arranged. Doors open wide for easy access, and there is plenty of space for taller drivers.

Behind the front seats is a substantial load retaining mesh barrier. The two rear side windows are blanked out, and the area usually used for rear seating is converted to a at oor.

The Utility version tested is the lower of two speci cations, but it comes with a reasonable level of equipment. The higher Active speci cation includes rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera – which could be handy and help protect against knocks in the farmyard.

Practicality

Toyota quotes a total load space volume of 1,574 litres, and the maximum load capacity is 593kg. Based on the two-door standard Land Cruiser, there is no side access to the load area, but the long wheelbase (LWB) version is based on the four-door standard vehicle, so loading from the sides is possible.

The rear door is hinged on the right and opens to the side, which means a large space behind the vehicle is needed to open it fully. However, if smaller items are being loaded the top section of the rear door opens – hinged at the top.

Maximum towing is 3,000kg, and we tried the vehicle towing a loaded trailer on- and o -road. There is a huge amount of torque, and a constant speed is maintained without changing down the gears even when climbing steep slopes. Acceleration is brisk, making it easy to pull away from junctions.

Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial Short wheelbase (SWB) Utility

Engine Diesel, 4-cyl, 2,755cc, 16-valves, DOHC, common-rail fuel injection Max power/Max torque 204hp@3,400rpm, 420Nm@1,400–3,400rpm Drive Manual 6-speed. All wheel drive automatically distributed front and rear Low and high range with selectable rear di erential lock.

Acceleration 0-60mph in 9.9 seconds.

Suspension Wheels and tyres Wheelbase Front: Double Wishbone. Rear: Four-link with coil springs 245/70R17 2,450mm

Turning radius

5.2m Ground clearance 205mm Approach/departure angles 31 degrees/25 degrees Max climbing angle 42 degrees Max wading depth 700mm Max payload 593kg Max towing capacity 3,000kg Gross vehicle weight 2,600kg Price Commercial vehicle OTR price with VAT reclaimed £34,986

Power and performance

The 2.8-litre, 4-cyl engine is quiet and smooth. It develops 204hp, and the maximum 420Nm of torque is produced in a wide band from 1,400–3,400rpm, making the vehicle extremely forgiving and easy to drive.

There is a low range too, selected by a twist control on the dashboard. The rear di erential can be locked electronically for extra traction, using a button beside the range selector. Test-week economy was impressive, averaging 38mpg in a wide variety of situations from towing to travelling o -road. On one longer journey it achieved 43mpg.

Comfort

Double wishbone front suspension and four-link suspension with coil springs at the rear provides a great combination for transporting people and load carrying. The seats are supportive and comfortable, and they contribute to the ride quality. Some short wheelbase vehicles give a choppy ride, but this wasn’t the case, although the longer version should be

According to Toyota, the total load capacity is 1,574 litres, and up to 593kg can be carried. As well as the side-hinged rear door, there is a handy access hatch through the top-hinged rear window. The oor is tough steel with a durable rubber cover. A decent tool kit is included, stowed inside the rear door.

even better.

The view from the driver’s seat is very good. The front corner pillars are narrow, and the side windows are large. The protective load mesh is tough, but isn’t so thick that it interferes with the view through the rear window.

One impressive feature of the vehicle design are the external mirrors. These are large and perfectly located to obtain the best possible view down the sides of the vehicle, and for reversing a trailer they are ideal.

O -road

The Land Cruiser has good credentials for o -road use too, and certainly adequate for most UK farm situations. It has 205mm of ground clearance, an approach angle of 31 degrees, a departure angle of 25 degrees and a climb angle of 42 degrees is quoted. Maximum wading depth is impressive at 700mm. The week-long test certainly didn’t push the vehicle to its limits in terms of challenging terrain but crossing plough furrows at eld edges and trailer ruts during sugar beet harvesting wasn’t an issue, and it steered in and out of deep ruts on a woodland track with ease – and without needing to select low range or lock the rear di erential.

Verdict

The Land Cruiser Commercial proved excellent. It comes with the right level of equipment and is comfortable and a pleasure to drive. Towing capacity of 3,000kg will satisfy most farm requirements, and the rear load space capacity is ideal for transporting replacement parts, sacks of feed and livestock bedding and workshop tools. The vehicle looks the part – it’s business-like and solid, and extremely well nished with no squeaks or rattles. It’s well thought out, and the all-around vision is excellent. Nimble on-road and capable o -road, it also has a very tight turning circle.

The number of genuine 4x4 commercial vehicles to choose from has reduced in recent years, but this would be well up our list of candidates. FG

Celebrations mark new depot opening and a new franchise

Claas Eastern celebrated the opening of its new Ulceby Cross depot at the end of November. David Williams was there.

Claas senior vice president (Western Europe & Oceania), Trevor Tyrrell performs the o cial depot opening by cutting the ribbon.. The new state-of-the-art depot has been constructed on a green eld site, adjacent to the dealer’s previous depot which it had long since outgrown.

“Trading as RW Marsh Ltd, we moved into the original Ulceby Cross depot in 1995, and celebrated its o cial opening in February 1996,” explained Claas Eastern sales director Will Tuxworth. “Our team was just six people, and the workshop would only accommodate a single combine plus two tractors at a squeeze. This new depot is superb – the workshop is six times as big as before and open plan, and it provides a much better working environment for our service team, and it will help us give customers an even more e cient service.”

The new premises includes a large showroom, parts, service and sales o ces, and plenty of space outside for parking and storage. There is also room for future expansion as demand for the dealer’s products and services continues to grow.

Pichon tankers

As well as celebrating the new depot opening, the dealer announced that Pichon slurry tankers have been added to its list of carefully selected suppliers. Pichon was bought by Samson in 2019, but until now the brands have been supplied through separate dealers in the UK. “We have sold Samson tankers since 2018 and they appeal to farmers and contractors handling slurry intensively due to their top-level build quality and sophistication,” Claas Eastern franchise manager, Richard Sharman told Farmers Guide. “Pichon tankers are also very good quality, and for those who don’t require quite the same high performance of the Samson products, they o er a cost-e ective alternative. We are very pleased to o er our customers the choice of two such respected brands.”

Popular event

Also on show were the latest products from Claas, Lemken, Horsch and Portek, and dealer and manufacturer product service and sales specialists were busy all evening explaining features and bene ts to the hundreds of customers who attended.

See the Farmers Guide February edition for a full event report. FG

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