After seven years on sale, the Toyota Land Cruiser V8 has come to an end. We take a look at the latest V8 model and the incredible heritage of the Land Cruiser so far.

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As a 4x4 the latest Land Cruiser V8 needs no introduction. Established in 2008, over the years it has achieved legendary status for its rugged reliability to stand up against any terrain, its powerful performance and its luxury comfort and practicality.

Performance
As the name suggests the Land Cruiser’s strong on- and off-road performance stems from the powerful 268bhp 4.5litre turbodiesel V8. On-road this means the V8 engine provides excellent acceleration for a vehicle of its size – 0-62mph takes just 8.9 seconds. Clever technology helps bring the power and overall comfort of the ride together with a Multi-terrain Select System which tailors the throttle, brakes and traction control to the particular surface type.

Luxury
As appropriate for a flagship model, the premium Land Cruiser V8 is more luxury car than rugged off-roader once you climb inside. A full leather interior seats up to seven people in comfort, and careful, considered design puts all the controls easily within reach of the driver and passengers.

Practicality
Greater interior space makes the latest Land Cruiser V8 even more practical and flexible than before. All of the second and third row seats can be collapsed – the third row folding to the side, the second row folding flat – making it possible to adapt the interior to your specific requirements and create a huge amount of luggage space (up to 1,267 litres) if needs be. And for those long days spent off the beaten track, the Land Cruiser V8 is fitted with a cool box and 12V accessory sockets to keep you going.

Safety
With the likelihood that the Land Cruiser V8 will find itself in all manner of locations and driving conditions, Toyota has ensured that occupants stay safe and out of trouble. As well as the high-tech off-road systems mentioned earlier, the Land Cruiser V8 is equipped with Multi Terrain anti-lock brakes with braking assist, stability control, active traction control and a pre-crash safety system that tensions seatbelts to restrain passengers. The 4×4’s construction is tough to start with, but Toyota has further enhanced passenger safety with eight airbags.

Land Cruiser

Although the Land Cruiser V8 is no longer available the original Land Cruiser is still going strong. In a history that has spanned nearly 65 years and over 6.5m sales, from it's humble beginnings as a warzone necessity to a multi-purpose SUV that can handle the dangers of any shopping mall, below are some of it's greatest moments to date.

From helping married couples circumnavigate the globe...

Swiss husband and wife Paul and Brigitta Bohlen Jüni are not your average couple. Having met and fallen in love in the Caribbean, they went on to tour Australia together, cementing their relationship with marriage in Namibia. Their honeymoon wasn’t spent reading books on a deserted beach, instead they chose a 4x4 adventure through South America, finishing it off by sailing to the Antarctic on a Russian icebreaker!

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...to challenging rallies...

Since the event’s first staging in 1979, the Dakar Rally (formerly the Paris-Dakar Rally) – a race that pits man and machine across some of the most demanding terrain in the world – has proved to be a challenge the Land Cruiser relishes: more Toyota Prados have been entered into the rally by private competitors than any other car since the rally’s inception, a clear indicator of the vehicle’s unwavering dependability.

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...to the Land Cruiser how it looks today

New features include the Crawl Control from the Series 200 and a new Multi-Terrain Select System that gives drivers the facility to match the vehicle’s settings to the terrain – if you were crossing a beach you would select Sand, or Rock for more treacherous and technical terrain.

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As the Land Cruiser powers it way through yet another decade it maintains all the attributes which it became known for in the first place – perhaps the reason why so many people hold it so dear. Sometimes the only word that will do it justice is simply… quality.

Find out more about the Land Cruiser and other Toyota 4x4's below.