Mom Grows Into the Land Cruiser

2009 Toyota Land Cruiser

model as tested $73,567

Test Drove 5/18/09 – 5/26/09
reviewed by Lori Hindman

You know that guy from the cover of romance novels? He’s the completely improbable one with the physique of a god and the heart of a poet? Well, he doesn’t exist, but if he were a car, he’d be a 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser. It’s huge and muscled on the outside and soft and nurturing on the inside. Sadly, though, he’s not that bright. As much as I enjoyed our fling, I was just as happy to say goodbye.

When I first got into the Land Cruiser, I was offended by its size. It seats eight and it’s enormous, and I thought it was a lot more room than I needed. But like a pair of baggy jeans, I found myself spreading out and growing into the Land Cruiser. It took some getting used to the Land Cruiser, but I fell for this big brute with a heart of gold. There’s something about driving such a large vehicle that just feels safe and empowering.

Its V-8 engine handled everything from the brutal hills I live on to the near-killer merges on L.A.’s freeway system. It did it all without being noisy or obnoxious. The ride is super smooth, and there’s no roly-poly sensation in the curves. In fact, the Land Cruiser handled it all like a perfect gentleman and looked good doing it.

Then I started noticing the Land Cruiser’s problems such as how driving 5,690 pounds of SUV in my hilly neighborhood sucked up the gas to the tune of 11 mpg; it gets an EPA-estimated 13/18 mpg city/highway. It also has squishy brakes that need a lot of pressure to bring the behemoth to a stop. If I didn’t keep pressing on the brake pedal at stoplights, the Land Cruiser would start creeping forward while idling. This is the kind of guy I’d have to keep an eye on or he’d wander.

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