Just before the last James Bond movie No Time To Die hit cinemas, I was invited to an early viewing, courtesy of one of its automotive partners.
In a multi-million pound deal, Jaguar Land Rover used the film – Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 – to showcase its new Defender 4×4, running a host of high-octane adverts, events and stunts on the back of it.
Imagine my surprise (and that of JLR’s expectant staff) at the 2021 pre-screening in London when – in one of the movie’s key chase sequences – it was not the new, sinister and capable black Defenders used by the ‘baddies’ which stole the show, but rather a beat-up yellow Toyota Land Cruiser driven by our superspy.
Bond’s classic Japanese 4×4 comprehensively and cinematically trashed a host of pursuing Defenders (and Range Rovers). Ouch! My heart went out to the crestfallen Land Rover audience.
Even more galling for JLR, my Toyota spies tell me they didn’t pay a penny for the old Land Cruiser’s inclusion in the movie.
But I wasn’t surprised at the outcome. Watch TV news coverage of any foreign war or coup, and you will see militias riding around in rufty-tufty, reliable Toyota Land Cruisers – a 4×4 that traces its lineage back to 1951. They are the wheels of choice for guerrilla fighters.
Smooth: Toyota have replaced the pure diesel Land Cruiser with an electrified mild hybrid version
Here, the modern Land Cruiser offers bold and politically incorrect fun – despite the war on the motorist waged by Government and councils. It’s a chunky Tonka toy for grown-ups, with superb off-road and on-road skills, as a cross-country journey to Goodwood in Sussex confirmed.
I clambered into the cabin via a running board step to enjoy a high driving position while sitting in an armchair-like seat behind a squared-off steering wheel. Mine was the seven-seater First Edition, with round headlights and a panoramic roof, providing a very spacious feel.
Features include 20in alloy wheels, roof rails, a panoramic roof, leather upholstery, a 12.3 in multimedia touchscreen, head-up display and 14-speaker JBL premium audio system
Enjoy a high driving position while sitting in an armchair-like seat
The chunky Toyota Land Cruiser offers bold and politically incorrect fun
The 205hp, 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine gives commanding pulling power, managing 0 to 62mph in 10.9 seconds up to a top speed of 105mph.
This week Toyota replaced the pure diesel model with an electrified mild hybrid version – adding a lithium-ion battery and electric motor-generator to the engine and an eight-speed automatic gearbox.
In moving to the 48v hybrid, the Land Cruiser loses two seats to become a five-seat model, with just one Invincible trim level. The 0 to 62mph time increases to 12.3 seconds because of extra weight.
Features include 20in alloy wheels, roof rails, a panoramic roof, leather upholstery, a 12.3 in multimedia touchscreen, head-up display and 14-speaker JBL premium audio system.
Priced at £80,740 with first deliveries from March, Toyota says it will deliver ‘a smoother, more comfortable performance, both on-road and off’. Drivers should be left stirred, not shaken.
