IMHO, it's really difficult for most people to justify spending $85K+ for a vehicle that would primarily be used as a soccer mom's kid bus. Most buyers will never take that $85K vehicle off-road, where it really shines. It's also difficult to consider that you could buy
TWO (2) 4Runners for the price of one Land Cruiser. Although I would never regret buying the 2015 LC that we had, we didn't use it for off-roading nearly as much as I thought we would, which was a shame. But wow, was that LC the
perfect snow machine. The AWD system was superb.
It's obvious that Toyota markets the LC as a luxury family station wagon rather than as an off-roader. Maybe if they would import some of those stripped-down LCs that they sell in the rest of the world, the LC would have a better off-road reputation, but then it would directly compete with the 4Runner. Like, who really wants a "cold box" instead of a big console to stuff junk into?
Obviously, most folks will not miss the LC if it disappears. Toyota may have decided that it's just too expensive to upgrade the LC for the US market when the new re-design comes out--if it ever does.
Here's a link to the article that started this topic:
The Toyota Land Cruiser is one of the most capable SUVs on and off the road today. It’s also one of Toyota’s longest-running U.S. nameplates, but this week rumors have been circulating about its impending demise amid slowing sales. Toyota responded, but not in the most reassuring way.
jalopnik.com
