Chris Harris Writes ‘Love Letter’ to His Toyota Land Cruiser
This video proves even one of the most famous automotive journalists in the world isn’t immune to the charms of the Land Cruiser.
Chris Harris is one of the best-known gearheads in the world, and as result, the slide-happy Brit gets to test loads of amazing hardware. But while he’s owned high-end kit like a Ferrari FF and a Mercedes G-Class, he remains smitten with his Toyota Land Cruiser. In this video, which Harris calls a “love letter” to the venerable off-roader, he cited some of the many reasons it’s earned his affection — and they’ll be familiar to anyone who has owned one of these special rigs.
As you might be able to tell from the stills, this 15-year-old truck is no beauty queen. Harris deliberately bought the highest mileage, roughest example he could find. That said, it had a relatively low 135,000 miles on the clock, so it’s barely broken in, and that durability is one of the reasons Harris is so taken with it. In his opinion, the robust construction makes it the very best vehicle in its class, as the big Toyota excels at everything, from carrying cargo, to tackling trails, to serving as a tow rig for his speedboat.
Or, it excels at everything except being as posh as a Land Rover. But as it says in the video description, “You go into the desert in a Range Rover, and you then use a Land Cruiser to get back out of it afterward.”
Surprisingly, Harris is even impressed with its on-road ability, despite the fact that under the skin, this is still a body-on-frame machine. In a statement that’s sure to rankle many of his countrymen, he even says that the on-road manners of this 2008 model aren’t far behind a modern Land Rover’s — and that off-road, it’s better. High praise indeed.
One of Harris’ observations that I particularly appreciated was how the Land Cruiser has absolutely no sporting pretensions. Because in today’s car market, that’s a relatively rare thing. Manufacturers want to give all their products sporty cred, which makes this machine’s bias toward competent comfort feel endearing. Check out the video for more of Harris’ opinions on his Land Cruiser, and to see how his adorable Bull Terrier handles steep descents!
Photos: YouTube
Join the YotaTech forums now!