Toyota’s Barebones and Discounted Land Cruiser

For several generations of the legendary SUV, the Toyota Land Cruiser has become a bit of a luxury vehicle. Even 25 years ago, US-based LCs included features that didn’t trickle down to more utility-focused vehicles for decades. However, in most of the world, that hasn’t been the case, and based on a recent release from Toyota, this trend is continuing with the new 250. As usual, this barebones 4×4 won’t be making its way to the United States.

The aptly named Land Cruiser Commercial resembles the rest of the 250 from the exterior, but inside, the differences are immediately noticeable. Boasting 71 cubic feet of cargo space thanks to the total deletion of the second and third row, speaking of which, that last row isn’t available on US-spec 250s, but the Lexus GX does include that option. For a bit of perspective, that’s about twice the cargo space offered in the more pedestrian version. There’s also a steel mesh partition protecting the driver and sole passenger from any loose cargo in case things get spirited away.

However, this commercial-focused Cruiser isn’t all business with zero creature comforts. It still includes blind spot monitoring, parking sensors, dual climate control, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. Under the hood, the same 2.8 diesel found in other UK-based Land Cruiser 250s cranks out the power and offers 7,716 pounds of towing capacity.

This no-frills version comes in about $35,000 cheaper than other options when adjusted to USD. That discount, and the fact that it appears prime for an interior build-out or even a pop-top roof conversion, makes it a true tragedy that it isn’t available in the States.

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