Engine, Transmission and Drivetrain
The Land Cruiser is powered by an all-new 5.7L (346 cid) DOHC V8 engine known as the 3UR-FE. The engine uses electronic fuel injection, Toyota Direct Ignition, four valves per cylinder and a variable-length intake tract to produce 381 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 401 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 rpm. The Land Cruiser uses regular 87-octane gasoline and has ULEV-II emissions status.
Features of this engine include Variable Valve Timing with intelligence
(VVT-i), Acoustic Controlled Induction System (ACIS), Electronic Throttle Control System with intelligence (ETCS-i) and air injection. The engine also has aluminum block and heads and employs resin-coated pistons that reduce friction loss and a taper squish combustion chamber shaped to improve anti-knock performance and fuel efficiency.
Each camshaft on the intake side is chain-driven from the crankshaft and uses VVT-i. On the exhaust side, each camshaft is chain-driven, but from the intake camshaft. The exhaust cams also use VVT-i.
ACIS uses a bulkhead to divide the intake manifold into two stages. It alters the length of the tract in the intake manifold using engine speed and throttle valve opening to provide optimal performance in all RPM ranges. The engine's throttle body links to the Land Cruiser's accelerator pedal through ETCS-i to ensure optimal throttle control in all operating ranges.
Each of the four valves per cylinder is actuated by a rocker arm that rides on built-in needle bearings to reduce friction and improve fuel economy. To help control oil temperature while towing, this legendary off-road vehicle uses a water-cooled oil cooler. The Land Cruiser also features stainless-steel exhaust manifolds and exhaust pipes.
This advanced powerplant is connected to Toyota's AB60F six-speed electronically controlled transmission. In this smooth-shifting transmission, fourth gear is direct drive, and both fifth and sixth gears are overdrive gears. Fifth drive offers an overdrive ratio of 0:728:1 while sixth has a ratio of 0.588:1. Delivering power to this transmission is a compact, high-capacity torque converter that offers flexible lock-up control for improved fuel economy.
The transmission uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) Shift Control, which allows the transmission's Electronic Control module to estimate road condition and predict the driver's intention to select the appropriate gear ratio for the vehicle's speed and the driving conditions.
This transmission also offers a sequential shift mode that allows the driver to select gears manually. In this mode, the transmission automatically selects first gear when the vehicle comes to a stop.
The Land Cruiser is the first Toyota vehicle to use a newly-developed JF2A transfer case to provide full-time four-wheel drive. This lightweight, compact, chain-driven unit offers a standard 1:1 high ratio for highway travel and a low-range 2.618:1 ratio for traversing challenging driving surfaces. The transfer case employs a Torsen limited-slip locking center differential. The locking function is actuated by a push-button switch. High and low ranges are selected with a rotary dial, located next to the HVAC and audio control panels. Indicator lights in the right-hand combination meter on the Land Cruiser's dash panel indicate when low range and/or center lock is selected.
The Land Cruiser's front SD22A differential uses a 3.909:1 gear ratio and a ring gear that is 8.7 inches in diameter. The rear BD24A differential uses precisely the same gear ratio and employs a 9.5-inch ring gear.
Drawing from a multi-layer composite 24.6-gallon fuel tank, the Land Cruiser has preliminary EPA fuel economy estimates of 13/18 mpg city/highway, based on calculations using the new EPA methodology for all 2008 and newer models.
Safety Systems
The Land Cruiser comes replete with a wide variety of systems designed to help maintain the safety and security of the vehicle's driver and passengers. Like all Toyota SUVS, the Land Cruiser comes standard with the STAR safety system. A new, four-wheel multi-terrain anti-lock braking system (ABS) automatically selects the optimal ABS profile to provide the most suitable brake force for on- and off-road driving surfaces. Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) employs the multi-terrain ABS to properly balance braking forces between the front and rear brakes, while Brake Assist (BA) provides auxiliary force to assist the driver during emergency braking. Active Traction Control (A-TRAC) helps maintain traction during acceleration by controlling engine output and braking forces to the wheel, distributing the drive force that might have been lost to the wheels and tires have traction. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), with a cut-off switch, helps maintain directional control during cornering by manipulating engine torque and individual wheel-braking influence when it detects tire slippage.
In addition to the STAR safety features, the Land Cruiser also features Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), which provides additional control for off-road driving by helping to keep the vehicle stationary while starting on a steep incline or slippery surface.
The new Land Cruiser features 10 airbags, the most airbags found in any Toyota vehicle. These include driver and front passenger dual-stage advanced airbags; driver and front passenger knee airbags; front- and second-row seat-mounted side airbags; and three-row roll-sensing side curtain airbags with a roll-sensing cutoff switch.
To this arsenal of safety tools, the Land Cruiser adds various new standard features: CRAWL Control, a direct tire pressure monitor system (TPMS), intuitive parking assist and front active headrests.
With the transfer case shifted into low range, CRAWL controls engine speed and output, along with braking force, to propel the vehicle forward or in reverse at one of three low-speed settings. This allows the driver to maintain focus while steering over very rough level ground or steep grades, without having to also concentrate on the throttle or brake pedals. CRAWL Control includes Downhill Assist Control (DAC), which is designed to augment the low-speed ascending ability of low-range by holding the vehicle to a target speed with no driver intervention.
The direct-sensing TPMS receives air-pressure signals from all of the vehicle's tires, including the spare tire. When the pressure in one of the tires is below a preset threshold, the system turns on a light in the vehicle's instrument cluster to alert the driver. Intuitive parking assist, new for Land Cruiser, relies on ultrasonic sensors on the front and rear bumpers to sense obstacles.
All eight seating positions feature three-point seatbelts. The new Land Cruiser incorporates active headrests for the driver and front passenger. Active headrests move up and forward almost instantly in the event of certain rear-end collisions when the force of the occupant body is applied to the seat back and help reduce the distance between the occupant's head and the headrest. An available advanced seatbelt system is designed to retract the front seatbelts when the brakes are suddenly applied or when tire slippage is detected by the VSC system.
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