Toyota loads up LandCruiser

TOYOTA has introduced a special edition variant of its iconic LandCruiser that adds more than $4000 worth of extras.

The price tag for the ‘Altitude’ is $90,490 plus on-road costs, which is a $2000 premium over the mid-spec GXL model on which it is based.

External touches differentiating the Altitude from the GXL include 18-inch alloy wheels taken from the higher spec VX and Sahara models, roof rails and Altitude badging.

A number of luxury features borrowed from the Sahara’s interior include black leather accents with a premium steering wheel and gearshift knob, a cooler box and power-operated driver and front passenger seats.

These add to already-standard features such as steering wheel-mounted audio controls, MP3 compatibility and climate control.

The Altitude is offered in a range of five colours, including Crystal Pearl and Eclipse Black that were previously only available in the luxury variants.

The LandCruiser is powered by a 195kW 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 engine that is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Toyota claims fuel consumption figures of 10.3 litres per 100 kilometres for the big 4WD.

Year-to-date sales of the LandCruiser have increased 22.8 per cent over the same period last year with Toyota shifting 760 units for the first seven months of 2012.

The LandCruiser is comfortably the biggest seller in the upper-large SUV segment, commanding 74.1 per cent of overall sales, with its Nissan Patrol arch-rival taking 25.9 per cent of the segment in comparison.

Nissan is hoping to challenge Toyota’s dominance later in the year when it launches the all-new Patrol in Australia.