Toyota has been steadily building its commercial line-up into one of the most comprehensive around, and it’s topped the range with the new Land Cruiser Commercial. Building on the Stellantis-based compact, medium and large vans, the UK-built Corolla Commercial and, of course, the famous Hilux pickup, the Land Cruiser Commercial gives Toyota Professional customers a rugged 4×4 option for jobs where all-weather access and reliability matter more than a one-tonne payload.
Each vehicle is shipped from Japan as a five-door long-wheelbase model without its rear seats or belts, then converted at Toyota’s Corolla factory in Derbyshire. The conversion is simple but thorough: the rear windows are blanked out with metal plates (protecting the glass from loads), a flat load floor is fitted, and a full-height bulkhead with mesh upper section is installed.
Why the Corolla factory? Just outside Derby, it’s become Toyota’s UK hub for conversions, starting out converting the Corolla estate into the Commercial car-derived van. Now it handles blue-light conversions, panel van upfitting, refurbishing second-hand vehicles, and, of course, turning the Land Cruiser SUV into a van.
Inside the Land Cruiser Commercial
Unlike the previous-generation stripped-back model that went before, this latest Land Cruiser Commercial is impressively well equipped. There’s just one trim, but it’s pitched close to the SUV’s Invincible grade. You get heated and ventilated front seats in synthetic leather, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, two-zone climate control, a powered tailgate with separately opening glass, and a 9.0-inch touchscreen with smartphone integration.
Physical buttons for climate control and other key functions are a welcome sight, especially in a work vehicle, and the chunky switchgear feels durable. The Land Cruiser isn’t the last word in luxury and refinement, but the cabin is closer to passenger car territory than van.
The two-seat layout inevitably limits versatility, but the seating position is commanding, and visibility ahead is excellent. The blanked-off windows compromise over-the-shoulder views, as they do on every other van, though the reversing camera and sensors take the sting out of parking something just shy of five metres long.
Commercial 4×4 on the road
Power comes from Toyota’s familiar 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel, producing 205hp and 500Nm of torque. Despite sharing an engine with the Hilux pickup, the Land Cruiser’s power goes through a new eight-speed automatic gearbox, replacing the old six-speed unit.
Performance is brisk enough for a 2.4-tonne van, with 0-62mph in 10.9 seconds and a 102mph top speed. The gearbox shifts smoothly and makes the most of the engine’s torque, though the unit still sounds coarse when worked hard compared with the six-cylinder engines you’ll find in a Land Rover Defender Hard Top or Ineos Grenadier Commercial.
Coil-spring suspension gives a more composed ride than a leaf-sprung pickup, even if it still feels unsettled over broken tarmac. Unladen, the rear end can hop around; add a few hundred kilos in the back and it’ll calm down.
Steering response has improved dramatically over the old model, and while I couldn’t describe it as being razor sharp on country roads, there’s enough precision to hustle along. Motorway refinement is surprisingly good, with little wind noise, and the engine settling into a background drone at speed.
Around town, light steering and a decent turning circle make it less intimidating than its size suggests, but the suspension feels less at home, and a generation behind its Land Rover rivals.
Off-road in the Land Cruiser Commercial
If there’s one area where the Land Cruiser Commercial shines, it’s off-road. Permanent four-wheel drive is standard, with high and low ranges and a locking centre differential. There’s also Crawl Control, effectively an off-road cruise control, plus hill-start and downhill assist systems.
Taking it to a course laid out at Toyota’s Burnaston facility, I faced steep climbs, rocky descents and axle-twisting ruts without breaking a sweat. While the course wasn’t too demanding — I managed to get round it again without taking advantage of any of the digital and analogue tech available — there’s very little the Land Cruiser wouldn’t be able to cope with. The bumpy, grassy plains, rutted gravel tracks and logs left hiding in the undergrowth were a more realistic representation of the kind of use most Land Cruisers will see, and none of it fazed the Land Cruiser.
This UK-spec model does without the disconnecting front anti-roll bar or rear diff lock offered in some SUV versions, but it’s still hard to imagine a driver getting one stuck in day-to-day use. For construction, utilities, forestry or farming, the Land Cruiser’s blend of traction and electronic aids should be more than enough.
Payload and practicality
The rear conversion creates a flat, rubber-lined load bay measuring 1,685mm long, 1,286mm wide and 1,090mm tall. Total volume is quoted at 2.0m³, which is all but identical to the long-wheelbase Defender 110 Hard Top (which is a little shorter, a little wider, and a little lower) and the Grenadier Commercial.
Payload is 810kg, which is some way shy of the one-tonne threshold pickups can carry, but it’s on par with the Defender and Grenadier.
As with its rivals, the Land Cruiser is rated to pull 3.5 tonnes behind it, and permanent 4WD means plenty of traction.
Access to the rear is via the powered tailgate, with the separately opening glass handy in tight spaces, though the high load floor reflects the vehicle’s SUV roots. The rear side doors remain, making it easy to reach kit behind the seats without climbing in through the back. Helpfully, there are eight tie-down points plus a 220V socket.
Land Cruiser running costs
Toyota quotes official fuel economy of 26.6mpg (and CO₂ emissions of 278g/km), which isn’t too far removed from what we achieved through the Derbyshire countryside. An 80-litre fuel tank means you should be able to cover at least 400 miles, and edge into 500-mile territory if driven gently.
Despite being based on an SUV, the Land Cruiser qualifies for the flat commercial vehicle Benefit-in-Kind rate, rather than the emissions-based system now applied to double-cab pickups — that means an annual bill of £1,608 for a 40% taxpayer, which is a saving of over £2,500 against a Ford Ranger PHEV.
Servicing through Toyota extends the standard three-year warranty to a potential 10 years or 100,000 miles, which is something that owner-operators and small businesses are likely to welcome. With the Land Cruiser’s strong reliability record, downtime shouldn’t be a concern, though.
It’s not cheap, with an asking price of £52,000 excluding VAT. That makes it quite a bit more expensive than a KGM Rexton Commercial, but roughly at the same level as the Defender Hard Top and Grenadier Commercial.
Numbers will be limited to around 500 each year. That scarcity, combined with Toyota’s reputation for reliability and 10-year warranty cover, will likely keep demand strong and residual values high.
The only fly in the ointment is an impending change to the engine. The 48-volt hybrid engine in the Hilux is going to make its way to the Land Cruiser shortly, which will bring minor improvements in efficiency and emissions. That’s likely to see the price go up slightly, although that could be negated through efficiency gains.
Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial verdict
The Land Cruiser Commercial is a rare thing: a commercial 4×4 that feels as comfortable on the road as it does tackling rough tracks. It can’t quite match the refinement of Land Rover’s offerings, and the payload figure won’t trouble a pickup, but the combination of kit, towing strength, off-road ability and Toyota’s warranty cover makes it a strong proposition. Add in a limited UK allocation and robust residuals, and the Land Cruiser Commercial should be the go-to choice for operators who really need go-anywhere capabilities without compromising on comfort.
Model tested: Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial
Professional Van rating: ★★★★☆
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