2013 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 / V8 facelift revealed

2013 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 / V8 facelift revealed

Next week, the Japanese car manufacturing giant will officially present its refreshed 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 / V8 sports utility vehicle. The wraps will be pulled off during the upcoming 2012 Chicago Auto Show.

Although the 5.7-liter V8 engine remains unchanged and still feature the same 381 hp (284 kW / 386 PS) of power, healthy 401 lb-ft (543 Nm) of torque, and not particularly impressive mileage of 13 mpg city / 18 mpg highway, there are some subtle changes to the vehicle’s exterior that make the heavy SUV look more, eh, desirable.

If you compare the refreshed car with the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 / V8 SUV that was revealed in September, 2007, you will probably immediately notice the refreshed front bumper with integrated fog lights that now looks more energetic and provides the vehicle with more muscular appearance.

The headlamps were, too, changed in favor of more modern “crystal-clear” design with a row of LED daytime running lights added to the lower part of each headlamp. And, no: still no xenon in this department.

The corporate grill was also revised, although it would be hard to notice the difference if you are not a fan of the Japanese brand.

Since in many countries the vehicle is sold as a “luxurious” off-roader, the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser is also equipped with new chrome trim. I just wonder how long will the chrome survive in a city like Moscow, where the roads are literally drowned in salt-based deicing liquid. Perhaps, a couple of months, like it was with Lexus LX 570 SUVs that were, too, heavily decorated with chrome.

In its press release, the Japanese brand also says that the car will receive slightly upgraded interior with perforated leather seats, a standard rear-seat DVD entertainment system, and metallic accents here and there.

Although the TLC 200 will certainly become more expensive, Toyota was actually forced to move the vehicle upmarket since it simply didn’t have a chance from the point of interior comfort when compared to its major rival: the 2011 Nissan Patrol that, too, comes with a rear-seat entertaining system that, besides a DVD player, also includes a couple of huge, 7-inch monitors embedded into each front seat headrest.

Photos: Toyota

See also: 2009 Lincoln Navigator to get 15 percent better mpg