Why is the Land Cruiser Twice As Much as a Sequoia?

"Rosco458" (Rosco458)
06/29/2015 at 20:42 • Filed to: toyota, landcruiser, jalopnik, sequoia

So I was poking around the Toyota USA website just now and noticed this. I understand that the Land Cruiser has a very strong history of a hyper reliable, world conquering SUV, but I struggle to understand the price difference between it and Toyota’s other massive SUV. Basically:

Why is the Land Cruiser near-as-makes-no-difference twice as much as the Sequoia?

DISCUSSION (43)

Rainbow > Rosco458
06/29/2015 at 20:49

Nibby > Rosco458
06/29/2015 at 20:50

Same engine, transmission... the 4WD system is a bit fancier in the Land Cruiser, but it works similarly with more locking diffs (IIRC). Sequoia has a locking center one.

Sequoia isn’t as luxurious and is based on the Tundra, so it is more utilinarian. The Land Cruiser is very comfy and has luxurious features (but most of those you can get as options in the Sequoia anyways). Sequoia is also noticeably longer, wider, heavier... yet quicker.

dogisbadob > Rosco458
06/29/2015 at 20:51

Kinja'd!!!

what a ripoff! You can get the same thing with more luxury and prestige as the LX570

. . > Rosco458
06/29/2015 at 20:52

Pffft. Over here a Land Cruiser costs twice as much as a Land Cruiser!

Kinja'd!!!

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > . .
06/29/2015 at 20:59

Where is this?

. . > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest.
06/29/2015 at 21:00

Kinja'd!!!

Alex from Toronto > Rosco458
06/29/2015 at 21:05

So you can get that one extra mpg.

HammerheadFistpunch > Rosco458
06/29/2015 at 21:05

61095 as shown is the number you should be looking at, the land cruiser only comes one way and has no options, just “fully loaded”. So its more like 19,000 difference not twice. Apples to apples. I could go into why in greater detail but im on the jon. Long story short; import (chicken tax) vs domestic and higher built standards and more expensive parts.

Big Bubba Ray > Rosco458
06/29/2015 at 21:05

Chicken tax.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > . .
06/29/2015 at 21:09

thanks

DoYouEvenShift > Rosco458
06/29/2015 at 21:11

80k for a Toyota Suv? They can die in a tire fire.

jkm7680 > Rosco458
06/29/2015 at 21:14

It’s a less ugly Lexus GX, that’s pretty much it.

samssun > Rosco458
06/29/2015 at 21:16

Twice as much is pretty steep, but the interiors are noticeably different. They’ve basically made the Land Cruiser into a Lexus. But then what’s the point of the LX570?

Milky > Rosco458
06/29/2015 at 21:57

Im actually kind of appalled by that. That is Range Rover money ….. and $20k more than the top trim LR4. I don’t care how legendary its name is, 2008 called and it wants it’s interior back.

Kinja'd!!!

just for sake of argument ^ base no options RR

F10M5 > Milky
06/29/2015 at 22:25

That’s actually the interior of the Land Cruiser Prado. The Land Cruiser sold in US has, imo, a even more outdated interior.

Kinja'd!!!

Rosco458 > Milky
06/29/2015 at 22:31

I totally agree with you. The Land Cruiser is an LR4 that’s probably worst off road and has miles less refinement+luxury.

HammerheadFistpunch > HammerheadFistpunch
06/29/2015 at 22:31

EDIT: the limited is 65 large, thats the equiv trim.

BigBlock440 > HammerheadFistpunch
06/29/2015 at 22:45

How does the chicken tax apply? It’s not a commercial vehicle.

BigBlock440 > Big Bubba Ray
06/29/2015 at 22:46

It’s not a comercial vehicle?

Et tu, Hellcat? > . .
06/29/2015 at 22:48

I’m persistently confused as to why someone would pay more for a RAV4 than a Hilux. And that V8 markup is utterly insane.

50fridge > Milky
06/29/2015 at 23:11

The Range Rover will be scrap in 10 years. The Land Cruiser is actually a usable luxury SUV that will last forever.

wafflesnfalafel > Rosco458
06/29/2015 at 23:50

It gets one better MPG on the highway - clearly justifies the cost difference

GhostZ > Rosco458
06/30/2015 at 00:01

The Sequioa is based on the toyota Tundra, so the tundra subsidizes a lot of its costs. The landcruiser is not, I believe. That makes its base price higher, plus the land cruiser is offered with more standard features too. They’re significantly different cars, but even after all of that, yes they are overpriced, especially when the lexus versions are almost the same price.

HammerheadFistpunch > Et tu, Hellcat?
06/30/2015 at 00:09

its not just a V8, they are 2 different cars, a land cruiser prado and a land cruiser 200, sometimes called the land cruiser V8

HammerheadFistpunch > Rosco458
06/30/2015 at 00:10

coincidentally, miles is also how you measure the distance between a land cruiser and a broken LR4

HammerheadFistpunch > dogisbadob
06/30/2015 at 00:10

yeah, they are really shooting themselves in the foot with the two identically priced vehicles. The toyota needs to come down market, or at least have options for it.

Cé hé sin > . .
06/30/2015 at 04:53

Ah, but you’re comparing the V8 (Range Rover wannabe) to the everyday 3.0 Landcruiser (basic Discovery rival). Buyers expect to pay big money for the flashy one.

Having said that hardly anyone here buys the V8.

I’ve just looked up the prices in Ireland:

Landcruiser from €39,785

LC V8 from €145,325.

No, that’s not a misprint. You can get the basic model as a van (no rear seats or wimdows) and there’s far less tax on it.

Cé hé sin > Et tu, Hellcat?
06/30/2015 at 04:58

The Hilux is a van, the Rav4 is a car so less tax.

The difference in price is actually greater than that if you’re buying the Hilux for business (which is what people do) because you can then recover the VAT which you can’t do on a car like the Rav4.

Milky > F10M5
06/30/2015 at 09:48

Well then. I GIS’d “2015 land cruiser interior” ….. but Im inclined to agree with you, that somehow looks more outdated.

Milky > HammerheadFistpunch
06/30/2015 at 09:50

Toyota doesn’t charge E-class prices for the Avalon because it will work forever. Same logic should applied to their SUV.

HammerheadFistpunch > Milky
06/30/2015 at 11:28

This doesn’t make any sense for 2 reasons:

1. The avalon and the E class are not in the same market segment...they aren’t even the same KINDS of car.

2. The Avalon wasn’t built specifically for a 25 year service life.

By this “logic” a really nice Casio watch should be about the same price as an Omega.

Milky > HammerheadFistpunch
06/30/2015 at 11:47

1. They’re about the same size and do the same job if you don’t think about it.

2. counterpoint:

Kinja'd!!!

mint

HammerheadFistpunch > Milky
06/30/2015 at 12:05

1. Its true, the casio and the omega are about the same size and do the same job....but they aren’t the same.

2. Counterpoint? No. the LAND CRUISER was specifically designed and built (in only one plant in Japan) to be in service for 25 years. Few Toyota’s are held to this standard. All Toyota’s are built with durability in mind, but very few of their products were held to the ultimate design standard. Its like this: its not the million mile Camry, its the million mile Lexus (the LS400 is one of their few other cars held to the this standard)

As an aside, have you priced out an equally equipped Tahoe or Yukon? They are about 72-74 grand. Big cars are pricey. Big cars built to last for 25 years without trouble are a little bit more. Its like the old mercedes definition of luxury used to mean built with exacting standards to withstand the test of time and you paid more for it because you knew. Design, feature, toys...all nice, but its a very different definition of “luxury”. For me, “Luxury” is confidence that I can take my 262k mile cruiser into the backcountry with my family knowing that I’ll get home.

Milky > HammerheadFistpunch
06/30/2015 at 12:35

Official that guy comment: The 3 of them out there will last for 25 years.

Sales for the Land Cruiser, Range Rover and Suburban (shit cropping job on my end).

Kinja'd!!!

HammerheadFistpunch > Milky
06/30/2015 at 12:38

So what you are saying is that there will be more failed suburbans and Range Rovers than sold Land Cruiser... Im not sure what your point is? The thing is, Toyota couldn’t care less how many it sells here in the US, because it owns the market where Land Cruisers are king. Plus, believe it or not, halo vehicle.

Milky > HammerheadFistpunch
06/30/2015 at 12:49

My point is thats not the interior of an $80k vehicle and apparently the market agrees with me. I guess I don't live in the land of Land Cruisers/Patrols but maybe it being a halo makes sense there.

HammerheadFistpunch > Milky
06/30/2015 at 12:54

Its a halo vehicle here, though not to people who don’t care. As far as the interior, I think its just as nice as a Tahoe, and they are 73 grand fully loaded. As for sales, in the US they sold a little over 12,000 range rovers in the US last year, they sold a little over 7100 of the J200 (Lexus LX/Land Cruiser) in the US. Its a niche market, big sales numbers aren’t part of the game. For reference, they only sold a little over 4000 LR4...talk about a flop, right?

Milky > HammerheadFistpunch
06/30/2015 at 13:20

Well the LR4 is damn near ancient refresh or not. Also this was a good read - http://expeditionportal.com/why-the-land-c… , Im going to assume he’s educated in the matter and he doenst think its a good halo.

Also didn’t realize I got RR worldwide sales, my fault.

HammerheadFistpunch > Milky
06/30/2015 at 14:03

Scott is also an unapologetic Range Rover groupie. I should also add that while I pine for a 76 series, I disagree with pretty much all of what Scott said. the 200 may not be his jam, but I don’t think its as “bloated and ponderous” as he claims. I think he’s just waxing nostalgic for simpler times. He doesn’t mention that the 76 series has a lot of faults, least of which is the fact that it would be stupid expensive for bare bones interior and that it has coils up front, leafs in the back and different track widths which give it a very strange unladen ride. I think the 200 could hit the gym a little and get back to basics, but its hardly the lazy fat man he is alluding too.

Et tu, Hellcat? > HammerheadFistpunch
06/30/2015 at 16:42

Learn something new every day! Never knew all that much about the Land Cruisers on account of there being (comparatively) so few of them in North America.

common sense > HammerheadFistpunch
04/06/2016 at 22:20

What are you talking about. To quote the movie ‘ Billy Madison ’ “what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.” Most Toyota’s are built very well. Most Toyota’s can easily be ran 25 years. Plain and simple it’s marketing. Yes, Land Cruiser has more toys and a more rugged 4WD system. Most people could easily buy the Sequoia and put the rest of the money in the bank. And yes I do love the Land Cruiser. Just think for most people it is overpriced.

HammerheadFistpunch > common sense
04/06/2016 at 22:34

So...ingor the entire researched article and quote an adam sandler movie?

HammerheadFistpunch > common sense
04/06/2016 at 22:50

edit: so I guess you hadn’t read this yet...