Toyota Land Cruiser Amazon Station Wagon 2002 - 2007

The Land Cruiser Amazon has been pounding the UK streets for a long while now and does it in style. Offering a realistic alternative to the hierarchy of the Range Rover and Land Rover at the luxury end of the market, although looking a little dated in comparison with their current offerings.

Inside the Amazon there is ample room for seven people to travel without compromising on comfort levels. The level of equipment is top notch too and the reputation for reliability is one that is the envy of many. The engine options on the Amazon are all enormous; with a choice of six cylinder turbo diesel or V8 petrol units. The fuel figures are harrowing, especially in the light of more than £1 per litre fuel. The 4.6 turbo diesel returns a best of 26 mpg from the efficient automatic gearbox, with the rather more workman stick shift returning 25 mpg. The V8 petrol monster returns, wait for it, 17 mpg! With the cost of a gallon at £5 running the petrol Amazon is going to be like financing a trip to the Amazon each week. Luxurious but at quite a price.
The handling of the Amazon is something of a let down, and this is primarily due to it's age. When it was first unveiled to the public it was competent but as others have been upgraded and replaced the Amazon has started to feel somewhat flabby. This is no doubt not helped by it's sheer size, but is also in part also due to the cars off road ability, which is impressive. The soft suspension required to cope with off road driving means that on road the Amazon suffers with excessive body roll. This robs the driver of the level of confidence that you'd expect from such an impressive car. The leaning of the cabin also makes you constantly worry about scraping parked cars.

The Land Cruiser Amazon is another impressive offering from Toyota, in terms of it's ability. However it so big that you should have to qualify for a different type of license to drive one and the running costs are so huge that you have to wonder if it can possibly be worth it.

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