4x4 Mag - Short Term Road Test - Landcruiser Amazon VX

Short Term Road Test

Landcruiser Amazon VX

Having tested the Landcruiser Colorado a few months back, I didn't think there would really be much point in testing the even larger Amazon, as I thought it would be virtually the same car anyway. But once again how wrong could I be! I think the phrase 'Chalk & Cheese' springs to mind.

First impression of the Amazon is that it is huge. I don't think there is a larger 4x4, although the Nissan Patrol comes close. The model I had was a 1996 long wheel base VX, the top model sporting just about evry extra available, and a huge 4.6 Litre straight six engine and auto gearbox.

On the outside this particular car reminded me of a hearse, with its plain black paint finish and chrome roof bars, and it certainly looked to have room in the back for the odd coffin! Everything about the Landcruiser is big, from the huge wheels and tyres to the extra large running boards along the side. It is a good looking 4x4, and certainly stands out from the crowd on the road, not just because of it's size, but also because it looks so expensive, which by the way it is!

Inside the Toyota presents you with the executive finish you would expect from Toyota's finest 4x4. The cream leather upholstery can only be described as superb, with the seats proving to be extremely comfortable both back and front. The dash layout is as you would expect, plenty of leather and wood, and again everything is larger than life. I found the dash really quite easy to use, and not as hap hazard in layout as the smaller Colorado. The electrically adjusted seats slid smoothly into a very good driving position, and I would imagine that any size of driver would be able to get comfortable, the seat could even be adjusted for height and lumber support with just the push of a button. Even rear seat passengers could adjust the position of their seats manually.

Starting the big straight six brought about a pleasant rumble from the engine compartment. I did think for a while that it had a sound very much like a large "V" configuration engine, tending to burble along, but looking under the gas ram lifted bonnet confirmed the immense proportions of the straight six engine. Slotting the auto gear lever into drive had the Toyota under way, and with just slight pressure on the accelerator, the car easily reached 30MPH. But I did notice that the gear changes were possibly not the smoothest I had experienced. At normal around town road speeds the sounds from under the bonnet were very subdued, never really rising above a nice rumble barely noticable in the background, but put your foot down and there was no mistaking the size of the lump under the bonnet! The car surged forward at an alarming rate, for a car that must weigh in at over two tons, it accelerated extremely well. Although I do think that the engine noise was a lot louder than the V6 powered Colorado I had tested previously.

Gear changes in the Amazon were dissapointing. Under very gentle throttle openings, the gears engaged smoothly and were almost undetected, however when keeping up with the flow of traffic, each and every gear change was accompanied by a lurch from the car. I tried all manor of driving techniques to smooth out the gearchange, but nothing seemed to improve it. Whether this was a problem on this one car, or whether it affected all Amazons I couldn't say, but I was not impressed by this one.

Refinement in the Toyota was really very good. Not as good as the smaller Colorado, the V6 in that model seeming quieter and smoother, but even so the big Amazon was a delightful mile eater once under way. Cruising at 80MPH was effortless to this car, with the engine burbling away at only 2500 RPM, and noise levels within the cabin extremely low, even the wind noise levels were low for such a large car pushing it's way through the air. The suspension was superb, with most irregularities being absorbed well, and all passengers front or rear were impressed. With the cruise control set, and the standard single CD player on, the miles passed pleasantly and quickly. The excellent (but noisy) air conditioning making the journey even more comfortable.

Overtaking at motorway speeds was simple, a quick press of the light accelerator and the car would shoot forward passing cars with ease, release the pedal and the cruise control would bring the car back down to the preset speed. I found that when not using the cruise control, the speed of the big Landcruiser would gently increase without me really noticing, and quite often I found myself travelling at three figure speeds.

Stopping the car was also a pleasant experience, with the brake pedal being light and responsive to pressure. These brakes are definately an improvement over the Colorado I had driven before, again whether this is just individual cars varying, or a difference between the whole range I don't know and would need to be offered even more vehicles to test to fulfil that satisfaction.

As a tow car I expected the Amazon to be superb, the smaller Colorado had been excellent apart from the brakes, but in the end the big Amazon let me down. The engine had all the power I needed, even with an extremely heavy trailer on the back, but the gearbox just wouldn't let it do it's job. At times, especially on inclines, the gearbox simply refused to select a lower gear, even when moving the selector manually, and this meant that even the big 6 cylinder engine became bogged down and struggled to pull. Had I have had a manual gearbox, I am sure that the Amazon would be OK, but this particular car was a dissapointment. I also had problems with the stabilty of my trailers. All of my trailers are usually very stable behind what ever 4x4 I use, but for some reason all of my trailers developed a weave when behind the Toyota, sometimes meaning travelling at under 50MPH to keep the trailer straight. This could have been due to the height of the rear hitch on the car, although the trailers appeared to sit level, and I am inclined to think that it is more to do with air flow around the rear of the car than anything else. The brakes were acceptable with the heavy trailers on tow, and usually brought the combination to a stop with no problems.

Living with the Toyota had proven to be a pleasant experience, it really was a good luxury 4x4, with only the gearbox seeming to let this particular model down. At holiday time the immense boot swallowed all of our luggage easily, and the long drive into Wales passed in comfort. The whole family was impressed by this car, and in a way sad to see it go at the end of the test period. Having returned an average fuel consumption of about 18MPG during the three week test, I don't think I can really complain about the economy, it is after all a very large luxury car aimed at the top end of the market, where fuel consumption is perceived not to matter.

I didn't get the opportunity to really put this machine through its paces off-road, however what we did do illustrated a high degree of ability and comfort. Selecting low range was easy, just place the main gear lever in the neutral position, slip the low range lever into low, and thats it. This automatically engages the centre diff lock, meaning that low ratio could not be used on the road when towing a very heavy load for example, but with the huge amount of engine power available, this wasn't really a problem. A small rotary control to the left of the steering wheel would then engage either rear, or front and rear diff locks, meaning that the big Toyota performed extremely well off road considering it's size and weight.

Would I own one? The answer has to be no. For me the poor gear change, and the strange towing habits mentioned earlier were more than enough for me. I would have it's smaller sister the Clorado though. Any offers?