When I bought my Land Cruiser in 1996, it was the lead dog in the pack of full-size SUVs. Don't get me wrong, the 2002 model still leades the 2002 heap along with the

Hummer H2
Lincoln Navigator
Lexus LX450/470
Cadillac Escallade
Chevrolet Suburban
Land Rover and
Ford Excursion.

The Land Cruiser is a great vehicle, and in most of my auto reviews, I like to start with the engine. The big Toyota features a large V-6, or a "Big 6" that makes around 220 horsepower and 290 lb/ft of tourqe. If you don't believe how big the 6 is, it gets about 10 mpg in the city and 14 on the highway! The willing 290 lb/ft of tourque really showed when it hauled the 2.5 tons ( 5,000 pounds )of steel on out latest expedition to Moab, Utah on the Slickrock trail.

The Land Cruiser features a full-time 4 wheel drive system, your can still scream at 110mph without that annoying rattle of it's other competitors that I am not going to mention.

In 1996, the Land Crusier was ahead of its time with an advanced air-conditioning system and a CD player.

One really bad thing about the Land Cruiser that I found out after I bought it was that it was the same year for the Lexus LX450. And since Lexus is Lexus, a division of Toyota and also a luxury based company, there was a limited supply of the leather shared for both the Toyota and the Lexus, and the Lexus snagged it for their line while Toyot got the cheap stuff from like Brazil or some middle-eastern place.
Amount Paid (US$): 59,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 1996
Model and Options: 4-wheel-drive, Leather, Premium Sound System, Sunroof, A/C, Automatic