Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial Review 2025

Toyota may be a global giant but that doesn’t mean that every vehicle it produces is built with a world market in mind — the latest generation of Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial is very much proof of that.

Developed specifically for the UK and Irish markets, this van is a factory conversion of the Toyota Land Cruiser SUV, with a load capacity of 2.0 cubic metres and an 810kg payload.

It also means that Toyota offers commercial vehicles in more market sectors than any other LCV manufacturer, despite its relatively small presence on the van scene. From the Toyota Corolla Commercial upwards it offers car-derived vans, small, medium and large panel vans, the Toyota Hilux pickup and now — once again — an SUV-derived model designed with specific operations in mind.

Customers are expected to include forestry, rail and utilities clientele who need a vehicle to access difficult terrain, but that is also likely to make the Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial appeal to small fleet and individual customers with similar requirements, such as farmers and those who work in remote locations.

The conversion process is undertaken at Toyota's UK production facility in Derbyshire, in a part of the facility that has stood redundant since the last generation of Toyota Avensis ceased production. It's here that the rear seats are removed, the rear windows are made opaque, interior steel panel inserts are fitted, a full-height metal bulkhead with a mesh top section is added and a hard-wearing floor is put in place.

Other than that, it’s not dissimilar to the Land Cruiser car and that means it gets the same Tonka Toy looks and a go-anywhere ability that can only be rivalled by the likes of the Land Rover Defender and the Ineos Grenadier.

The Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial range comprises a single model with the standardised five-door, long-wheelbase bodywork, powered by a 2.8-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. A 48-volt mild hybrid-assisted model will follow later. 

It also shares the passenger-carrying model’s technology, comfort levels and convenience features, including the Toyota Safety Sense package of driving assistance systems — although elements of it can prove frustrating when the Land Cruiser Commercial's taken off-road.

The Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial makes no apologies for its bulk or its lofty driving position. Despite being well-equipped and comfortable, certainly enough for you to consider it as an alternative to a Land Rover Defender Commercial, it retains a bluntly utilitarian feel.

That’s not to say it’s out of its depth dynamically because although it does have a pronounced level of body roll when cornering, it actually feels stable and well-planted for a separate-chassis vehicle, while a suite of safety aids take care of day-to-day driving.

These can prove irritating if you’re using your Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial off-road, as we expect a lot of owners will do. That’s because — as per current regulations — each time you switch the ignition on they reset to their default on position, requiring navigating your way through a couple of sub-menus to turn them off again. The alternative is to put up with a permanent world of binging and bonging as you traverse rough terrain or drive along rutted tracks punctuated with long grass.

Its off-road ability is peerless otherwise, with permanent all-wheel-drive and selectable low-range gear ratios, plus a Crawl Control feature that uses the vehicle’s systems to deal with soft surfaces and steep angles without the need for manual intervention. It’s clever stuff and it works effectively based on our experiences putting it through its paces on an off-road course.

Propelling the Land Cruiser Commercial along is a 2.8-litre diesel engine. It's appropriately responsive and feels fairly refined at speed, if a little gruff off the mark, while the eight-speed automatic gearbox affords a linear power delivery, with smooth and near-seamless changes. We’ll be keen to see how the 48-volt mild hybrid model performs when it arrives.

As it stands, the Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial is capable of towing up to 3.5 tonnes even with a full payload, making it a more refined alternative to a Toyota Hilux for those who don’t need a pickup truck or prefer the closed-in van layout.

Once inside, you'll find the Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial is as smart and well-finished as you’d expect a vehicle costing north of £50,000 to be.

It’s also well-equipped, with 18-inch alloy wheels, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, an electric tailgate with a separately opening window hatch, adaptive cruise control, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, electronic parking brake and automatic dual-zone air conditioning all fitted as standard.

The Land Cruiser Commercial's multimedia system includes a 9.0-inch touchscreen and wireless smartphone integration for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There's also a wireless charging pad alongside the gear selector, plus two USB-C and one USB-A power sockets.

At the business end the commercial vehicle conversion is neatly carried out with all of the load bay sections being added by hand. The load bay is completely flat and floored with a non-slip rubber finish

It can be accessed via either the tailgate or the two side doors, with six lashing points to secure loads, plus a full-height metal mesh bulkhead. There’s also a handy three-pin power socket in the rear of the load area.

There’s inevitably a small amount of redundant space between the metal bulkhead and the front seats but this could prove handy for storing umbrellas, raincoats or smaller items such as a trailer light board or number plate that you don’t want sliding around in the load area.

Rear visibility is good through both side mirrors, while the high driving position and flat bonnet give a commanding view and make the Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial easy to position on the road.