I first photographed this great-looking Land Cruiser in the autumn. For whatever reason, I didn’t snap more photos of it than just the one seen above, but the matter whas rectified when I noticed it again a couple days ago and could document it properly. It’s not showroom perfect, as there have been some rust repairs performed on the driver’s door and rear corner sheetmetal, but as the excellent red-orange decals are all present and correct and the paint otherwise looks good, the Land Cruiser stands head and shoulder above the more beateresque 4X4 Toyotas often seen on the street. And since these are built to be used and driven, the very little patina that has attached itself to the Land Cruiser only makes it better. Judging by the quad headlight setup, the Toyota is a facelift model. The engine is a 4.0-litre, 136hp six-cylinder turbodiesel producing 315 newtons at 1800 rpm. It’s a stonking engine, and with the large bull bar the charcoal Land Cruiser somehow resembles an African elephant. There is just the right amount of chrome decoration, but it’s not too fancy to get its flanks dirty. In this photo the paintwork repairs show a bit better. Oddly, the winter wheels are posher than the white wheels it wears with summer rubber. All decals and badging is there. I can’t help but wonder how they can still look this good. Some of the paint has oversprayed on the taillight, which is probably easy to make right. I have serious want towards this vehicle. I don’t need one, but somehow it feels like I could easily find some use for it. Euro-spec plates always look ill-fitting on anything built in the last millennium, but that is the only thing I’d change about the Toyota.