BRUISER OF A CRUISER; Toyota's oldest, burliest nameplate gets a makeover.(News)

Byline: NATALIE NEFF

Toyota may have sold only 3376 Land Cruisers in the United States last year, but the venerable nameplate boasts a longer history on these shores than any other vehicle on the Japanese maker's roster, with a single unit selling alongside 287 Toyopets in 1958-the year Toyota began selling vehicles in America.

It's appropriate, then, that the launch of the seventh-generation Land Cruiser accompanies Toyota's 50th year stateside.

The Land Cruiser trades in its 4.7-liter engine for the Tundra's meaty 5.7-liter V8, which gives the behemoth an additional 116 hp and 73 lb-ft more torque to drag around its 5690-pound curb weight. Output now peaks at 381 hp and 401 lb-ft.

This is all the better because the big ute gets even bigger, gaining 265 pounds for 2008, with 2.4 inches more length (194.9) and 1.2 inches more width (77.6).

The torsion-bar-type front suspension found on '07 models gets replaced by a double-A-arm setup with coil-over shocks, a combination that helps to increase wheel travel to 9.05 inches, up more than an inch. The design of the rear suspension remains the same as on the outgoing model, though the four-link solid axle with coil springs and Panhard-bar setup is engineered to handle increased power from the engine.

The ride on-road, where 99 percent of U.S.-bound Cruisers will spend 99 percent of their time, feels as close to perfection as can be expected from such a big body-on-frame beast, barely gliding over the pavement. Noise inside the cabin is almost nonexistent, with only the barest whisper from the wind creeping inside at top-end highway speeds. Yet even all its added power can't mask the Cruiser's heft; it drives like a ...