Old School

The big Lexus leans exuberantly on its door handles while rumbling to the ends of the earth.

- Sirish Chandran

SUVS THAT CHASE SPORTS CARS AREA relatively new phenomenon and one that, when you think of it logically, makes zero sense. An SUV is not supposed to carve corners. An SUV is supposed to flatten terrain, accommodate all your living relatives and go to war against said relatives who don’t offer the right respect. SUVs are for generals while the troops follow in pickups. And wherever there’s serious conflict, both the general and his troops stick with Toyotas, roadside assistance isn’t very prompt in sub-Saharan Africa.

The LX doesn’t carry Toyota badges but everybody knows this is a Toyota Land Cruiser, and I say that with the highest respect. A Land Cruiser is the ultimate go-anywhere vehicle. It is unstoppable. Many years ago we drove up to Dalhousie in the snow, in a bunch of SUVs all sporting iconic go-anywhere badges, and at the end of the day we parked up everything and piled into the LC 200, the only one that could crunch through the snow-bound roads and get us up to our bed for the night. A Land Cruiser with snow chains, in low-ratio that doubles its 650 diesel torques, with the idling revs turned up so you don’t have to touch the throttle (there’s a button for that, amongst a plethora of others), gnawing, digging and plundering a seemingly impossible path is an absolutely breathtaking sight. Even more eye-popping than an Urus cornering flat and supersonic through a set of twisties.