My wife, I, and our two dogs recently did a day trip into the Bighorn Mountains (Wyoming) to look at wildflowers and test the Land Cruiser off-road. We have a 2025 1958 model, modified with KO3 tires, a Westcott roof rack, and RCI slider/steps.
I think we hit the peak of the wildflower bloom. This is one of the very nice sections of road.
But this post isn't about scenery, but my thoughts on the LC250 capabilities. First of all, I've been driving in these mountains for 50 years, starting with an 1967 Bronco and a series of IH Scouts. Everything is dirt, even the steep road up the mountain, which is perpetually in bad shape. Once on top, the main road is mostly graded dirt and fairly nice. (Except at the moment they are "improving" it so it's all torn up.) We took the road down to Little Goose campground along Little Goose Creek. That road is a jeep trail with a lot of steep, rocky sections, a shallow water crossing and fairly narrow. Once at the campground, to continue, one must cross the creek, about 25 yards wide and 20 inches deep. We had a Scout that would always die in the middle of this creek and we'd be drifting downstream trying to restart it. Thank goodness for the forward hinged hood.
The LC handled all of this with aplomb. I played with the Low Range on the downhill rocky sections. I manual shifted it. I played with the Crawl Control in 4L. I eventually realized that the LC was capable enough that I could just leave it in 4H and use Crawl Control on most of the downhill sections. I only used 4L when the sections were technically difficult. The water crossings were no big deal either.
We found a road I'd never been on, so took that down into a canyon where it dead ended. There were several campsites and a nice creek, so we stopped for lunch. Rather than go back the way we came, we took another road that we'd not been on before either. Again, this was a lot of uphills, downhills, and rocks. There was another water crossing, but the LC was a pro by then. Found a group of small cabins. They all had propane tanks and we wondered if they could still get them filled. At one of the cabins was a very photogenic moose:
There is a marvelous granite butte near these cabins called Limburger Rock. No, I didn't take a photo. Apparently, it is a popular climbing spot and fairly difficult.
To summarize on the LC250, I found the off-road capabilities to be very good. We never had to resort to locking any of the differentials. With the oversized KO3 tires, we didn't bang the undercarriage on any of the rocks, and, of course, traction was excellent. Approach and departure angles were sufficient. The DAC/Crawl Control feels like cheating. The hybrid engine system works great. Plenty of torque at all RPMs, easy to modulate. We loved it when the engine shut down and we moved along quietly on electric power. Visibility is good and I like how the lines on the hood indicate where the front wheels are. I would guess that the roads we tackled were about as difficult as most LC owners will ever challenge their vehicles. The only thing more difficult would be a lot of large rocks and rocky shelves or sand and mud. My wife doesn't like the more challenging roads.
Here's another shot of the LC. I've spared you the dog photos.
I think we hit the peak of the wildflower bloom. This is one of the very nice sections of road.
But this post isn't about scenery, but my thoughts on the LC250 capabilities. First of all, I've been driving in these mountains for 50 years, starting with an 1967 Bronco and a series of IH Scouts. Everything is dirt, even the steep road up the mountain, which is perpetually in bad shape. Once on top, the main road is mostly graded dirt and fairly nice. (Except at the moment they are "improving" it so it's all torn up.) We took the road down to Little Goose campground along Little Goose Creek. That road is a jeep trail with a lot of steep, rocky sections, a shallow water crossing and fairly narrow. Once at the campground, to continue, one must cross the creek, about 25 yards wide and 20 inches deep. We had a Scout that would always die in the middle of this creek and we'd be drifting downstream trying to restart it. Thank goodness for the forward hinged hood.
The LC handled all of this with aplomb. I played with the Low Range on the downhill rocky sections. I manual shifted it. I played with the Crawl Control in 4L. I eventually realized that the LC was capable enough that I could just leave it in 4H and use Crawl Control on most of the downhill sections. I only used 4L when the sections were technically difficult. The water crossings were no big deal either.
We found a road I'd never been on, so took that down into a canyon where it dead ended. There were several campsites and a nice creek, so we stopped for lunch. Rather than go back the way we came, we took another road that we'd not been on before either. Again, this was a lot of uphills, downhills, and rocks. There was another water crossing, but the LC was a pro by then. Found a group of small cabins. They all had propane tanks and we wondered if they could still get them filled. At one of the cabins was a very photogenic moose:
There is a marvelous granite butte near these cabins called Limburger Rock. No, I didn't take a photo. Apparently, it is a popular climbing spot and fairly difficult.
To summarize on the LC250, I found the off-road capabilities to be very good. We never had to resort to locking any of the differentials. With the oversized KO3 tires, we didn't bang the undercarriage on any of the rocks, and, of course, traction was excellent. Approach and departure angles were sufficient. The DAC/Crawl Control feels like cheating. The hybrid engine system works great. Plenty of torque at all RPMs, easy to modulate. We loved it when the engine shut down and we moved along quietly on electric power. Visibility is good and I like how the lines on the hood indicate where the front wheels are. I would guess that the roads we tackled were about as difficult as most LC owners will ever challenge their vehicles. The only thing more difficult would be a lot of large rocks and rocky shelves or sand and mud. My wife doesn't like the more challenging roads.
Here's another shot of the LC. I've spared you the dog photos.
