Toyota’s popular 200 Series full-size SUV, which can tow up to 3.5 tonnes, has become the first vehicle in the Toyota range to finally adopt the added safety of Trailer Sway Control.
The system, which is already available in a number of one-tonne utes from rival manufacturers, is integrated with the existing vehicle stability control systems to help the driver in the event that a trailer starts to swing from side to side.
It is designed to suppress swaying that can be triggered by factors such as crosswinds, bumpy roads and sharp turns of the steering wheel. It detects trailer sway based on information from the vehicle’s yaw-rate sensor, acceleration sensor and steering sensor.
If sway is detected, the system uses deceleration control and yaw-moment control to suppress the effects. It warns the driver via the slip indicator in the instrument cluster and alerts following drivers by illuminating the stop lamps.
The system operates seamlessly and does not require the addition of hardware or any change to the trailer. We only hope Toyota doesn’t drag the chain in adapting the same technology to its popular HiLux and 70 Series one-tonne trucks, which are also popular for towing.
Another safety enhancement for the five-star ANCAP safety-rated 200 Series is the addition of knee airbags for the driver and front passenger in GX and volume-selling GXL model grades, bringing the total number of airbags to eight. High-grade VX and Sahara have 10 SRS airbags, including rear-seat side airbags.
LandCruiser 200 models are available with a choice of V8 engines – a 4.6-litre petrol or a 4.5-litre twin-turbo diesel – mated to six-speed automatic transmissions.
The petrol V8, with variable valve timing on both the inlet and exhaust ports, produces maximum power of 227kW at 5500rpm and peak torque of 439Nm at 3400rpm. The twin-turbo common-rail diesel engine delivers maximum power output of 195kW and a thumping 650Nm of torque.