Minneapolis Street Sighting: Toyota Landcruiser GX

To the average eye, this red Land Cruiser likely wouldn't even spark a conversation. It got me pretty excited; I am a sucker for non-US versions of vehicles, nevermind non-US versions of Japanese vehicles. In the US, Toyota marketed the full-size Land Cruiser as a downright luxurious Range Rover alternative-- in both offroad prowess and price. On the other side of the pond, the story was very different.
While the Land Cruiser has always been a rather brute SUV, not all of them were luxury-oriented. Outside of the US, Landcruisers are seen how most Americans imagine a Chevy Tahoe or Jeep Grand Cherokee. Sure, there are top-of-the-line models that fetch top-dollar when new, but there are also bargain-basement editions, too. In South Africa, where a durable truck is a necessity, Land Cruisers are a common choice. In Australia, too, these things are common as dirt. Even in the Middle East, Toyota's Landcruiser is one of the nation's prim pickings for not just a tough truck, but a family vehicle as well. They're unstoppable, extremely reliable, and they can conquer pretty much anything mother Earth throws at them.
So why does Toyota decide to give us the top-line edition? Simple. It's all about status. Toyota has always marketed the Landcruiser as a Range Rover alternative; and it's a strategy that works--sort of. The US has always been a hotbed for luxury SUVs-- in cities like Beverly Hills and Miami Beach, where using their off-road credentials is pretty much useless. In the prime areas where they are "needed", many of these luxury SUVs aren't quite that common. I mean, yes, they still are common, but not as much as on either coast. Which brings me to a point.
The owner of this Landcruiser knew what he or she was doing-- this GX model lacks all the features that make the US version so expensive. Gone are the leather seats, the running boards, and powered everything; in their place stands grey cloth, manual locking hubs, and basic black trim where body cladding would stand on its US equivalent. It looks more.. "business" this way. None of the fancy flash that clutters up the US truck. No denying the US is nice, though. I just prefer tough trucks to fancy ones. I guess I prefer a little more "utility" in my sport utility; oh well, to each his own.