Toyota unveils updated 2013 Land Cruiser, Lexus LX570 up next

Considering our lust for sport utility vehicles, the Toyota Land Cruiser has certainly slipped to the back of our minds. It carries one of the most iconic go-anywhere, do-anything nameplates in the industry, and yet it isn't available here and only pushed 1,662 units in the U.S. last year making them one of the ten worst-selling vehicles of the year south of the border. But since the vehicle's product cycles are largely dictated by other markets where it's more popular, the big Toy continues to carry on, and for the 2013 model year, there are a host of new updates.

Slight visual tweaks to the exterior include the addition of LED running lamps up front, as well as HID low-beam headlamps and a refreshed grille. Aside from that, not much else has changed as far as design goes, and while the Land Cruiser does look a bit old, it's decidedly rugged, yet handsome.

The Land Cruiser's 5.7-litre V8 is carried over unchanged, still with 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque on tap, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Of course, because the Land Cruiser is billed as a true off-road vehicle, driving aids like KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) and Multi-Terrain Select are standard. Inside, the Land Cruiser gets a brand new hard-drive-based navigation system complete with Toyota's new Entune info-tainment system.

Toyota has a similar mild refresh in store for the Land Cruiser's luxury twin, the Lexus LX 570, which is available in Canada and we'll see at the Detroit Auto Show next week.