2024 Toyota Land Cruiser

The Land Cruiser’s interior puts the dash close to the upright dashboard—a vintage proportion—but the finishes mix knobs and switches in with big digital displays for the gauges and infotainment. Base models have smaller 7.0- and 8.0-inch screens for those functions, while the rest pair dueling 12.3-inch screens for displays. Toyota frames it all in metallic-painted trim with angled corners, pulls the climate vents out for surface interest, and dresses it in more drab plastics in 1958 spec or in nicely padded, soft-touch material in the rest of the range.

Most Land Cruisers also have an electronic system to disconnect the anti-roll bars, which permits more wheel travel. Unavailable on the base 1958 trim, the system takes the place of the Land Cruiser’s former adjustable electro-hydraulically controlled system, which isn’t available at all—though it’s offered on the Lexus GX. 

Toyota also fits the Land Cruiser with a terrain-based drive mode system that spins through programs such as Rock, Mud, Sand, and Auto, depending on whether 4Hi or 4Lo is engaged. A crawl-control system—slow-going off-road cruise control—has been vastly refined in this edition.

The hardware gives the Land Cruiser very good trail-riding ability, but it’s taken a step back this generation. It’s less able to pick around trails due to geometry, too. The former SUV had approach and departure angles of 32 and 24 degrees, a breakover angle of 21 degrees, and 8.9 inches of ground clearance. The new one? Those figures are 32, 22, 23, and 8.7, by the Toyota spec sheet. It also tows just 6,000 pounds, about 2,100 pounds less than the old Land Cruiser. It’s been demoted.

How fast is the Toyota Land Cruiser?

Toyota shrank its powertrain, too. The old 5.7-liter V-8 has been scrapped and the Land Cruiser now taps a hybrid 2.4-liter turbo-4, which stuffs a 48-hp electric motor into the 8-speed automatic transmission. With 5,037 pounds to carry and more torque than the V-8, acceleration hasn’t fallen behind or necessarily made any progress. Part of the reason? This Land Cruiser weighs some 776 pounds less than its elder.

In driving, the new SUV doesn’t feel so lightweight, but the composure it’s always had off pavement remains. Even with the rescaling of its ambition, the Land Cruiser can still slip through riverbeds, clamber over steep rocky runs, and trundle through muck while isolating its passengers. Its powertrain has the hybrid advantage of strong low-end torque, which works in concert with the locking differentials and slowed-down throttle in Rock mode to gingerly pick its way over the worst obstacles. Skid plates protect the powertrain and transfer case, to be sure; mud flaps on the top trim don’t seem to be more than noisemakers.

On winding highways, the quick-shifting transmission taps into the power as the turbo-4 clears its throat, but uphill climbs with a couple of passengers reveal the limits of the downsized powertrain. Its economy-car noises call out as it strains to maintain speed. The steering has the usual vague inch or two on center, but until we drive it more we’ll reserve judgment on that: Toyota had fitted our test vehicle with a wheel-and-tire package listed as Tacoma gear, not Land Cruiser. Likewise, the Land Cruiser’s mostly absorbent ride occasionally betrayed some stiff-kneed responses from its double-wishbone front and multi-link rear end. The street tires stocked on most models will likely be more poised. We’ll update this once we can spend more time with it.

The last Land Cruiser had excellent seats with wide, firm cushions. This one’s trimmed its chairs down a bit, and covers them in cloth or synthetic leather in all but the top launch edition or when fitted with an expensive upgrade package. It’s fine: the seats have soft padding, good angles of adjustment, and offer support whether they’re in that tweedy base cloth or the mid-trim’s synthetic leather. The center console opens wide to host water bottles and smartphones, but the door panels and dash of the base 1958 edition wear hard plastic, which the other versions swap out for the finer synthetic hides. The doors clang when closed, and big mirrors and an upright stance couple with the turbo-4 to generate a noticeable, but not notable, amount of noise.

The second row of seats allows tall drivers to sit comfortably behind themselves, but 6-footers should opt out of the available sunroof; otherwise their head will make constant contact with the headliner. There’s little toeroom under the front seats, and at 36.7 inches, rear legroom falls behind some compact sedans. The bench perches higher than the first row for stadium-style seating—better for outward vision for those people—and three medium-sized passengers can fit in comfort there. The seatbacks recline, too, for long-distance comfort.

Toyota won’t offer a third-row seat in U.S. Land Cruisers in 2024; that’s reserved for the 4Runner and Lexus GX. The cargo space doesn’t change from the GX configuration, though, which means the cupholders molded into that space are still there. What’s more, the cargo floor, which would otherwise sit at a good height, gets tiered—a first step from bumper height to the actual floor, then another riser which houses the hybrid powertrain’s battery. The rear seatbacks don’t fold flat: they sit several inches higher than the cargo area when folded down. 

Cargo space hasn’t been confirmed, but the very similar Lexus GX offers 45.6 cubic feet behind its second-row seat. It’s accessed by a tailgate that’s power-operated in most versions, and offers a power-down rear glass.

Despite its big glass areas, the Land Cruiser has mediocre rearward vision. From the front seat ahead, it’s almost panoramic thanks to an upright windshield and a hood that’s mostly flat, with raised sections that act as trail guides. In the back, the rear seat and thick roof pillars combine to cut away most of the road.

Which Toyota Land Cruiser should I buy?

The $63,345 Land Cruiser has the slim LED headlights and higher-grade interior trim, but the same powertrain, along with a power tailgate, roof rails, heated and cooled power front seats, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with 10-speaker audio. Options include a white roof, 20-inch wheels, a power sunroof, better roof racks and rails, and a $4,600 package that bundles 14-speaker JBL audio, a console-mounted cooling box, a wireless charging pad, leather-trimmed seats, a head-up display, and a rear camera mirror.

How much is a fully loaded Toyota Land Cruiser?

Some 5,000 limited-edition First Edition Land Cruisers carry a $76,345 sticker, and include the package and equipment offered as options on the mid-grade SUV as well as rock rails, a cargo basket, and mud flaps. That’s in the range of the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Trailhawk—and the Lexus GX, which has an Overtrail edition and a price of more than $70,000.