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In the event you hear the title Land Cruiser and nonetheless end up fascinated about the cumbersome, rounded machine from 2021, I’ve bought nice information: for 2024, Toyota’s stealth wealth off-roader has been revived because the squared-off and succesful machine that made it such a star within the first place. Its seems to be alone have been sufficient to lure within the adventurous sort, however does its functionality dwell as much as the hype? I’m happy to report that sure, it does.
Full disclosure: Toyota invited me to Coronado Island in San Diego, California for an all-out journey take a look at driving 4 new or refreshed Toyota fashions in simply two days. It was a formidable show of occasion group, although I believe I used to be most taken by the ducklings and flamingos dwelling within the pond outdoors the resort.
When the 2021 Land Cruiser run got here to an finish, Toyota informed us that the mannequin was useless in america. For over a decade the bulbous SUV had lumbered alongside, principally unchanged, on the Lexus LX platform. Whereas its reliability and efficiency was nothing to shake a stick at, it was additionally simply form of… meh. It regarded like each different SUV available on the market (see: bulbous), and it didn’t fairly impress on the inside, tech, or efficiency fronts. It was wonderful, but it surely wasn’t spectacular.
Now, for 2024, the Land Cruiser is again from a really ignominious demise, and Toyota has pulled off a formidable wholesale evolution to convey this off-roader again to its roots whereas nonetheless counting on the most effective tech that the twenty first century has to supply. Let’s dig into what makes this mannequin such a winner.
At its base is Toyota’s TNGA-F truck platform, the identical fundamental construction you’ll discover below the Tundra, Sequoia, and Tacoma. That mentioned, the Land Cruiser has additionally shrunk. In its earlier incarnation, it was a full-size SUV twinned with the Lexus LX. Now it’s twinned with the smaller Lexus GX — our new Land Cruiser is what’s bought because the Land Cruiser Prado elsewhere — providing simply two rows of seating for 5 people to do battle towards smaller off-roaders just like the Jeep Wrangler and the Ford Bronco.
It additionally boasts Toyota’s i-Pressure Max hybrid powertrain, which consists of a turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-4 engine that makes 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. The EPA estimates you’ll get 23 MPG mixed with this configuration, which isn’t tremendous nice however nonetheless represents a major step up from earlier Land Cruiser fashions, and it may possibly tow as much as 6,000 kilos. To supply some additional comparisons, this new LC makes 55 fewer horsepower, 64 extra lb-ft of torque, and might tow 2,100 fewer kilos than the previous V8 truck. It’s additionally over 800 kilos lighter than the earlier mannequin.
Let’s Get Off-Roading
I had an opportunity to expertise two completely different off-road trims on two completely different off-road programs supplied by Toyota. The primary was a technical path that concerned sharp inclines and declines, a lot of rock crawling, and a waterlogged portion, whereas the second was referred to as the “playground” and felt like such: there have been some sharp declines, but it surely was additionally far much less technically difficult.
Even in its base 1958 trim, the 2024 Land Cruiser is loaded with the form of tech and componentry you need for climbing round within the grime. Each mannequin has a 31-degree strategy, a 25-degree breakover and 22-degree departure angle. You’ve bought fundamentals like locking rear and middle differentials as commonplace for all grades, which helps cut up the ability 50/50 between the entrance and rear wheels for higher traction on even the hardest terrains. You’ve additionally bought full-time four-wheel drive as commonplace, in addition to Crawl Management, which serves as an off-road-y form of cruise management. Push a button, and also you’ll crawl alongside at a sluggish, adjustable pace so that every one you need to do behind the wheel is concentrate on steering. In the event you’ve used this tech earlier than when it was launched on the 2022 Toyota Tacoma and Tundra TRD Professional fashions, you might need observed it sounded… slightly gnarly. There was a whole lot of intrusive suggestions within the type of engine groan and floorboard creaking, however that has been taken care of to create a a lot quieter, smoother experience.
Transfer up a degree to the Land Cruiser trim, and also you get much more functionality — and a friendlier off-road expertise for newcomers or quick drivers like me. These adjustments are extra on the tech entrance, similar to a multi-terrain monitor. Primarily, it makes use of a number of exterior cameras to show your environment on the infotainment display screen. I’m pretty quick, so it may be robust for me to get a visible on my environment with out a strong digital camera system, and Toyota’s is among the most interesting I’ve used. The image is evident, and the abundance of angles helps you keep away from essentially the most difficult obstacles which may have in any other case crept up on you.
You may as well choose certainly one of a number of completely different terrain modes that can assist your Land Cruiser cater its drive to, say, rocky paths, muddy ruts, or sandy dunes. I didn’t have an opportunity to actually put these completely different modes into apply, however in essence, they deploy completely different settings to deal with completely different terrains. I believe I used to be most impressed with the entrance stabilizer disconnect mechanism. Loads of off-road machines have this function, however on the Land Cruiser, you simply press a button, and voilà: you get some ridiculous suspension articulation.
What Trim Is Proper For Me?
Some Toyota fashions on the market actually go hog wild in terms of the trim state of affairs, however Toyota has blessedly stored issues easy for the Land Cruiser. You’ll have your choose of three completely different trims for this mannequin yr: Land Cruiser 1958, Land Cruiser, or Land Cruiser First Version. Every successive trim represents a step up the know-how and luxurious ladder, and I’m right here to information you thru simply what you’d must know to determine on the correct trim for you.
Land Cruiser 1958: As Primary As A Land Cruiser Will get
In the event you’re the form of one that desires an elevated off-roading expertise however who doesn’t want sufficient know-how to make your grandmother weep, then the Land Cruiser 1958 will likely be your dream machine. In the event you haven’t already guessed, the “1958″ on this trim grade is a callback to the Land Cruiser’s authentic debut yr in america, and it serves as essentially the most fundamental providing in Toyota’s up to date Land Cruiser lineup. You’ll achieve the identical retro styling as the remainder of the Land Cruiser lineup — that neat “heritage” grille, rounded headlamps, material seats — with a lift in tech choices. Included are blind spot monitoring, a 7-inch gauge cluster display screen, an 8-inch touchscreen, automated local weather management, wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a six-speaker sound system. On the off-road aspect of issues, you’ll keep on with among the nicer fundamentals: locking middle and rear differentials, rear coil springs, full-time four-wheel drive, a two-speed switch case, a brake controller, a 2400W AC inverter, and Crawl Management.
I didn’t have an opportunity to drive the 1958 trim, however I did get a prolonged off-road experience in a single with a fellow journalist. It’s undoubtedly a extra laid-back machine designed for the parents who know what they’re doing on a path, because you gained’t have a number of digital camera angles to present you a way of your environment. In the event you’re assured and competent, you’ll be wonderful. I’m neither of these issues, which is why I used to be glad to have a experience on this trim on the technical off-road course Toyota had developed for us. As a shorter human being, I’ve a tough time seeing round bulkier, trendy SUVs, and the sharp angles and huge planes of the Land Cruiser gave me a troublesome time. From the fabric-trimmed passenger seat, although, I used to be capable of recognize simply how comfortable I used to be whereas going through off towards steep declines, water-flooded paths, and rocky outcrops.
So far as price goes, that is the most cost effective trim you will discover, boasting an MSRP of $57,345 (together with obligatory supplier processing and dealing with charges).
Land Cruiser (Land Cruiser?): A Formidable Contender
For the parents on the market who love the aptitude of the Land Cruiser however need to take issues up a notch in each tech and luxury, there’s the Land Cruiser grade. It bumps up the fundamentals of the 1958 grade by including rectangular LED headlamps and heated and ventilated artificial leather-based seats. You’re additionally getting among the beefier off-road options, like color-selectable LED fog lights, a stabilizer disconnect mechanism that permits for larger suspension articulation, multi-terrain choose to curate your driving expertise to the situations at hand, and the multi-terrain monitor. Plus, you’re additionally getting comfort options like bigger dashboard and infotainment screens, a 10-speaker sound system, and an influence liftgate.
In the event you’re within the temper for extra however don’t really feel the necessity to absolutely decide to the First Version mannequin, you will get your mid-tier Land Cruiser with the Premium Bundle. That’ll provide you with leather-trimmed heated and ventilated entrance seats with lumbar assist and driver reminiscence options, a 14-speaker JBL audio system, a digital rearview mirror, a head-up show, illuminated entry, an influence moonroof, a middle console cool field, and extra USB-C charging ports within the cargo space.
Throughout my off-road drive, I nabbed a Land Cruiser with the Premium Bundle. In the event you’re strictly involved concerning the act of off-roading, you in all probability don’t want all these premium options that the bundle offers. These are going to come in useful if you’re within the throes of a long-ass journey and need methods to maintain your water bottles cool, or if you wish to take heed to some music. For shorter trailside jaunts, you’re in all probability not going to overlook ‘em.
So far as the off-road tech options went, I used to be impressed with the choices. The stabilizer disconnect mechanism provided unimaginable articulation; any time I wasn’t motoring ahead on the off-road path, I used to be watching the motive force in entrance of me, marveling at simply how far aside the rear tires have been when it comes to raise whereas nonetheless remaining on the bottom. From the cockpit, you undoubtedly get a a lot larger sense of management and luxury. I additionally actually relied on the multi-terrain monitor, because it provides a a lot larger view of the environment than you will get simply from the entrance seat. Meaning you’ll be capable to clock obstacles or rocks protruding into your means. I did, nonetheless, study the exhausting means that you simply can’t go off-roading whereas relying virtually completely on the displays; a normal-looking rock on my display screen regarded innocent from the digital camera angle, but when I’d have peered out the window, I’d have seen that it was a really sharp rock heading straight for my left rear tire. (I apologize, Toyota, for popping a tire; I’ll actually by no means get well.)
The upgrades for the Land Cruiser trim imply you’ll be going through increased costs. As commonplace, you’ll be paying $63,345. Go for the accessible $4,600 Premium Bundle, and also you’ll have a complete of $68,245.
Land Cruiser First Version: Let’s Get Luxe
In the event you merely can’t dwell with out boasting the most effective of the most effective, look no additional than the Land Cruiser First Version. This mannequin provides you all of the goodies from the Land Cruiser Premium Bundle, but it surely throws in spherical LED headlamps, particular 18-inch wheels, a “First Version” brand embossed on the door panels, a entrance skid plate, a roof rack, and rock rails. The First Version is available in at $76,345. That added off-road safety will certainly come in useful for the avid adventurers, however I didn’t take a look at this trim, largely as a result of the 20-minute off-road programs that Toyota created for us didn’t essentially require the accouterments that may make an extended tour much more comfy.
Classic However Trendy In All The Proper Locations
I hate to be a kind of individuals who laments the demise of the cool automobiles of our previous, however I do must be trustworthy: The fixed push towards chunky, rounded SUVs hurts my soul, particularly when these styling cues come for the sick-ass legacy automobiles of the previous — those which have cool tales to inform. I did my finest to faux the previous era Land Cruiser simply didn’t exist; positive, it was dependable and succesful, but it surely additionally didn’t present any of the aesthetics that made the unique machine so legendary.
That’s why I’m so stoked on the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser. The Ford Bronco proved we’re again in an period the place retro styling has a critical place within the off-road car market, and the Land Cruiser kicks it up a notch with nicer facilities and a extra luxurious general really feel — as a result of why ought to you need to sacrifice functionality for consolation? With the Land Cruiser, you don’t have to decide on.
