2024 Toyota Land Cruiser Tested: Is It the Real Deal?

From the July/August issue of Car and Driver.

Hanksville (population 170 or so) is a tiny crossroads town in south-central Utah that looms large for area visitors. That’s been the case for some time, as it was a lonely supply outpost used by Butch Cassidy and his notorious Wild Bunch in the late 1800s. Cassidy, a local miscreant, established a well-concealed hideout to the east in what is now called Robbers Roost, a steeply walled canyon off the aptly named Dirty Devil River.

Today handfuls of hardy tourists venture to those same impossibly sinuous canyons looking for extreme off-grid adventure, oftentimes involving rappelling but always supported by a four-by-four. Others stock supplies before they head farther east into Canyonlands National Park’s Maze district or south toward the waters of Lake Powell. It’s the perfect place to see what the new Toyota Land Cruiser is all about while also getting a sense of the fearsome topography that Cassidy used to his advantage.

Toyota killed the North American Land Cruiser after the 2021 model year, but for 2024, the company has pulled a Frankenstein and brought it back to life. Land Cruiser purists are not convinced, however, because the apparent death and rebirth of the Cruiser was premeditated all along despite whatever “We heard you, so we’re bringing it back” nonsense the public-relations department spouted. What was really going on was a planned shunning of the new 300-series Land Cruiser (a.k.a. the “real” one) in favor of the 250-series Land Cruiser Prado that lagged two years in arrears. It was a course correction intended to avoid a likely base price north of $90,000 and bring the Cruiser back to earth and into the hands of more buyers.

It worked. The new Land Cruiser starts at $57,345 for the so-called 1958 base model and rises to $76,345 for the limited-run kitchen-sink First Edition. Most will gravitate toward the nicely equipped $63,345 mid-level trim simply called Land Cruiser, which is some $24,000 less than the deceased Cruiser’s final $87,030 base price. Say goodbye to the longstanding Cruiser-head lament in which off-roaders who knew the model’s off-piste potential agonized as new Land Cruisers were driven as “mall wagons” by their original owners until time and accumulated mileage put them within reach of those who would use them as intended.

Still, Prado is a four-letter word in certain circles, but that reputation dates to the mid-1990s, when Toyota switched it to the independent front suspension of a 4Runner while the 80-series Cruiser still had a live front axle. The line began to blur when the 100- and 200-series Cruisers gained an independent front suspension. Toyota’s new TNGA-F (Toyota Next Generation Architecture) platform further undermines haters’ arguments because it underpins not only the latest 300-series Land Cruiser (sold in the U.S. as the Lexus LX600) and the 250-series Land Cruiser but also the Lexus GX550 and the new 4Runner. The Sequoia, Tundra, and Tacoma use stretched versions of TNGA.

Therefore, the 2024 Land Cruiser shares the same 112.2-inch wheelbase of the 300 and its forebears all the way back to the lionized 80-series. The 250’s track widths, independent front suspension, and live-axle rear suspension essentially match the 300 too. So, our First Edition has largely the same chassis with a narrower and more tightly drawn body plopped atop it. This is immediately apparent on the stunning trail to Angel Point, a high lookout above the confluence of the Dirty Devil River and Robbers Roost Canyon. A high roofline (all Cruiser trims are at least five inches taller than the new 4Runner) enables a commanding seating position that conspires with low-cut side windows, strategically creased fender tops, and a dished hood to make easy work of positioning this Land Cruiser in tight places. Recent Land Cruisers never felt so svelte and compatible with brush-lined trails. It pays dividends parking at Costco too.

Passing back through town toward our next trailhead, the Land Cruiser impresses with a smooth ride and quiet Michelin LTX Trail tires. Neither the shocks nor the tires are especially remarkable from an off-road perspective, as the dampers are passive twin-tube units. That’s fine with us, because anyone who wants to step things up in the aftermarket won’t be tossing aside pricey hardware. The 265/70R-18 Michelins are inoffensive in daily use, and they stand the preferred 33 inches tall, meaning no reworking is necessary to fit alternate treads. Beyond that, the interior is as pleasing to the eye as it is to our sense of logic, with everything where you expect it to be. In fact, the 12.3-inch screen is a boon compared with the GX550’s larger 14.0-inch unit because the Cruiser gets physical HVAC switches below the display. The GX has virtual ones on the screen’s lower edge, resulting in a usable map area essentially no larger than the Toyota’s.

Descending into Poison Springs Canyon toward the Dirty Devil is like a semester in advanced geology, as the trail follows a tiny stream that has spent millennia carving an impressive copy of the Grand Canyon. One crucial squeeze along the route was more boulder strewn than we’d expected because of recent rain and rockfall of the sort that created what is, after all, a still-growing canyon. But healthy wheel articulation (made even healthier by our First Edition’s electronically disconnectable front anti-roll bar) and the lockable center and rear differentials got us through. At one point, we unlocked the center differential in low range—an impossibility before—to get a tighter turning radius so we could execute a crucial three-point turn (okay, it was more like 10) in tight quarters to try another path. Our First Edition’s trail-camera system paid for itself here, especially the side-view angle that made it possible to monitor rocks perilously close to sidewalls as we extricated ourselves.

There were two insignificant casualties along the way that essentially amount to market research (you’re welcome). We unbolted the goofy First Edition mud flaps after two got pinched and bent between the tires and a rock ledge we were reversing onto. Later, one of the weird clipped-on aero wedges ahead of a front tire got “trail pruned” by another rock, an outcome we predicted before the truck saw any dirt.

Dig deep into the specs and you’ll see differences that may make Prado doubters exclaim “Aha!” The new Land Cruiser has slightly smaller front and rear differentials than the 300-series LX600. But this isn’t 250 related, as it turns out, because the 250-based GX550 employs the LX’s larger diffs. The disparity comes down to the engines and how each one loads those differentials.

Toyota’s i-Force Max turbo 2.4-liter four with a perky AC motor sandwiched upstream of the eight-speed automatic transmission motivates the Cruiser. This hybrid system kicks up the engine’s output of 278 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque to 326 horses and 465 pound-feet, but that boost is not continuous because the battery that supplies the energy has an estimated capacity of just 0.9 kilowatt-hour. Conversely, the GX utilizes a detuned version of the LX’s twin-turbo 3.4-liter V-6 that makes an always-available 349 horsepower, down from 409 ponies in the LX, but shares the LX’s peak torque of 479 pound-feet. This difference (and others) nets the GX a 9096-pound tow rating, while the Land Cruiser maxes out at 6000, and that towing prowess is why the GX gets beefier diffs.

This hybrid boost issue never shows up on the trail or in town, where acceleration comes in bite-size doses interspersed with off-throttle events that feed energy back into the battery. Clambering over rocks or small dunes is nothing like a steady trailer-pull over Colorado’s Loveland Pass, so the i-Force Max never disappoints. In fact, the ready swell of electrically enhanced torque and the faint turbo whistle of the i-Force team up to make the Cruiser’s powerplant feel a bit like the mighty turbo-diesel straight-six of a JDM 80-series Cruiser that I once sampled (and still covet). It tiptoes over ledges with the barest nudge of throttle because its considerable combined torque is available from the jump.

At the track, the Land Cruiser’s 7.7-second romp to 60 mph is neither impressive nor disappointing, but it does trail the more powerful GX550 Overtrail+’s 6.3-second effort. During passing maneuvers, however, the Land Cruiser is a tenth ahead from 30 to 50 mph and only a tenth behind from 50 to 70 mph because the instant-on nature of the hybrid system gets it going immediately, while the GX550’s 10-speed automatic sorts itself and kicks down. The Cruiser’s biggest payoff comes at the pump, where its 23-mpg EPA combined estimate (22 city/25 highway) trounces the GX’s 17-mpg figure. In our hands, the Land Cruiser returned 20 mpg. Unfortunately, Toyota used the extra mpg to justify a smaller 17.9-gallon fuel tank instead of using the GX’s 21.1-gallon unit, negating any potential range advantage.

For our money, the new Land Cruiser is just the ticket. Toyota North America rightly turned away from an unsustainable bloated path and brought the Cruiser back within reach. It still does the business in rough and unpredictable terrain, and its new 250 roots seem less like a drawback and more like a logical move forward—or at least sideways. The burgeoning overlanding set is going to eat it up. Besides, the Land Cruiser is never going back to a live front axle. That Cruiser is dead. Long live the Land Cruiser.

Counterpoints

The Land Cruiser’s two-tone Trail Dust paint job makes it look like a 4Runner wearing a Gus Chiggins costume. And like the old prospector from the cut-for-time Saturday Night Live sketch, it doesn’t take long to get a laugh out of you. Its compliant off-road ride is smooth no matter what surface it’s bouncing across. However, the Land Cruiser’s tech rains on the parade. Toyota’s safety suite beeps to warn distracted drivers and chimes to suggest a drowsy pilot take a break. It even alerted me to “sit up,” chiding my bad posture. Thankfully, you can turn off the driver monitor. What you can’t silence is the power liftgate’s jarring alarm, which warns the whole campground that the hatch is opening or closing. —Austin Irwin

Move over, Jeep. Toyota has become the go-to brand for off-road-lovin’ enthusiasts. With the Land Cruiser’s return and TRD versions of every body-on-frame model, Toyota’s lineup is ready to hit the expert trails. But while the new Cruiser’s classically cool looks and notably lower price will help it outsell its predecessor, its commercialization lessens its specialness. Sure, the old 200-series Land Cruiser ended up an expensive dinosaur, but I wish the U.S. replacement wasn’t basically a retro-bodied 4Runner.

I wanted something a little more special, more luxurious, and gloriously overbuilt. I realize that’s the Lexus LX, and I get why Toyota’s mainstream approach makes sense in America, but I still prefer a genuine Land Cruiser over this LC Lite. —Eric Stafford

I have zero complaints about resisting bloat with slightly slimmer dimensions, mass, and price. Plus, Toyota nailed the design, with visual shoutouts to 40- and 80-series Cruisers from decades past that stir up warm fuzzies. This Land Cruiser is far quieter and thus more livable than the Bronco too. But the hybrid’s battery pack encroaching on the cargo area means breaking with tradition by dropping the third row. This powertrain is magic in the Grand Highlander, but acceleration and highway fuel economy are unremarkable here. The biggest letdown is flimsy sheetmetal that causes the doors to slam with a tinny resonance that undermines the otherwise tough mechanicals. —Dave VanderWerp

Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com