When Toyota announced that it was discontinuing the Land Cruiser after the 2021 model year, many thought that it would be gone for a good, long while. But now, the off-road SUV is back for 2024 with a new look, a new hybrid powertrain, and a lower starting price. If you want to know a bit more about the resurrected Land Cruiser before you head over to your local Toyota dealer, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to take a look at the upgrades made for the new generation and what they mean for drivers.
Dimensions
While the 2021 Land Cruiser was a full-size SUV, the new 2024 model has been shrunk down to midsize. That’s a bummer for big families who like a lot of passenger space or campers who have trouble packing light, but it does make a lot of sense when you think about the logistics of off-road driving. Trails can be unpredictable, with twists and turns and obstacles that are unexpectedly blown into your path by weather or wildlife.
A smaller vehicle is more nimble and able to maneuver in rough terrain. Look at other players in the rugged off-road SUV segment, and you’ll find that plenty of popular models are also midsize, including the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. The smaller Land Cruiser also uses fewer materials, which helps to explain its lower MSRP, and is more lightweight overall, which helps with fuel economy.
Powertrain
While the outgoing Land Cruiser had a traditional gas-powered 5.7L V8 engine under the hood, the new generation will be available exclusively with a 2.4L four-cylinder hybrid powertrain. The result is a drop in horsepower, but not a very big one. The old powertrain delivered 381 hp while the new one produces 326 hp. That’s a pretty reasonable sacrifice to make to gain the efficiency of a smaller engine and a hybrid powertrain, and drivers may not feel much of a difference at all behind the wheel because the new body is smaller and more lightweight, so it doesn’t need as much power to get up to high speeds.
When it comes to torque, the new powertrain will actually be a solid upgrade. The old V8 delivered an impressive 401 lb-ft, but the new hybrid setup gets up to 465 lb-ft. This shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’re familiar with electric motors, as they tend to deliver more torque than gas engines. They also generally give you more torque at lower speeds, which is particularly helpful for off-roading. If you’re tackling tricky terrain, you don’t want to take it too fast, but you definitely want a lot of power at your disposal.
But while torque is a big factor in towing capacity, it’s not the only one. The 2021 Land Cruiser was able to tow up to 8,100 lbs, and that’s a lot to ask of a midsize SUV. The 2024 model may not be able to match that number, but it still holds its own against competitors with the ability to tow up to 6,000 lbs. That’s plenty for most drivers, so the new limit will likely only be a dealbreaker to a select few with particularly heavy trailers.
Off-Road Chops
If you’re interested in the Land Cruiser, odds are good that you want to tackle some off-road trails. The 2024 model has plenty of equipment to help you do just that. It comes standard with full-time four-wheel drive, so it can get traction on a variety of surfaces and weather conditions. A stability control system and automatic limited-slip differential work behind the scenes to keep the driving dynamics as smooth and easy as possible. An electronic locking rear differential comes standard, too, which can come in handy on uneven ground.
The body itself is designed for off-roading. The new Land Cruiser provides up to 8.7 inches of ground clearance for gliding over obstacles. If that doesn’t feel like enough, you can opt for a model that has full-coverage high-strength steel skid plates and rock rails, though these features don’t come standard across the whole lineup. For inclines and declines, the Land Cruiser has up to a 31-degree angle of approach and up to a 22-degree angle of departure.
New tech is also geared toward off-roading. The 2024 Land Cruiser has an available multi-terrain select system that lets you change settings from normal to mud, dirt, and sand. There’s also a standard CRAWL Control function that’s basically cruise control for off-road driving, letting the driver stick to steering while the vehicle maintains one of five selectable speeds, all of which are low enough to let you slowly make your way through tricky environments. An available multi-terrain monitor uses various cameras to show you upcoming obstacles.
Driver Assistance Tech
Clearly, the Land Cruiser is well-prepared for hitting the trails, but most people will have to do a little highway driving in order to reach the trailhead, not to mention the fact that most people can’t afford to have a vehicle that’s only used for vacations, so it will have to be good for daily driving as well. Toyota knows this and has drivers covered with a suite of driver assistance tech: Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 comes standard across all trims, along with other safety features not part of the suite.
All of the following features are standard across the lineup: Pre-Collision Warning with Pedestrian Detection, Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Lane Tracing Assist, Blind Spot Monitor, Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic High Beam Headlamps, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Proactive Driving Assist, Road Sign Assist, and Hill Start Assist Control.
Trim Levels
There are three trims to choose from, though the top-tier First Edition trim is limited to just 5,000 units, so it’s not as widely available as the other two. If you do manage to get your hands on one, you can expect round LED headlamps, rock rails, a roof rack, and a specially-styled interior with leather seats. Many features are standard across all trims, including the hybrid powertrain, CRAWL Control, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The entry-level trim is the Land Cruiser 1958, which sports a heritage grille that spells out TOYOTA up front and has round LED headlamps that are a nod to the model’s past. Inside, there’s an 8.0-inch touchscreen display, a six-speaker sound system, and fabric seats. Though the front seats need to be manually adjusted, they are heated even at the base level.
The middle trim is simply called the Land Cruiser. While the name may be a bit confusing, the trim is a solid value. It adds a front stabilizer bar disconnect, color-selectable LED fog lamps, a multi-terrain select system, and a multi-terrain monitor. The touchscreen is larger at 12.3 inches, the sound system is upgraded to ten speakers, and the seats now sport a SofTex trim, with front seats being power-adjustable and both heated and ventilated. The round headlamps are replaced with more modern-looking rectangular LED headlamps.
New and Improved
While we’re sure plenty of drivers will miss the third row of seating or the powerful V8 of the 2021 Land Cruiser, there’s a reason why that model was discontinued in the first place. The outgoing generation had gotten stale and was desperately in need of an upgrade.
The new model fixes many of the problems that plagued the old one, with an efficient hybrid powertrain improving fuel economy, a smaller body making it more nimble, and a lower starting price that makes it accessible for more people. Its new exterior style makes it fit in nicely with other modern off-road icons, and its re-designed interior is a big improvement, too.
Overall, the new Land Cruiser looks promising, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on how it holds up to real-world use out in the wilderness.
