The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser Is The Ultimate Japanese Hybrid Off-Road SUV

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AI GeneratedThe 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser returns to the US with a smaller, boxier design and a standard i-Force Max hybrid powertrain. It balances heritage-inspired ruggedness with modern efficiency, offering a more maneuverable and affordable alternative to the previous Series 200 while maintaining strong off-road capabilities and updated interior technology.
For the past six and a half decades, the Toyota Land Cruiser has made a name for itself as a
Japanese off-road icon SUV. Now here in America, the previous generation known as the Series 200
got a little too big, a little too luxurious, and a little too expensive. So for 2024, Toyota is
looking to bring the Land Cruiser back to its original roots with the reintroduction of this
model here. This is the all-new 2024 Land Cruiser, and as you can see from the design, it's got a
boxy design, but it's also smaller and a lot less expensive than the previous generation.
And with its standard hybrid max powertrain, Toyota is promising this model to be the most
powerful and the most fuel efficient. So today we're actually out here in San Diego, California
to finally get behind the wheel of the new Land Cruiser and the big question I want answered,
has Toyota successfully recreated a Japanese off-road icon SUV? Stay tuned to find out.
So the Land Cruiser name left the US back in 2021. So for 2024, it's great to see this vehicle come
and before we start talking about the exterior styling, I thought I'd pop the hood and show you
guys what's powering this thing because the old Land Cruiser had a legendary engine attached to
it. It was the company's tried and true 5.7 liter naturally aspirated V8. But as you guys know,
we live in a time of engine downsizing and of course, electrification and the Land Cruiser
now has that same philosophy applied because this is the same powertrain that we also see
under the hood of the new Tacoma. It's a 2.4 liter gasoline direct injection dynamic force
four-cylinder with a turbocharger. It also has a powerful 36 kilowatt electric motor that's kind
of sandwiched between the engine and the eight speed automatic transmission. The result is a
total of 326 horsepower, which is about 55 horsepower less versus the old V8. But because
of the electric motor and that 1.87 kilowatt hour nickel metal hydride battery pack, this vehicle
delivers 465 pound feet of torque. That's about 64 more pound feet of torque versus the old 5.7
liter V8. And like I said, it's made it up to an eight speed automatic transmission. That is again,
more gears versus the old Land Cruiser and the fuel economy of this engine. In case you guys
are wondering, because it's a hybrid vehicle, it's rated at 22 in the city and 25 on the highway,
about 23 combined. That doesn't sound like a lot, but consider the old Land Cruiser was rated at
around 15 MPG combined while this car's platform eight, the Lexus GX 550, which has a twin turbo
V6 is rated around 17 combined. So that's around a six to eight MPG improvement versus the Lexus
or the old Land Cruiser. The company didn't quote a zero to 60 time. I would estimate it to be in the,
you know, upper six to maybe low seven second range. It should have a top speed of just shy of
around 110 miles an hour. And this vehicle is an SUV. It's a body on frame construction. It'll
tow a maximum of 6,000 pounds. That is a slight reduction of about 2000 pounds compared to the
old Land Cruiser. Toyota also did have a preliminary curb weight figure. They're saying that the minimum
curb weight is just over 5,000 pounds. The old Land Cruiser was around 5,700 pounds. So I don't
I'm not entirely sure if this means that this car, this truck is around 700 pounds less, but again,
this model here is not the base version. So I'd estimate it probably is going to be
closer to the mid 5,500 pound range, but let's go ahead and close up this hood, which as you can see
is held up by a prop rod. I believe the GX, the Lexus version uses struts, but closing up the
hood, let's go ahead and talk about the exterior styling, because first of all, the model that I'm
showing you here is the mid Land Cruiser trim. The base version is known as the 1958. And then
there's also a first edition model, which sadly Toyota doesn't have here at this event. That
actually has a different front fascia with round LED headlights. This model here, as you can see,
has the squared off design to the front end. It has the heritage style Toyota grill here,
where it boldly spells out Toyota at the front. There's kind of like a non-glossy finish to the
gray look in the grill. It's got these kind of squares in the actual insert of the grill that
allows for air to pass through. Of course, this is the radar sensor for the adaptive cruise control.
And you also have your front camera down here. These headlights you can see are full LED,
so they're an LED with a tri-beam design with an LED daytime running light, LED turn signal.
You also have LED fog lights down here. I actually think I might prefer the round headlights that you
get in the base version and the first edition model. You can see the front fascia, the departure
angle. This vehicle has been thought to give you a better approach angle, because remember,
this is designed to be an SUV. It also has skid plates included. And Toyota says the ground
clearance for this vehicle is about 8 inches, which 8 inches is actually not that much. When
they first showed off this vehicle about eight months ago, they said 8.7. But in the specs that
they gave us this week, it said 8 inches, which is actually about an inch less versus the previous
generation. So I imagine that's something that some owners may eventually swap out and give this
car or this SUV a lift. Now, moving around the side profile, this is built off of a new TNGAF
body-on-frame construction. So the platform itself is shared, of course, with vehicles like the
Toyota Tacoma, the Toyota Tundra, the Toyota Sequoia. And it's essentially built off of the
Series 250 Land Cruiser. So the old Land Cruiser was known as the Series 200. It was technically
a larger vehicle. In other markets, there's the Series 300. This is essentially the other market
Land Cruiser Prado. So it's technically a different vehicle, but I think it's going to do well in
terms of fitting into the marketplace within Toyota's lineup. Now, in terms of the overall
length, the wheelbase of this vehicle is still the same at 112.2 inches. That wheelbase number
has been the same for Land Cruisers for decades. Toyota just says that's the right length for a
wheelbase. Its overall length is around 193.9 inches long. That's around two to three inches
less versus the previous Series 200 Land Cruiser. You can see it's got a very nice boxy shape. I also
love this color combination in Heritage Blue with the white roof. It's definitely a very standout
color for a nice boxy design. You can see the wheels. My test car has an optional 20-inch wheel.
So this is the only trim where you can get a 20-inch wheel on the Land Cruiser. All other
models will have an 18-inch wheel. It's wrapped in a 265 by 60 Series Dunlop GrandTrek road tire,
although it does have some all-terrain capabilities. I'm surprised that Toyota doesn't
offer a TRD version of a Land Cruiser. I would expect them to eventually offer maybe a Trail
Hunter or TRD Pro or TRD Off-Road at some point. But for now, this is going to be one of the more
off-road capable models, except you probably won't go for the 20-inch wheels. You'll probably
go for the 18s. The wheel and tire setup, I think the truck looks really good with the 20s. I love
the black design. The fender flares here you can see are unpainted. They're gray. It goes along the
side of the rocker panel as well, along with those running boards. You have black painted side mirrors
here with integrated turn signals. You have a camera on there underneath it. And then you can
see above me here, you have these nice and beefy roof rails. And you also have a standard
size sunroof. If you guys are looking for a Pano roof, Lexus will happily sell you a GX550 Luxury
Plus to get the Pano roof. I really love, again, the squared off proportions of this vehicle. It
looks really modern. It also looks very rugged. It looks very heritage inspired,
which I think Toyota did a really great job with the design. And then looking over at the rear of
the Land Cruiser, you can see that squared off theme continues with this almost vertical style
to the actual tailgate itself. You have a nicely integrated spoiler over here. The rear wiper,
I kind of would prefer if Toyota had hit it underneath the rear spoiler. You can see you've
got your usual badging here. It says Land Cruiser there, Toyota spelled out here. And then you can
see I-Force Max with their new Beyond Zero badge here, shows off that this is a hybrid vehicle.
So that's something to keep in mind. If you're comparing this to the Lexus version,
the Lexus is not a hybrid, although it should be coming. The Land Cruiser comes standard with
the hybrid powertrain. Behind here, you're going to find the tow hitch. Like I said earlier,
this will tow a maximum of 6,000 pounds. And if you want, you can access the rear cargo area by
pushing that button. And this glass actually will flip up to allow you to kind of get some access
into the cargo area. Or if you guys want to open it up the traditional way, you can see it includes
a power liftgate, not on the base 1958, but on this trim, it does come standard. And you can see
in terms of the cargo figures, you probably noticed the floor here is slightly raised,
and that's because this is where the 1.87 kilowatt nickel metal hydrate battery lives.
So Toyota doesn't offer the Land Cruiser as a non-hybrid. It does eat into your cargo space
a little bit. And then in other markets, you can actually get this with a third row seat. But
obviously, as you can see here, not in America, you have the same, or you actually have some of
the remnants of a third row with the cup holders, the USB charging ports back here. So that's a
little strange along with the rear seat, third row air vents in the ceiling. I didn't expect
to find that, but again, no third row. Toyota says you have around 37 and a half cubic feet
of space back here, which it's a good amount. If you fold down the seats, they didn't provide what
the number was if you folded down the seats entirely, but I'd probably estimate it'd be in
the 80 to 85 cubic feet range. The old Land Cruiser had around 42 to around 82 cubic feet.
But just keep in mind, this new version is a little bit smaller versus the previous generation.
So Toyota really knocked it out of the park with the exterior design of the new Land Cruiser. But
what about the interior? First of all, this particular one that I'm showing you has the
black full leather interior. With this color combination, Toyota also offers a java brown
interior, which would have probably been my preference. But this black interior also looks
pretty good. You can see it has the contrast gray slash white stitching. It also has perforations
because they're heated and ventilated. This seat adjusts in 10 different ways, eight different ways
for the passenger side. You also have two person memory. These leather seats are included as part
of a premium package for $4,600. If you guys don't get the premium package, you'll actually have a
Softex, a faux leather material. So they are definitely a nice upgrade if you guys prefer
really plush seats. Now in terms of the door panel materials, you can see there's a
padded soft touch area here on the upper portion. It's also right here. You have this
silver painted accented door handle. It's nice and padded with contrast stitching here
for the armrest. You have one touch up down for all four windows with the typical Toyota
high quality window controls. You have power folding mirrors, power mirror controls,
and down here you can see it's all hard touch plastic, but you have some additional storage.
And then the premium package also rolls in the 14 speaker JBL sound. So if you guys are an audiophile,
you really want to take the option for that premium package. Now getting inside this vehicle
with around eight inches of ground clearance, the running board is definitely nice. There's
also a grab handle here to allow shorter people like myself to get in. And then once you get in
here and shut the door, the door has a nice solid sounding thump, but I will say that from the
outside, it didn't sound all that solid. It sounded a little tinny. But before we start the
vehicle up, let me show you guys the key fob. You can see this is the current Toyota key fob. It
even says Land Cruiser on the back to remind you of the special off-road vehicle. It has the usual
buttons for lock, unlock, power lift gate, and then panic function. The digital key where you
can use your phone as a key is also included as part of that premium package. So start stop button
is right here. When you put your foot on the brake, push it, you can hear the vehicle doesn't
have a traditional starter noise, but because this is a hybrid, it kind of just whirs to life,
but the engine always pretty much comes on every time you turn the vehicle on. And that's because
this hybrid system is not the same planetary CVT hybrid that you see in other Toyota vehicles.
Instead, you just have that electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission,
and it only has one electric motor as opposed to two or three. So again, you have a more
traditional feel, but once you're in here, you can see you have this really nice commanding
view of the road with the two hood bulges there to kind of show how powerful and how, you know,
boxy this vehicle is. And then in terms of the tech, this middle trim that I'm showing you
comes standard with the dual 12-inch display. So you have a 12.3-inch fully digital cluster here,
which is slightly customizable, where you can change a couple of the different menus and how it
looks. And you also have a 12.3-inch center touchscreen here, which includes Toyota's latest
audio multimedia interface. My phone connected, as you can see, via wireless Apple CarPlay and Android
Auto. This is the largest screen that you can get. If you guys go for the base 1958, you'll
actually have a 7-inch cluster here and an 8-inch touchscreen here. Still with wireless CarPlay,
but you definitely want to go for the middle trim, at least, if you guys want the biggest and the
best tech for this vehicle. You can see in terms of dashboard materials, it has a soft-touch
injection molded plastic here, although this technically feels more like the Softex leather.
It's really plush. Up here, you can see it's a soft-touch injection molded plastic. I don't love
the cheap, smooth finish that Toyota put on this. This is a very early pre-production model. You can
see right here, this tries to look like almost like an alloy carbon fiber mixture trim. You also
have some bronze accents here. You have dual zone automatic temperature control with nice dials and
actual physical buttons to control that. You have heated and ventilated seats, which is included
on this trim as standard equipment, even with the Softex, which is nice. You have three USB-C
charging ports here. You can even use one of them to actually connect your phone if you don't want
to use it via CarPlay, which is nice. You have a view monitor here. If I push that, it does a full
360 perimeter scan. That is, again, included, I believe, with the premium package. The graphics
and the resolution is fine, although that view, to me, is a little bit more useless. If I put the
vehicle into reverse, that gives you a better view. With the top-down view, the camera quality
and graphics are fine. You can see there's also a washer where it actually will spray the camera
in case it gets dirty if you're planning to do some off-roading. So that's all very, very nice.
Looking at the steering wheel, you can see the steering wheel is also unique to the Land Cruiser,
which I love. You have the Toyota Heritage script here where it spells out Toyota. You can see
there's the sensor there to watch your face because it comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0,
so it has their pre-collision assist. You have a power tilt and telescoping steering column,
which is actually a nice feature to find. That's something that you'd expect in a Lexus vehicle,
so it's great to see it here in the Land Cruiser. No paddles on the wheel. You have your controls
here for audio for the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0. You have a horn that sounds pretty nondescript,
but at least it's appropriate given the size of the vehicle. And then you can see down here
in the center console, this is where you're going to find your drive mode selector and your
multi-terrain selector. So you can see this dial, it adjusts based on whether I have it in drive
mode here where it's lit up. So if I switch it in the drive mode, it'll switch between sport,
normal, and an eco mode. And then if I have it in this button here in the multi-terrain select,
it'll give you even more modes like an automatic mode, a dirt, sand, mud, deep snow. And this
new multi-terrain select works in four-wheel high and four-wheel low. Previously, it only worked,
I believe, in a four-wheel low. So again, Toyota has definitely improved the technology and it also
engages and works a lot faster. You have downhill assist control and crawl control as well. And then
down here, you can see there's a wireless phone charging pad that fits my iPhone 14 Pro Max nicely.
That wireless charging pad, however, is part of the $4,600 premium package. It really should be
standard, especially at this price point on this trim. Not sure why Toyota decided to group it in
that premium package. You can see there's a big traditional shifter here for the eight-speed auto.
It also has a manual mode here with manual control in the actual gear selector, not paddles,
as you can see. And then you have your electronic parking brake here. The four-wheel drive toggle,
you can see all Land Cruisers come standard with full-time four-wheel drive. So it's always in
high four or you push down to go to low four. There's also a locking center diff, a locking
rear diff, a front sway bar disconnect, which is included on this trim, and then your stability
control off button. This is all stuff that dedicated off-roaders expect. So it's great
to see Toyota including that. You have cup holders here, a nice padded center console here.
And then if I open this up, part of that premium package also includes a cool box here. So it's
essentially a fridge. Put my hand in there, it actually stays very, very cold. So that's great
for keeping drinks in there cold on those longer road trips. You turn it on and off by pushing that
button. Obviously above me here, you can see this sunroof is also included as part of that premium
package. It's just a standard sunroof. It allows you to open it up completely, or you can also
tilt it up and down to vent some air. There's also a shade here that opens and close. The premium
package also rolls in the digital camera, rear view mirror, which you don't really need it because
visibility out of the back is good, but this is good if you have a bunch of stuff in the back
that's kind of blocking the rear window. And then over here, you can see the glove compartment. It
goes into the dash. It almost has two level storage. It's a pretty good size. It's damped,
but not lined with felt. And overall, the interior of this model here definitely feels a lot more
modern. And if you guys are an audiophile, the JBL sound system sounds pretty decent. You also
get a heads-up display, which is also included. I think that's also a great feature to have,
but overall, considering this is a pre-production truck, the build quality seems good. Material
quality seems good. The tech, it's nice, although I'm surprised they didn't want to go with their
larger 14-inch display. But I think compared to the previous generation, this is definitely still
a step up. Now, moving to the backseat of the all-new 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser. Remember,
here in America, Toyota only offers it as a two-row vehicle. In other markets, you can get it
with a third row. And you're going to notice that this vehicle obviously had a third row,
because if you want to fold these seats down, you pull this little lever here, and you can see the
flips down and then flips up. This would allow you to technically get some space to get into the
third row, but this is how you basically fold the seat out of the way. That is going to reduce the
cargo capacity. This setup is actually the same in the Lexus GX and in the new Toyota 4Runner as
well. But once you get back here, you can see there's a nice grab handle to help me get inside.
The running board is also nice. And then once you're back here, Toyota basically says,
at least in the spec sheet, there's 26.7 inches of legroom. That is definitely a typo,
because I believe this is more like 36 inches of legroom. It's pretty similar, of course,
to the new Lexus GX, although the Lexus, I think, has a little bit more space.
Material quality back here is the same. Soft-touch injection molded plastic. It's padded here. It's
nice and padded here. The window is still one touch up down for the rear, which is nice. You
have rear seat air vents here on the actual ceiling, which is nice. And then looking over
here at the center, you can see you have two storage cubbies. You have your own set of rear
seat climate controls. No heated rear seats, however. You do have two USB-C charging ports
and a traditional 12-volt power outlet. There is a hump here that intrudes for the middle passenger,
but because this vehicle is almost 78 inches wide, there is room for three people across.
The seats themselves, they also give you a slight recline function, which is nice.
And in terms of the legroom space, you can see this is pretty much where I have it to drive.
I'm five foot seven. I can still get back here and get pretty comfortable. I can cross my legs.
There is a good amount of headroom space, because the height of this vehicle is relatively
tall, because it's a boxy SUV. It's around 76 inches tall. And then if you fold this down,
you can see there's an armrest with two cup holders. So overall, if you want to use the new
Land Cruiser as a family vehicle, you certainly can, but it's definitely not going to have as
much space as more of a traditional car-based unibody SUV. But again, for a body-on-frame
vehicle, it is certainly still very practical. So here we are basically in the southernmost point of
California, where we're just south of San Diego, almost at the border of Mexico. And Toyota has
set up this off-road course for the Land Cruiser. Now, sadly, I wanted to be able to drive this
vehicle out on the road, on the street, but Toyota said that we're not allowed to take them
out on the street, at least not on this drive. So I'll have to wait until I get one back home for a
full week to test out what the on-road dynamics are going to be. But this is a Land Cruiser,
so I figured we'd talk about the off-road ability of this vehicle. So Crawl Control is almost like
an off-road cruise control, where it uses the brakes and the throttle to basically maintain a
set speed. And it's definitely a much more refined system than in previous iterations,
because before, I remember it was quite noisy. It would always make these beeping and mechanical
buzzing sounds, but now it's just a lot more quiet. And you guys also saw that the four-wheel
drive system switches into its four-wheel low range much faster. I also love the camera there.
You can see, because right now I'm pointed up toward the sky and I can't see a darn thing,
but with this camera, front camera and the side cameras, I can see where the tires are going. So
it kind of helps me place the vehicle, especially if I don't have a spotter, but there are spotters
out here. So with the sway bar disconnected at the front, it allows for a lot more wheel
articulation. You definitely can feel that when you're on this little course here. The car,
even though it supposedly has only eight inches of ground clearance, it's surprisingly maneuverable,
and it also didn't scrape at all. I'll go ahead and unlock the rear diff here.
It looks like it's still blinking. Let me just quickly stop here. That should allow it to
unlock the diff. But as you can see, going up here, the smaller size of this vehicle is
definitely a plus. I really like how this vehicle doesn't feel so cumbersome and huge,
especially when you're doing some off-road situations where the old Land Cruiser was
probably a little bit too big, a little bit too bulbous, a little bit too much, essentially.
But as you can see, this course that Toyota has set up isn't exactly, you know, the crazy most
challenging course, but it always never looks quite as challenging when you're actually
watching it on camera versus being in the vehicle. You can see the four-wheel drive system in low
range is sending the power where it needs to go. I have the center diff lock still locked.
I unlocked the rear diff, which took a second for it to unlock. But all the cameras in this
vehicle really help with just kind of seeing where I need to place the car because I don't
have obviously a spotter with me now. But just with these low-speed maneuvers, the suspension,
remember we have a body-on-frame construction, we have a live axle coil spring suspension at the
rear, double wishbone independent at the front. It's got a new electric power steering, rack and
pinion steering system. And this car is just, you know, it handles the terrain really easily. I mean,
the Land Cruiser makes this kind of stuff super easy. I know some of you in the comments are
probably like, hey, my Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla could easily do that. But again, this
little course here that they've set up really showcases the wheel articulation, the ground
clearance, the, you know, four-wheel drive system and how it sends the power to the correct wheel.
And you just kind of crawl right up this and it just does it and makes it so easy. So the engine
itself in this vehicle, I do notice the, it's a little bit whiny sounding. Now I don't know if
Toyota again is augmenting the engine sound at one point. I'm not, I'm sadly and frustrated that I'm
not able to drive this thing out on the road because that's again, where most people are
going to be driving their Land Cruisers. But in these kinds of conditions, as you can see,
the Land Cruiser just kind of eats this up and it's just very smooth and refined doing something.
I'm sitting here with, you know, with the cooled seat on the seats themselves are super plush and
comfortable. I love how soft the headrests are. My test car, as you guys remember, has the premium
package. So it actually has the real leather seats as opposed to the vegan or the soft text,
fake leather material. And then again, I can't really comment too much on the transmission
because this is an eight speed and I'm only driving it at literally like a four miles an
hour, five miles an hour at a crawl. But I will say that this whole setup is very smooth. I mean,
I've driven some newer vehicles, like the new Ford Ranger, for example, I was on an off-road
situation. You could definitely hear and feel and feel the, especially the shifts from Ford's 10
speed auto. This is just a lot more of a smoother transition and transmission. I'm not entirely
sure if that's just Toyota's programming and whatnot, or, you know, the hybrid system adding
its power at low speeds, because remember the hybrid system, the electric motor does add around
50 horsepower, and it's really going to help you out at low speeds where it can technically,
you know, fill in the gaps that you might feel from the turbocharged engine.
I will say the off-road course on this is definitely better versus what I experienced
in the Lexus GX, but that was out of a technicality because of the freak rainstorm that Arizona had
the week that I was there. But as you can see, this Land Cruiser is just kind of going over this
quite nicely, and I can see out of it really well. I'm in these comfortable seats. Everything is so
smooth and refined. So yeah, I have very little complaints. This truck makes this whole course
and off-roading in general very, very easy. And I can see why so many people love these,
because it still gives you that commanding view of the road that people have demand and expect
when you buy something with the Land Cruiser name. So with over six and a half decades of
heritage within the Toyota lineup, it's obvious that the Land Cruiser has always been a very
important part of the Toyota portfolio. In fact, when the company discontinued the vehicle back in
2021, I personally was really sad, but we also knew we had a feeling that Toyota would eventually
bring it back. And after a two-year wait, it's really great to see the all-new 2024 Land Cruiser.
After spending the day driving this new model, I have to say Toyota has really knocked it out
of the park here. I think that they, by going with the Series 250 platform, the Land Cruiser Prado,
it's allowed Toyota to kind of reposition the Land Cruiser within the Toyota portfolio,
because a lot of you were probably hoping that Toyota would kind of go more with a Jeep route.
The company has been hinting that there might be an FJ Cruiser return. So the Land Cruiser is
definitely an interesting proposition. So basically after spending the day driving this thing only
off-road, I really am disappointed that Toyota would not let me take this vehicle out on the
road. I'll have to wait until I get one back home to test for a full week. As you guys saw,
the i-Force Maxx powertrain offers plenty of punch for this vehicle. I mean, the electrification
part really allows you to kind of save fuel when you're driving around town, which, because let's
be honest here, it's an off-road vehicle. Most people are going to be driving this thing on the
road. And compared to the old fuel efficiency or the old model, the fuel efficiency is up almost
10 mpg. And this is also 6 mpg better versus the Lexus GX. Is this car going to be quicker than
the Lexus? I'm not entirely sure, but the hybrid Maxx powertrain is a really nice, you know,
match to the weight and the heft of this vehicle. And that 8-speed automatic is also smooth. The
ride quality, at least off-road, is also really good. Remember, this is a body-on-frame vehicle
with a live axle in the back, coil spring suspension, no air suspension. However, you
don't, you can't even get that on the Lexus. But I do wish that Toyota would offer, at least launch
this vehicle with a TRD version. I would love to see a TRD Pro. I'd love to see a Trailhunter
version. So it's a little surprising to me as to why Toyota didn't want to launch it with those
models. But again, that's what the aftermarket is for. I suspect Toyota is also going to eventually
do that. The interior has most of the modern tech features that you can want. Love the 12.3-inch
display. Love the fully digital instrument panel. I love the seats. They're very comfortable and
supportive. And the second row has enough space for most adults. I don't really care about the
fact that Toyota doesn't offer a third row because they do offer that, of course, in the new 4Runner.
And that's kind of where the Land Cruiser's positioning is going to be interesting because
even though they made this new truck a lot more affordable, it starts at around $55,950 for the
base 1958. That's plus a $1,400 destination charge. This model here, the Land Cruiser,
the mid-trim is around $6,000 more. Now I'd argue that that's probably worth it. It starts at around
just under $62,000. My test car here with the premium package for $4,600 and the $1,200 for
the 20-inch wheels, the $400 for the two-tone paint checks in at just over $68,000, about $68,120.
Almost 70 grand actually is pretty expensive. And if you guys go to a first edition model,
which Toyota is only building about 5,000 for the first year of production,
that's going to cost you around $76,000. So yes, this model is around 40 grand less expensive than
the old Land Cruiser, but at the top end, it gets dangerously close to the old Land Cruiser.
And it's also around the same price as a Lexus GX550 Overtrail Plus. Now that's for the first
edition model. This model here is about the same price as a Lexus GX550 Premium Plus. And that's
where, you know, there's a little bit of sibling rivalry here because I think I actually prefer
the look and the interior and the luxury feel of the Lexus. However, I also like the hybrid
max powertrain in this vehicle. So I'll have to wait until I get a chance to drive the two vehicles
back-to-back, but really you can't go wrong. I'm expecting Lexus to eventually offer the hybrid
max powertrain in the GX550 at some point, they'll probably rename it to something else.
But if you guys are looking for, you know, a traditional off-road body-on-frame SUV with a
lot of heritage, it's great that the new Land Cruiser is back, but just know it's pricing,
while it is more affordable, there are a lot of other choices out there, you know,
within its competitors and also within the Toyota and Lexus space. Well, all that said,
hope you guys have enjoyed my full overview on the brand new 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser. If you're
also looking to see the latest cars I'm testing, be sure to follow me on Instagram at Redline
underscore reviews, like us on Facebook. And as always guys, please keep subscribing to the
Redline Reviews YouTube channel for all the latest reviews. Thank you so much for watching. I'll
catch you all in the next video.
