The Toyota Land Cruiser is the final word all-around car. It’ll take you and the household on a highway journey throughout the nation, mixing in at each vacation spot alongside the way in which, simply as simply because it’ll take a hardcore off-road fanatic via the deepest of trails. At the least, it was the final word all-rounder — earlier than Toyota killed the mannequin off in america again in 2021.
However now, the Land Cruiser is again. It’s (marginally) smaller, retro styled, and — solely — a hybrid. Better of all, it could be essentially the most accessible Land Cruiser of all of them: When it’s launched subsequent spring, it’ll value about $30,000 lower than the outgoing 200 Collection.
The Land Cruiser’s appears take after the up to date Lexus GX, however the retro styling matches higher below the LC nameplate. It’s boxy and squared-off, gone are the indirect shapes of the 200 Collection. This new Cruiser harkens again to the FJ40 and FJ62, and the aesthetic is simply chef kiss.
The usual Cruiser has bar headlights, like more moderen basic Land Cruisers, however the 1958 and First Version trims get much more retro-looking rounded lamps. With out having seen both in individual but, my vote can be for the spherical lights. If you happen to’re gonna get a retro off-roader, go all in.
Whereas the appears could also be retro, the engineering beneath them is definitely not. For the primary time because the 100 Collection’ introduction in 1998, the Land Cruiser now not has a V8 engine beneath its hood. As an alternative, all 2024 Cruisers will include a 2.4-liter 4 cylinder mated to a hybrid drivetrain. Now, earlier than you get all involved, keep in mind that hybrid energy is a substitute for displacement: Toyota claims 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque, in addition to a 6,000-pound tow ranking on all fashions.
One would possibly anticipate this hybrid drivetrain to treatment the Cruiser’s longstanding struggles with gas economic system, however that continues to be to be seen. Toyota says that fuel mileage estimates are but to return, and can comply with someday earlier than the brand new truck hits dealership flooring.
The brand new Land Cruiser shares its structure with Toyota’s different vans — the Sequoia, Tacoma, and Tundra, in addition to the Lexus GX and LX. It’s shared with the previous 200 Collection as effectively, however the brand new Cruiser is barely extra compact than its older brother. It’s 193.7 inches lengthy, 73.2 inches excessive, and a curious 84.2 inches huge. The previous two measurements are every roughly an inch smaller than the 200 Collection, however the latter is over six inches wider — which runs opposite to Toyota’s claims of a newly narrowed chassis. In all chance, the measurement for the brand new truck merely contains the aspect mirrors.
The brand new Cruiser has an up to date Multi-Terrain Choose characteristic, which tunes traction management to accommodate for various surfaces off-road. It additionally will get an 8-inch infotainment show, upgradeable to 12.3 inches for the fancier fashions. Each trim will get keyless begin, although distant begin from Toyota’s cell app is locked behind a subscription. Can’t win ‘em all, I assume.
Toyota expects the brand new Land Cruiser to hit sellers this coming Spring, with pricing and gas economic system estimates to be launched nearer to the automotive’s arrival. The corporate has, nonetheless, stated that the brand new truck “will begin within the mid-$50,000 vary” — an enormous shift from the $85,000 beginning value the 200 Collection had by the top of its run. That probably means extra Cruisers on the roads; with these appears, I received’t be complaining.
