Land Cruiser stands tall as Toyota’s original Sports Utility Vehicle first introduced in the U.S. back in 1958. Historically, it’s held the distinction as Toyota’s largest vehicle with a go-anywhere attitude. It’s all-new and completely re-imagined in 2024 after a short two-year hiatus from Toyota dealerships.
Lots of curious onlookers took the initiative to stop, chat and ask questions of this new rebirth during our week together, a non-scientific but useful method garnering percolating public interest. It seems Land Cruiser enjoys a niche fandom no matter the year produced.
This is not your father’s or neighbor’s Land Cruiser. The name returns to the fore but with a new platform and technological updates missing from the last incarnation from 2021. In a way, this represents a wise marketing decision concerning this all-new product. Toyota could have smashed together another unremarkable array of alpha-numeric characters, but took the high road instead, reincarnating a recently retired, yet easily remembered namesake with a history of durability.
The 2024 Land Cruiser now builds upon a TNGA-F global truck platform shared with other distinguished family products including the Sequoia SUV, Tundra full-size pickup and mid-size Tacoma pickup.
For decades Land Cruiser enjoyed full-size status, now, it’s lost an inch of length and Toyota markets this as a mid-sizer of considerable girth. During the before times, V-8 engines occupied the under-hood compartment. Today, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder i-Force Max turbocharged hybrid powertrain mates to a full-time, four-wheel drive system and eight-speed automatic transmission. It replaces a 5.7-liter V-8 and its 326 horses from 2021.
Within the automotive galaxy, no one knows the inner workings of hybrid technology better than Toyota, who popularized the fuel-friendly and fuel-extending design in the very late stages of the 20th century and Japan’s largest automaker pays this forward.
The hybrid design inside Land Cruiser qualifies as a ‘mild hybrid’ with a 48-horspower electric motor positioned between the engine and transmission with a smallish 1.87-kilowatt hour nickel metal hydride battery packaged under the rear seats atop the rear axle. Mild hybrids offers distinctions from full hybrids although the two often get lumped together creating confusion.
Full hybrids travel independently in pure electric mode for short distances at low speeds with no assistance from the gas engine. This design sometimes refers to FHEV with the F representing ‘Full’. Lower priced mild gas-electric hybrids (MHEVs) such as the Toyota Land Cruiser circa 2024 only assist the engine without directly powering vehicle without overly padding bottom line pricing.
There are important distinctions between Land Cruiser’s standard four-wheel drive (4WD) and widely available all-wheel drive (AWD). While both systems involve sending power to all four wheels with all-wheel drive requiring little to no driver input, the more advanced four-wheel drive benefits become apparent if diving forward into deep woods trails.
Four-wheel drive improves stability icy wet roads or sandy, gravely terrain. It also improves towing capacity. As with the previous generation, Land Cruiser comes standard with full-time four-wheel drive providing constant power to all four wheels based on traction conditions. Drivers switch from the everyday four-wheel high into off-roading four-wheel low from a finger flip found between the front buckets. All trims include a locking center differential button between front seats locking axles together with an even split of engine power to each. Nearby a button locking the rear differential providing a 50/50 torque split to each rear wheel. Both prevent wheel spin and keep forward momentum steady.
An updated ‘crawl control’ for all intents and purposes acts as an off-road cruise control with five settings. A multi-terrain select, available in upper trims, adjusts wheel spin of the traction control system with six settings for optimal off-road traction: auto, dirt, sand, rock, mud and deep snow.
The 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine cranks out 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, enough to tow 6,000 pounds. It’s the sole available engine. For those keeping score of fuel economy, the 2021 Land Cruiser averaged a paltry 13 miles per gallon city and 17 mpg highway. Land Cruiser circa 2024 jacks up those results to 22 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. For optimal results, Toyota recommends premium unleaded fuel for turbo power engine when refueling the sizeable 17.9-gallon tank.
Three visually-distinct trims arrive in 2024: Land Cruiser 1958, Land Cruiser and top-shelf First Edition. Only the mid-level Land Cruiser comes with significant factory option choices, the other two arrive ‘as is’ with exterior color as the one question mark.
In the 2021 model year, the last for the V8-platform, $87,030 was the list starting price. For 2024, that number slices and dices down more than thirty grand to a budget-friendlier $55,950 for the 1958 edition. The starting price for our mid-trim Land Cruiser with a two-tone exterior Heritage Blue paint with Grayscape roof hue checked in at $61,950. Both Mid-trim Land Cruisers and top-shelf First editions include the two-tone grayscale roof combination.
A short list of all available factory options in our mid-level tester included twenty-inch alloy wheels ($1,240), Premium Package ($4,600), two-tone roof ($350), and roof rack $1,440. Along with a smattering of dealer add ons, the final purchase price reached $71,469. The Premium Package includes upgraded 14-speaker sound system, power moonroof, heads-up windshield display, digital rearview mirror and leather trimmed front seats.
The digital rearview mirror, an option now showing up in many upmarket Lexus vehicles, allows drivers an unimpeded view of the back window by visually erasing, via camera technologies, any bulbous row two heads (human, canine or otherwise) in the way. Just simply flip a manual switch on the lower rim/frame.
On the road, the body-on-frame truck platform offers smoother-riding nuances than what’s found within beefy competitors. The double wishbone front suspension returns with a four-link rear suspension cushioning the back. Body-on-frame SUVs tend to bounce more and feature more body roll than crossovers with a car-like uni-body frame. Land Cruiser circa 2024 offers a pleasant compromise in part to an independent rear suspension.
For those seeking Toyota-badged mid-sized crossovers with a uni-body, car-based architecture, look no further than the two-row Highlander and three-low Grand Highlander.
Front headlights highlight three, in-row bejeweled LEDs in mid Land Cruiser trims, circular formats adorn the top trim. Black cladding protects lower doors and front-back bumpers. Side view mirrors boast a rectangular portrait shape providing excellent visual guidance. Strap-like door openers include a stately black color. The bottom side window frame straight lines from the front on its way back until reaching the rear door strap area, when it jogs up an inch or so as it continues rearward. The 90-degree back roof design provides an upright balanced look while providing extra head room for row twoers. A power liftback comes standard in the top two trims.
Inside, two roomy seating rows arrive standard in 2024, a departure from 2021 when a third row was available. Expect magnificent measurements of head and leg room. Row two includes a three-seat bench with a standard 60/40 manual fold. Although slightly shorter in overall length, wheelbase (distance between front and rear axles) remain unchanged at 112 inches from 2021.
Three drive modes (eco, normal, sport) select from a circular dial on the lower dash right of the steering column. Each summons a unique layout within the all-digital instrument panel.
Land Cruiser 2024 includes ceiling grab handles mating with all side doors plus a molded version within front A pillars and row B-pillar frames. All this plus illuminated black static running boards (standard only on the mid-level trim) helps those with mobility issues (including my long-time co-pilot) tackle the 8.7 inches of ground clearance (two tenths of an inch less than 2021)
Our mid-level trim and First Edition counterpart enjoy a bright, in-dash 12.3-inch landscape multimedia touch screen standard, base 1950 editions settle for an eight-inch size. No time delays were experienced when interacting with the touch sensors. Expect wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity along with a standard flat, Qi wireless charger below the center dash only in First Editions. For those not cutting the cord, six newer-fashioned type C USB plug ports are available throughout. No larger Type A feeds were spotted on board. Interior temperatures monitor from a row of push-up-down tabs below the screen.
All three trims offer a better-than-average number of the safety nuances. Radar sensing front traffic alert is the only perk not available across the board; it’s standard in First Edition trims and a Premium Package option in the mid-level. Rear traffic alert, very useful when pulling back out of a tight parking spot when views often get impaired, comes standard.
Included with every purchase: Toyota Care, a customer-friendly extra covering normal factory-scheduled maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles. It’s also a subtle incentive for loyal Toyota shoppers to revisit the dealership for some TLC.
2024 Toyota Land Cruiser
Price as tested: $71,469
Engine: 2.4 liter inline four cylinder
Horsepower: 326
Wheelbase: 112.2 inches
Total Length: 193.7 inches
Total Height: 73.2inches
Total Width: 84.2 inches
Miles per gallon: 22 city/ 25 highway
Curb weight: 5,307 pounds
Powertrain Warranty: six years/60,000 miles
Assembly: Japan
