The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser throws dirt in your SUV’s face

When I was little, I used to love to play with my Dad’s watch. It was one of those with a face full of faces, and told you what you ate for breakfast, the location of Mars, and how fast you could go in an office chair. Really, it was for fighter pilots to wear. My dad wasn’t pulling any Gs, but I guess he liked knowing his watch could. And that’s how we land on the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser.

Don’t you like knowing you could conquer…anything?

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser overview

Driving around in an SUV such as this could be considered pantomime for those around you. All that’s missing is you blaring the G.I. Joe theme song as you roll down the road.

But if I’m honest, all the best off-road SUVs, from the Hummer to the G-Wagon, come from a real military background. True to form, the Land Cruiser derives from a stolen Willy’s Jeep left in the Philippines during World War Two. The Japanese government liked it, then tasked Toyota with making it better.

Fast forward to 2021, where Toyota finally ceased production of the car for the US market despite there still being a demand for a $90,000 Toyota. They said they killed it for good.

Well, it’s back.

What you see here is a First Edition in “1958” trim, and it has cool round vintage headlights, a turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, and the off-road chops of Arnold Schwarzenegger dressed in lederhosen with a Bazooka around his waist.

But do you want to hang out with Arnold all day? Get tooo da Land Cruzaaa!

Performance Score: 8. Just add dirt

I suppose we’ll go on forever pretending that cars like the BMW X3 retain some truck DNA, as oppose to simply accepting them as tall wagons. Not the Land Cruiser though.

This thing is 100% beef.

Engine

The engine certainly is. Actually, there’s some veggie here too, because it’s a hybrid. And a really good one to boot, offering a seamless switch from silent running to burning left over lizard slop.

Gone is a V-8 option, replaced by a 2.4 liter turbo four cylinder that’s assisted by two electric motors, good for 326 horsepower and 416 pound-feet of torque. It gives great grunt off the line, but is geared for truck life and offers little reason to ring out its neck. Nothing much happens above, say, 5,000 RPM.

Throttle tip-in is excellent for rock climbing, and there’s a Sport mode to firm up response if you must, along with an MTS button that will automatically adjust throttle and traction control for off-roading. Aside from a fun little turbo whistle, the sound of the Land Cruiser’s engine isn’t very inspiring, with all its grunts and groans. Sounds like my daughter when I ask her to clean her room.

“Commmmmeee onnnnnnn, Daaaadddd.” Who knew my kid sounded like a Toyota.

I do wonder what that V-6 feels like under the hood of the Lexus GX, especially because it’s priced in the same ball park. Still, what we have here will get the job done.

Transmission

Can I just commend the shifter? It’s oh-so-satisfying to grab that T-shaped handle and boom, into D you go. You can rest your hand on it while driving too, giving the sensation of piloting the Red October.

Ease up on the bow planes. One ping only.

The eight-speed unit works well with all the hybrid tech, and there is a ton of stuff to get you out of trouble. Four-wheel-drive, a locking center differential, low-range gearing, a crawl-control system, and hill-descent control. You cannot get it stuck, short of driving it on the Moon because there’s no gravity, silly.

On-road it’s a bit clunky, especially if you ask for a gear change too quickly. Let’s just say you’re aware of all the pumpkins and gears underneath your butt.

Steering and chassis

We’ll spend the most time here, because it’s the Land Cruiser’s reason for being. The big ‘Yota can handle civilian life just fine, but it feels like a truck. If you’re saying duh, Mike, my point here is that please, take this off-road! You miss the LC’s charm without dirt.

This thing squats and dives with the best of ’em on smooth tarmac. My notes say “manageable but not enjoyable on-road”, and I think that sums it up. It’s like a reverse Porsche 911 GT3 RS – you won’t get it if you never turn a wheel on what it’s really built for. Once you do, the car becomes almost tossable. You want to fling it through dirt, and it’s so much fun.

The steering is perfectly set up for mud and guts, with tons of feedback and some wiggle directly off-center. And the suspension has some cool tricks, with a detachable stabilizer bar for longer suspension travel to help you conquer Middle Earth.

You get the sense of always being in command here, and the Cruiser is always comfy, especially off-road. Just don’t push it too far elsewhere.

Brakes

Silver calipers barely poke out from behind black wheels, and in trucks like these they always look tiny. But they work well and are reassuring – you learn to use all the pedal travel, otherwise it feels a little herky-jerky at the top. There’s no brake regen, just good old-fashioned foot-power.

This car is like the best dog – it’s always ready to run around outside like a lunatic. Gotta keep it on a leash at the park though, or it’ll start chasing Honda Civics and use them as chew toys.

Lifestyle Score: 8. Big box

Thankfully, being square-shaped has become a genetic trait in trucks such as this, so there’s no swoops, slashes or rakes to cut into what is a very useful Toyota Land Cruiser.

I’d be so interested to talk to the people that design car seats – how do some get it right, and others feel like the place they put you to shine bright light in your face. In the Cruiser, they are perfect – a long bottom cushion and soft backing make all that rock climbing tolerable.

Plenty of room in the back too, making this a great family car. The trunk itself is fine – but check out the high load floor to clear all that mud tech. Great for me, but if you’re 5 feet, you’re gonna have a problem. At least the tailgate glass pops up – another useful Toyota gene carried though.

I’ve shot out of 4Runner glass before.

Fuel Economy: Hybrid hope

I’ve always felt like Toyota is the brand for hybrids, whether that reputation is deserved or not. Blame the early 2000s Prius.

But even with its modern hybrid setup, the Land Cruiser could only must 18 MPG in my hands. Significantly less than the 23 combined the EPA tells me.

As usual, you can blame me at least partially for that, because I insisted on taking Mrs. Machines to romantic off-road tours every chance I got.

“Hey babe, you think it’ll get stuck here?!”

Never did, but that takes fuel, with all that low-range running. Considering trucks like this used to get 12 MPG, and the overall smaller footprint of this Land Cruiser, it still feels like a win.

Features and Comfort: 7. Ability over luxury

The Land Cruiser has immense ability, but that means less yen left over for the inside.

It’s not really a knock, but sitting inside here reminded me of my dad’s 2002 Nissan Pathfinder, or rather what one might look like if they made it today (not the fake minivan thing).

Revenge of the buttons

You know by now – I prefer real buttons for things. Climbing through menus upon menus on a gigantic Times Square billboard screen isn’t really easy to navigate.

Well, the Toyota Land Cruiser takes the button ethos to extremes. Look at the center console – there’s a lot of stuff. Maybe it’s necessary, because who wants to dig through a menu for a locking differential when you’re sliding down the Olympus Mons. Approach it like a fighter pilot and learn the layout before getting underway.

The HVAC controls are fun toggle switches, and the infotainment system is clean (and pretty easy to use). So is the digital dash. There’s also heated and ventilated seats, Apple CarPlay, a nice ten-speaker JBL stereo, and some other kit.

Unfortunately, the good things end there.

It feels pretty cheap inside – chewy leather, chintzy plastic. A swath of assorted greys and blacks. I cannot understand hiding the volume knob for the stereo behind the steering wheel – it’s like finding buried treasure. And no ambient light – it’s freakin’ dark in there at night. How are you going to know if a bear crawled into the back seat while you left the Land Cruiser in the woods?

First Edition, second banana

The Land Cruiser is a bit unique – let me explain.

You can get a “1958” example for $57,900 – and it looks like what you see here, with those round headlights that call back to the original Cruiser. You can also get the higher-priced Land Cruiser that comes with unique square headlights and more gear.

But the example on this page is the First Edition, and it combines the look of the 1958 with the equipment of the higher Land Cruiser trim. It’s $76,825, but it is pretty much fully loaded. Too bad for you that Toyota stopped making them for 2025 since it’s like, not the first year of the car anymore dude.

Regardless of the headlights, I think the look is cool – sort of retro, sort of modern. Painted a color called “sand”, the exposed plastic makes sense here as a sort of brush guard. The First Edition also adds a roof rack, rock rails, and front skid plate. I do wish those rock rails has foot steppers on them – the car is tall and hard to climb into for kids. I wasn’t that thrilled either.

My favorite part? Real LED yellow fog lights (switchable to white) – what a cool off-roader look.

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser is an SUV you must use as intended to fully enjoy

I happened to have a Land Rover Defender on loan at the same time as the Cruiser, and that was just as capable in the dirt (though better on-road).

But the Land Cruiser is the one I’d have if there’s legitimate need for its ability. The steering feel, the torquey engine, the tossable chassis. It’s fun! I don’t miss the old lumbering V-8. This isn’t a drive to savor, but one to attack. Just give me the proper tools and stand back.

On-road, it would get tiresome – there are other SUVs for the errands and commutes. But like a 911 with baby seats, you can make it work if you want to live that lifestyle all the time.

In a world full of cars that resemble Apple Watches, with simulated dials in place of real mechanical pieces, the Land Cruiser remains delightfully old school. It really is my dad’s Citizen in automotive terms, with more faces than I probably need.

But I’m glad I have them.

Shout out to Mr. Kyle Walsh for helping me take the off-road shots!