2024 Toyota Land Cruiser First Drive: Threading the Needle

MotorTrend

Toyota's smaller

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00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 After a two year hiatus,

00:11 the Land Cruiser nameplate is back in the US.

00:14 And today, we get to drive it.

00:17 The Land Cruiser's reputation is that

00:18 of an extremely capable off-roader,

00:21 utterly bulletproof and effortlessly cool.

00:23 So, how does this new one stack up?

00:26 Well, first, it's worth noting that over the years,

00:29 the Land Cruiser evolved to become packed

00:31 with premium features,

00:32 though that did contribute to the Land Cruiser

00:34 getting somewhat bulky.

00:37 Thankfully, this new cruiser debuts

00:39 a radically redesigned, head-turning new look.

00:42 It's still full of impressive technology,

00:44 the latest off-road features,

00:46 and that balanced blend of performance and efficiency

00:48 that you would expect from a Toyota.

00:51 But it looks like a Land Cruiser again.

00:53 The big news here is that all Land Cruisers

00:56 now come standard with Toyota's i-Force Max

00:59 hybrid powertrain,

01:00 mated to a full-time four-wheel drive system.

01:03 This premium hybrid powertrain produces 326 horsepower

01:07 and 465 pound-feet of torque,

01:10 with an electric motor in the bell housing

01:12 between the 2.4-liter turbocharged engine

01:15 and the eight-speed automatic transmission.

01:17 This is the Land Cruiser 1958, aka the base model.

01:21 However, cool retro touches,

01:23 such as the round LED headlights,

01:26 heated fabric seats,

01:28 and iconic Toyota Heritage grille, all nod

01:32 the Land Cruiser's storied history in North America

01:35 and make the 1958 look anything but basic.

01:38 Despite the name, the 1958 isn't old on the inside.

01:42 It has modern touches, like standard smart key system,

01:45 the push-to-start, blind spot monitor,

01:47 a seven-inch full-color multi-information display,

01:50 automatic climate control, USB-C ports,

01:52 an eight-inch multimedia touchscreen,

01:55 six-speaker sound system,

01:56 and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

01:59 Then we have the Land Cruiser grade,

02:01 which takes the 1958 and kicks it up a gear

02:04 with a long list of options

02:05 and a focus on added refinement and convenience.

02:09 It adds rectangular LED headlamps,

02:11 power-heated and ventilated SofTec trimmed front seats,

02:15 two 12.3-inch screens, and a 10-speaker sound system.

02:20 So here we are, we're out in the Land Cruiser.

02:23 We're on a sort of a nicely compacted surface,

02:27 a little bit of gravel, a bit of dust, and look at this.

02:30 It's calm, it's grown up, it's sophisticated.

02:34 You barely know that we were off-road.

02:38 With the addition of that iForce Max hybrid system,

02:41 you've got those little instant bursts of torque

02:44 when you need them, and that's great on the road.

02:46 It's wonderful to be able to get up to speed

02:48 when you enter a freeway or something like that,

02:49 but it's equally good

02:51 when you don't want to have to wait

02:54 for the turbos to spool up

02:56 for you to push on a little bit.

02:58 All Land Cruisers come standard

03:00 with full-time four-wheel drive

03:02 with center and rear-locking differentials.

03:04 The electronic locking rear differential

03:06 can split the power 50/50 to the rear wheels

03:09 for improved traction

03:10 and reduced wheel spin on rough terrain.

03:13 A new addition to Land Cruiser

03:14 is the available front stabilizer bar disconnect mechanism,

03:17 which increases suspension flex with the push of a button.

03:21 With the front stabilizer bar disconnected,

03:23 articulation increases significantly,

03:25 helping the front tires to stay in contact with the ground.

03:29 I love the low belt line in here.

03:31 Even though we've got this pretty big screen here,

03:33 I've got great visibility.

03:35 I said the same of the Lexus GX,

03:37 but I love this two-bulge hood design.

03:40 I love that I've got these bulges

03:42 that kind of show me where the corners of the car are.

03:44 Multi-terrain select,

03:45 which is now functional in both four-wheel drive high

03:48 and four-wheel drive low,

03:49 offers adjustable settings

03:50 to help control wheel spin on a variety of terrains,

03:53 such as mud, dirt, and sand.

03:55 Downhill assist control is standard.

03:58 Land Cruiser's front overhang

04:00 was decreased for greater approach,

04:02 providing up to 31 degrees of approach,

04:04 as well as 25-degree breakover

04:06 and 22-degree departure angles.

04:08 The available multi-terrain monitor system

04:11 can act like a spotter

04:12 by leveraging cameras to display the environment

04:14 around the vehicle on the touchscreen,

04:16 exposing potential obstacles looming ahead.

04:19 A little bit more speed here,

04:22 even out some of these bumps.

04:23 It's decently comfortable.

04:26 It's nice and quiet, I must say.

04:27 It's pretty refined in here.

04:29 Out of the box, this Land Cruiser

04:32 is just about as capable an off-roader

04:36 as you could possibly need,

04:37 so long as you're not planning on going

04:39 and doing the Baja or something like that.

04:42 The hybrid system, which I think is more

04:48 if power than it is for efficiency,

04:49 is probably the one black mark

04:51 against the Land Cruiser, in my opinion.

04:54 It would be nice if the economy

04:58 was a little better with the fuel,

04:59 but hey, can't have it all.

05:02 This is the kind of off-roading you can expect,

05:04 as maybe the average Land Cruiser owner to be doing.

05:09 And I'm happy to report,

05:10 Toyota have dialed this car in really nicely.

05:14 You can expect to start seeing Land Cruisers

05:16 on the road from spring 2024,

05:18 with the 1958 starting at $57,345,

05:23 including destination charge,

05:24 and the Land Cruiser starting at $63,345.

05:29 you

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