Review: 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser Blends Old And New School Attitude

The Land Cruiser nameplate is akin to Toyota royalty. It’s been around in one form or another for over 70 years so when it went out of production for North America after 2021, it was big news. Now, the re-introduction of the model to the U.S.

market as part of an entirely new generation is even bigger news. Toyota has completely revamped the model in just about every way possible. It looks totally different, it uses a new drivetrain including a new hybrid engine, and it has a much lower starting price than the previous generation.

Those factors have all garnered worthwhile interest but none of it will matter if the Land Cruiser is little more than a shell of its former self. First Look: New Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter Is A Turn-Key Overlanding MachineTo find out just how much old-school capability this all-new SUV still has we traveled to California where Toyota let us take it way off-road for as long as we wanted. What we found out is that the Land Cruiser fills a gap in the market by blending real off-road performance with a premium interior experience.

All Aboard The Hybrid DrivetrainToyota is leaning heavily on its new 2.4-liter turbocharged hybrid four-cylinder dubbed the i-Force MAX that will be used in every new Land Cruiser regardless of trim or features. Buyers will benefit from 326 hp (243 kW) and 465 lb-ft (629 Nm), an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard full-time four-wheel drive. The front suspension is made up of a double-wishbone architecture while the rear relies on coil springs and outboard-mounted twin-tube shocks.

It also gets a two-speed transfer case, CRAWL control, and locking differentials at the rear and in the center. That’s a serious combination and looks perfectly poised to go head-to-head with vehicles like the Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler, and even the Land Rover Defender. At the same time, it’s not as capable in terms of angles.

It has an approach angle of 32 degrees, a departure angle of 22 degrees, and a breakover angle of 23 degrees. Despite that, it’s a bit more off-road focused than the previous Land Cruiser from 2021. That SUV made 381 hp which is significantly more than the new one but the previous generation had two