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There were more steep hills to climb and descents over rock gardens where Toyota suggested we use the off-roading functions that come standard on all trims, such as Downhill Assist and Crawl Control. That trim level meant my Land Cruiser 1958 Edition lacked Toyota's Multi-Terrain Select driving modes, Multi-Terrain Monitor cameras, and a stabilizer bar disconnect system. But it had enough off-roading hardware to confirm it is capable right off the assembly line and likely serves as an excellent foundation for building an overlanding rig of your own. HERITAGE EDITIONCelebrating 60 years of the Land Cruiser in America, this special edition was introduced last year as a 2-row/5-passenger model with bronze-colored 18-inch BBS wheels, black grille, and vintage-inspired badging. For 2021, the Heritage Edition can now be had with the usual three rows of seats.
Toyota Land Cruiser Car Review
Unlike most SUVs, which use a single liftgate, the Land Cruiser has a clamshell design where the top and bottom portions lift and fold. Our Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. Lane Tracing AssistOn longer highway trips, especially, we’re happy to let a vehicle shoulder as much of the driving as it can. We’ve found Toyota’s self-steering capabilities to be among the most accurate and confidence-inspiring.
Peak performance. Legendary power.
We took full advantage of the off-road cruise control, Multi-Terrain Select, and Multi-Terrain Monitor systems, all of which complement the impressive hardware to make off-roading even less taxing and more satisfying. Just like all new Toyota models these days, the company’s Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 system comes standard, which gives you the full assortment of driver assist controls. The new Land Cruiser is most similar to the GX, though, which you can tell just by looking at them. The Land Cruiser obviously isn’t as lux inside, has five seats only and is exclusively offered with a turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid powertrain that gets laughably better fuel economy than the old Land Cruiser as well as the GX. It also doesn't offer the GX Overtrail's trick KDSS automatically disconnecting stabilizer bars, but counters with a manually disconnecting bar that contributes to the Land Cruiser living up to its off-roading heritage. We only got the briefest of chances to drive the new Land Cruiser on road, and even then, it was a 1958.
Drive Modes
2024 Toyota Land Cruiser Returns to its Origin - Toyota USA Newsroom
2024 Toyota Land Cruiser Returns to its Origin.
Posted: Tue, 01 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Forward thrust was immediate, even without using the low-range gearing when ascending the course’s steepest grades. The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser will start at $57,345, including the $1,095 destination charge. That's $30,000 cheaper than the last Land Cruiser, and while a substantially different vehicle with a lot less standard equipment, it's still the lowest-priced Land Cruiser in 20 years. The Indian market gets the LC300 as one fully loaded ZX model, and thus included are two screens for the rear seat occupants.
The time with the new Toyota was restricted to off-highway, so I don't have any comments on its road manners. Most Land Cruisers have a 3-row/8-passenger interior, with the exception of the 2-row/5-passenger Heritage Edition. For the seventh and eighth passenger in the standard Land Cruiser, space in these seats is tight. Unlike a traditional third row, these are similar to jump seats, which fold up against the sides of the vehicle when not in use.
Engine & Transmission
It’s also EPA-rated at 23 miles-per-gallon (more than any previous Land Cruiser). There is no doubt that this SUV is heavy, but the 381-horsepower V8 engine and the 8-speed automatic transmission do a great job of moving this truck-based SUV down the road. Its steering is slow, handling isn’t up to par with other full-size luxury and near-luxury SUVs on the market today, and the brakes are touchy, but time spent on the highway behind the wheel of this vehicle made us smile. That smile turned into a full-blown grin when we tested the Land Cruiser off-road, where its rigid, tough body-on-frame chassis and trail-proven traction systems showed that this near-luxury SUV is a formidable machine on the trail.
At a starting price approaching $60,000, we’d expect to see the larger screen included as standard equipment. Overall we think Toyota’s designers succeeded in creating a cabin that’s both sufficiently modern and necessarily business-like. The fact that every Land Cruiser includes full-time 4-wheel drive with high/low modes plus center and rear-locking differentials speaks volumes about what this vehicle is designed to do. To no one’s surprise, the new Land Cruiser traverses rocks and ruts with aplomb.
Interior
Both run the same user interface, albeit with more features in the upper trims, which is getting a key update for Apple CarPlay that keeps the system’s menu icons permanently docked on-screen. That had been our primary complaint about Toyota’s otherwise agreeable infotainment system. The 1958 also has a smaller digital instrument cluster flanked by analog gauges, while the other trims have a full-screen cluster with no analog gauges. The legendary Land Cruiser has been a leader in 4WD performance and reliability for over 70 years.
In reality, unless you truly intend to use the Land Cruiser as a 4-wheel-drive adventure vehicle, you’re probably better off in a 3-row crossover such as the Toyota Highlander, Kia Telluride, and Hyundai Palisade. They cost less than half the price of a Land Cruiser, offer fresher technology such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, and have more cargo room, far better fuel efficiency, and more refined road manners. But a review like this wouldn’t be complete without a test that dispensed with the off-road driver aids. You just can’t beat fresh air and the steady sound of an engine building as you climb over obstacles. Even without the off-road assists, the Land Cruiser easily negotiated the trail and made me feel more talented than I actually am.
After conquering the motocross course we tried a more demanding off-road adventure involving rock-beds, deep ruts, and water fording. The new Land Cruiser includes a series of standard off-road equipment, such as locking rear and center differentials and low-speed cruise control (dubbed “crawl control”) to help maintain momentum when scaling rocks and ruts. The new Land Cruiser is (thankfully) all about dirt and dust, and that’s what we subjected it to during our “non-paved” road test.
This latest system is much smoother and makes rolling over obstacles as easy as putting the LC on a good line and feathering the brakes. It handles the acceleration input and drivers merely select from one of five speed settings. Land Cruiser’s available Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) helps you navigate varying landscapes with improved traction at different speeds. Crawl Control (CRAWL) helps take on difficult terrain by automatically modulating the throttle and brakes, so you can focus on steering.
You might also consider the less refined Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco. I was not able to test the Toyota Audio Multimedia system extensively. However, it provides impressive performance in the company's other models as long as the connected service plan subscriptions are active. That's particularly true of the excellent digital voice assistant in the Drive Connect package. The Land Cruiser's standard front skid plate protects the engine, transmission, and transfer case in preparation for off-roading.
The high-speed trail could be driven in either 4Hi or 4Lo for greater traction but even with all the steep hills, 4Lo was hardly necessary. It proceeded to climb like a billy goat, and, even though I tried, I couldn’t get the suspension to bottom out. The LC gets a double wishbone suspension out front with a stabilizer bar disconnect on the higher trims and multi-link coil spring rear. There are two trim levels, or “grades” in Toyota parlance, plus a loaded First Edition for early adopters. The 1958 acknowledges when the Land Cruiser first arrived in the United States and serves as the base model, complete with appropriately retro – the circular headlights give it away – front-end styling.
This is a far cry from the relatively lumbering and disconnected driving feel of the previous-generation LC. So, would I prefer the full open-air feeling of something like the Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco? Or, better yet, would I prefer the comfort of the Jeep Grand Cherokee or Wagoneer, not to mention the refinement of other rivals from Land Rover? As far as I’m concerned, the Land Cruiser 1958 occupies a singular sweet spot of comfort and off-road prowess. Make no mistake; the Land Cruiser we’re getting is smaller, but it’s not small by any means.
Still, the drive proved challenging enough to put a wheel in the air and to lean the SUV over at about a 25-degree angle, and it required 4Lo and both locking differentials to traverse some of the terrain. One of the company's crossovers likely wouldn't have made it through. I drove the 2024 Land Cruiser in the mountains east of San Diego, California. That said, my drive was limited to a top speed of 20 mph on a moderately technical trail.
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