Toyota reinvented its venerable Land Cruiser SUV for the 2024 model year, going for a more mainstream audience at the risk of alienating some hard-core off-roading fans. While the move makes sense from a profitability standpoint given that few buyers took advantage of the old Land Cruiser’s capabilities in the bush, the new model is likely to bring tears to the eyes of the few who do. At least they can console themselves with a substantially reduced sticker price.
Related: 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser Review: Readjust Your Expectations
Make no mistake, the new Land Cruiser still delivers the off-road goods, such as body-on-frame construction, full-time four-wheel drive and locking differentials front and rear. But the torquey and thirsty V-8 engine is gone; it has been replaced with a more frugal but less audibly satisfying turbo four-cylinder.
Cars.com’s Conner Golden spent some time getting to know the new Land Cruiser and found some things to like in spite of his own fondness for its predecessors. Tap the link above to read his expert review, or for a quicker rundown, read on to learn five things we like about the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser and two things we do not.
Things We Like
1. Less Is More
Fans of the old Land Cruiser can take heart in knowing that the new powertrain not only still has plenty of torque, but it also cranks out a whopping 64 pounds-feet increase compared to the old V-8. Combining a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor and 1.87-kilowatt-hour battery, the new powertrain has a total of 326 horsepower — 55 hp less than the V-8 — but its increased torque and the Land Cruiser’s notable 778-pound weight loss program should more than make up the difference.
2. Comfortable Cruiser
On pavement, the new Land Cruiser handles more like a car-based SUV than something constructed in trucklike body-on-frame fashion. Engineers clearly spent some time on suspension refinement, resulting in a pleasantly smooth ride on most surfaces and good body control. There’s still some jitteriness over broken pavement, but the Land Cruiser remains a good choice for road trips.
3. Still an Off-Road Champ
The V-8 may be gone, and the chunky, angular styling looks little like the last Land Cruiser, but the SUV’s legendary off-road capability remains thanks to its full-time 4WD, locking differentials and an available disconnecting front stabilizer bar. There’s also more modern tech than previously available, including crawl control to keep a steady throttle in the rough stuff and trail cameras to help keep that rugged-looking bodywork intact.
4. Reduced Cost of Entry
With the redesign, Toyota has managed to chop $30,000 off the price of the last Land Cruiser — if you get the base 1958 Edition trim for around $57,000. That eliminates a lot of the features that are appealing to Land Cruiser buyers, though, as the 1958 Edition comes with manual seats, cloth upholstery and a basic multimedia system. The mid-trim version includes a more desirable feature set and starts at $63,345 — still many thousands less than the last Land Cruiser.
5. Improved Fuel Economy
The new powertrain brings a big improvement in fuel economy, not that the old Land Cruiser set a very high bar. But going from an EPA-estimated 13/17/14 mpg city/highway/combined to 22/25/23 mpg is nothing to sneeze at.
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Things We Don’t Like
1. Aural Experience
There’s no question that the new Land Cruiser’s four-cylinder heart is up to the job, providing quicker response and acceleration than the old V-8. What isn’t as pleasant is its soundtrack, which instead of a powerful and refined rumble is now a bit grittier and coarser.
2. Land Cruiser Lite?
As capable as the new Land Cruiser is, and in spite of its more modern chunky look, it somehow doesn’t feel as heavy-duty as the old one. Time will tell if the new model lives up to the bulletproof reputation of its predecessor; it certainly has the capability.
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