Video: 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser Up Close

So it gets round headlights that evoke the original 1958 Land Cruiser. Higher trims will actually get rectangular headlights, so that's a good way to differentiate across the trim levels. You get big chunky plastic bumpers, this retro Toyota badging, there's a nice good skid plate down here. Should help you with underbody protection as you take this off road. And as you come along the sides, you get a lot of the J60, J70 Land Cruiser look, very nice and vintage. The whole body of this new Land Cruiser is 1.2 inches shorter than the 200 series that we last had in North America and 4.4 inches narrower. Now these tires don't necessarily look like the most off-Road capable, they'll probably get you off onto some dirt roads, things like that. But these will probably be better on road than chunky all-terrain tires. So, this is where it's probably gonna spend most of its time too, so decent trade off. And as you come along to the back, you do get this chunky black plastic bumper. Again, this is the base model, so you're not gonna get all the high-end bling that you'll see on mid and upper level trims or on the related Lexus GX which we recently drove. But it does look durable, it does look rugged, it looks really capable. I also think if we're being honest, that there will be aftermarket metal bumpers and these bumpers will probably be the first to go intentionally or not. Now we're gonna ignore that prototype vehicle locked sign and get inside. We are inside the Land Cruiser. (all laughing) Oh, that was fantastic. (video beeping) (door chucks) We are inside the Land Cruiser 1958 edition and I gotta say, I kind of love it. It is very, very basic. Very, very rugged. It's maybe iffy that you wanna pay $55,000 for a car with fabric upholstery and manual seats and all of this plastic, but again, this is supposed to be a rugged off-roader. So you're paying really for the capability. In the 1958 edition, you do only get an eight inch touchscreen display. It does have wireless, Apple, CarPlay, and Android Auto, and over the air update capability, higher trim levels will get a larger 12.3 inch screen with the same features. You get lots of physical controls in the cabin which is really great. It's very old school in that regard. You do actually get heated seats which is a bit upscale for something with fabric upholstery, but the overall layout is nice. It feels a little narrow. I did say this is 4.4 inches narrower than the last Land Cruiser, and that will really help with off-Road maneuverability. But I'm not gonna lie, the cabin does feel a little bit cramped to me. Not as much as a Wrangler, but could have a little bit more room. This is a very wide console. Nice physical controls on the steering wheel as well. Hard plastic on the doors. This is a prototype that is why it was locked, but we don't know that this is going to be what the final production version is like. Hopefully it'll be a little bit nicer, but again, I think you're gonna have to go for higher trims if you want a more luxurious interior. Now let's check out the back and see what that's like. So we're in the backseat of the 1958 edition Land Cruiser. Not a whole lot going on back here. Again, base model, very basic interior. You have your climate controls down here, charge ports that are USB-C, a 12 volt outlet as well. This actually to me looks a little bit fancier than what you get up front 'cause there's a little bit more gloss plastic around the controls, but leg room could be a bit better. My knees are up pretty high and these seats are not nearly as nicely padded as the ones up front, so I could see being uncomfortable with longer drives. The seats do however recline, which is nice. So I can do this and get some rest assuming there's not a ton of cargo back there, and you do also have this armrest here with cup holders, but that's really the extent of the features back here in the Land Cruiser 1958 edition. Comfortable, but could be better. You're really gonna wanna sit up front if you can. All versions of the new Land Cruiser are powered by a 326 horsepower hybrid powertrain, which combines a turbocharged 2.4 liter four cylinder engine with an electric motor. An eight speed automatic transmission is also standard as is four wheel drive. The new Land Cruiser will also make 465 pound speed of torque and have a maximum towing capacity of up to 6,000 pounds for every trim and a trailer hitch is standard. What we don't know with the hybrid is its fuel economy. We expect it to be more than the old 200 series Land Cruiser, but then what isn't? The standard full-time four-wheel drive system includes a center locking differential, electronic locking rear differential, and electronic two speed transfer case. Mid-level Land Cruiser and first edition trims also add a front stabilizer bar disconnect. Downhill speed control and Toyota's crawl control off-road cruise control feature are both standard, and higher trims will also get the brand's multi terrain select system, which lets you select specific drive modes for specific kinds of terrain. Unfortunately, even though we could break the rules and get inside, we are unable to explore the cargo area right now. So you'll have to wait and see for when we can do that. But overall, I am very excited for the Land Cruiser just with this quick look of a prototype base model. And if it drives anything like the Lexus GX, which we were really impressed with, this should be a great thing for Toyota's lineup. For more on the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser and everything else at the 2024 Chicago Auto Show, you can find it on cars.com.