- Introduced in 1958, the Land Cruiser started out rugged and morphed into the modern SUV.
- The new Land Cruiser will use the i-Force MAX turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, generating 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque, channeled through an eight-speed transmission.
- Will there be dealer markups? Based on current listings of used 2021 Land Cruisers with low miles for over $80k, you can count on it.
Before Toyota had a Celica or Cressida or Previa or Tercel or 4Runner or Supra, there was the Land Cruiser, in the early days of high-riding off-roaders, before they were called SUVs.
It was 1958 when Toyota introduced the Land Cruiser in the US market—selling only one vehicle in its first year. But it went on to blaze a trail that started out rugged and became increasingly comfortable and upscale.
Before long, the boxy brute became Toyota’s best-selling model—while the Japanese automaker remained a small player in the US—with leaf springs and solid front and rear axles.
The Land Cruiser evolved into a bigger 4×4 and too many variants to name here, from station wagons and a two-door soft top to a pickup truck and an enclosed jeep, before settling into the familiar SUV body style that was taking the industry by storm in the 1990s.
Old Nameplate, New Life
With this rich history, Toyota is primed to resurrect the Land Cruiser, which has been on hiatus for three years, and the new model springs forth from Toyota’s TNGA-F body-on-frame global truck platform, which is shared with the new Lexus GX.
Toyota unveiled the new Land Cruiser Tuesday night for journalists gathered in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum.
The first models from this new eighth-generation J300 series will arrive in the US in spring 2024. While the previous upscale Land Cruiser carried a starting price above $85,000 when it left the market in 2021, the automaker is pushing the new model at a more accessible mid-$50,000 range.
Will there be dealer markups? Based on current listings of used 2021 Land Cruisers with low miles for over $80k, you can count on it.
Bye-Bye V8 Power
While V8s have been the norm in recent years for Land Cruiser, new shoppers will have to be satisfied with one powertrain: the i-Force MAX turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder hybrid that generates 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque, channeled through an eight-speed automatic transmission, a two-speed transfer case (with high/low range), and full-time four-wheel drive. The extra punch—and potentially better fuel economy—comes from the 1.87-kWh NiMH battery.
Toyota says the ’24 Land Cruiser can tow 6000 pounds, has 8.7 inches of ground clearance, and stands 73.2 inches tall. Overall length is 193.7 inches, with a 112.2-inch wheelbase. Alloy rims measuring 18 inches are standard.
When fully launched, there will be three editions: Land Cruiser 1958 (with black fabric seats and 245/70R18 tires), standard Land Cruiser, and a First Edition (both with 265/70R18 rubber). Also available on standard models will be 265/60R tires on 20-inch rims.
The off-road gadgets are plentiful, including a center locking differential, vehicle stability control and an automatic limited-slip differential. Standard on all Land Cruisers is an electronic locking rear differential that can help split power 50/50 to the rear wheels on rough terrain.
The new Land Cruiser will have electric power steering and a newly developed double-wishbone front suspension with twin-tube shocks, paired with a multi-link rear suspension with coil springs.
While Land Cruiser historians might pine for a bare-bones cabin with hard seats, a rough ride, and lots of wind noise, Toyota wants the new iteration to fall in line with modern expectations for comfort, convenience, quietness, connectivity, functionality, and safety, with a raft of advanced driver-assistance technologies and an available 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen.
How many Land Cruisers can Toyota reasonably expect to sell? To start, the First Edition grades (with leather-trimmed seats) will be limited to 5000 units for North America.
That shouldn’t be a problem, considering Toyota barely sold 3000 Land Cruisers annually in the US starting in about 2009. A high-water mark for the Land Cruiser was in 1999, when 19,000 units sold in the US.
Toyota will build the new Land Cruiser at its Tahara and Hino plants in Japan.
Do you expect many buyers will use their new Land Cruisers for rugged off-roading, or stay on the pavement? Please comment below.
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