Retro-look Toyota Land Cruiser moves upmarket for 2024

After astir 14 years connected the marketplace successful its existent form, the Toyota Land Cruiser has been drastically overhauled successful a bid to bargain income from the Land Rover Defender and Jeep Wrangler. 

Designed with evident power from past Land Cruisers and with a chunky two-box silhouette that nods to its “ability to withstand harsh conditions”, the exemplary again majors connected practicality, durability and dependability.

The go-anywhere 4x4 has agelong been 1 of the world’s astir competent off-roaders, but the absorption for this caller fifth-generation car, codenamed J250, is connected providing improved on-road refinement and competitory levels of technology.

To that end, the Land Cruiser moves from the aged J150 level to Toyota’s caller Global Architecture, pursuing the larger J300 Land Cruiser, which isn’t sold successful the UK. 

The caller body-on-frame operation ensures the SUV is “easy to manoeuvre and much comfy during on-road driving”, according to Toyota.

The chassis is said to beryllium 50% much rigid than that of its predecessor and the full body-on-frame assembly is immoderate 30% stiffer. That, positive improved suspension, means the Land Cruiser promises to beryllium much responsive and comfy successful each driving situations.

Measuring 4920mm agelong and 1870mm gangly and with a wheelbase of 2850mm, the J250 is somewhat larger than its predecessor, and its roomier, redesigned compartment is simply a satellite distant successful plan and method terms.

Chunky carnal controls inactive abound and determination is simply a wide accent connected utility, but the full-length solid roof, multi-zone clime control, plush leather upholstery and wraparound integer show – hosting a new-generation infotainment strategy – hint astatine a bid to determination upmarket to much intimately rival Land Rover’s three-year-old Defender.

Staying existent to its roots, the Land Cruiser maintains a prevailing absorption connected all-terrain ability, with accrued instrumentality articulation, an upgraded Multi-Terrain Monitor interface and improvements to the off-road driving modes among the header upgrades that volition boost its lasting successful this area.

It’s besides equipped with a disconnecting beforehand anti-roll bar, which tin beryllium disengaged via a power connected the dashboard to let for maximum instrumentality articulation connected particularly challenging trails.

From launch, the Land Cruiser uses a acquainted 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, carried implicit from the outgoing car and shared with the Hilux pick-up truck. It drives some axles done a caller eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Later adjacent year, Toyota volition present the archetypal electrified Land Cruiser, pairing the diesel motor with a 48V belt-integrated starter-generator for mild-hybrid assistance.

Toyota hasn’t announced UK specifications yet, but the caller car volition apt bid a premium implicit the J150 and borderline past the £50,000 people successful introduction form.

It’s not yet known erstwhile Toyota volition regenerate the outgoing model’s smaller three-door mentation and bare-bones commercialized variant.