The new Land Cruiser’s chassis is 50% more rigid than its predecessor, said Toyota
New version of Toyota’s venerable 4×4 off-roader receives design inspired by the classic FJ60
The new Toyota Land Cruiser has been priced from £74,995 in the UK, with the rejuvenated off-roader due on sale in July before deliveries start in September this year.
Arriving nearly 14 years after the launch of the previous Land Cruiser, the 4×4 has been drastically overhauled to steal sales from the Land Rover Defender and Jeep Wrangler, both of which it outprices by around £10,000.
Two specifications will be available at launch: Invincible and First Edition. Both are sold with five doors and seven seats and feature a 2.8-litre turbocharged diesel engine and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. A 48V mild hybrid will become available next year.
At £74,995, the Invincible comes with black leather upholstery, dual-zone air conditioning, a 12.3in touchscreen and a head-up display. Other standard equipment includes a JBL stereo, a panoramic reversing camera, a digital driver’s display, 20in alloy wheels and a sunroof.
The First Edition will be sold in limited numbers until the end of 2024. It starts at £79,995 and comes with First Edition badging, 18in wheels and bespoke styling applied to the instrument panel, door trims and upholstery.
It also exclusively features a paintjob reminiscent of the classic 1960s Land Cruiser 40, with round headlights and either Smoky Blue or Land Sand paint, matched with a grey roof.
The Land Cruiser’s jump in price means it has moved upmarket. The Wrangler and Defender start at £61,125 and £63,670 respectively. That said, the Wrangler can’t be selected with seven seats and a seven-seat Defender 110 comes in at around £70,000.
Designed with obvious influence from past Land Cruisers and with a chunky two-box silhouette that nods to its “ability to withstand harsh conditions”, the model again majors on practicality, durability and dependability.
The go-anywhere 4×4 has long been one of the world’s most competent off-roaders, but the focus for this new fifth-generation car, codenamed J250, is on providing improved on-road refinement and competitive levels of technology.
To that end, the Land Cruiser moves from the old J150 platform to Toyota’s new Global Architecture, following the larger J300 Land Cruiser, which isn’t sold in the UK.
The new body-on-frame structure ensures the SUV is “easy to manoeuvre and more comfortable during on-road driving”, according to Toyota.
The chassis is said to be 50% more rigid than that of its predecessor and the entire body-on-frame assembly is some 30% stiffer. That, plus improved suspension, means the Land Cruiser promises to be more responsive and comfortable in all driving situations.
Measuring 4920mm long and 1870mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2850mm, the J250 is slightly larger than its predecessor, and its roomier, redesigned cabin is a world away in design and technical terms.
Chunky physical controls still abound and there is a clear emphasis on utility, but the full-length glass roof, multi-zone climate control, plush leather upholstery and wraparound digital display – hosting a new-generation infotainment system – hint at a bid to move upmarket to more closely rival Land Rover’s three-year-old Defender.
Staying true to its roots, the Land Cruiser maintains a prevailing focus on all-terrain ability, with increased wheel articulation, an upgraded Multi-Terrain Monitor interface and improvements to the off-road driving modes among the headline upgrades that will boost its standing in this area.
It’s also equipped with a disconnecting front anti-roll bar, which can be disengaged via a switch on the dashboard to allow for maximum wheel articulation on especially challenging trails.
From launch, the Land Cruiser uses a familiar 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, carried over from the outgoing car and shared with the Hilux pick-up truck. It drives both axles through a new eight-speed automatic gearbox.
Later next year, Toyota will introduce the first electrified Land Cruiser, pairing the diesel engine with a 48V belt-integrated starter-generator for mild-hybrid assistance.
Toyota hasn’t announced UK specifications yet, but the new car will likely command a premium over the J150 and edge past the £50,000 mark in entry form.
It’s not yet known when Toyota will replace the outgoing model’s smaller three-door version and bare-bones commercial variant.
