First Drive: 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser Is a Charming Throwback With a Touch of Modernity

Toyota doubles down on its traditional strengths of off-road-capable SUVs

Jon Linkov, Consumer Reports Autos Editor.

By Jon Linkov
Autos Editor

Jeff S. Bartlett, Consumer Reports Managing Editor, Autos.

By Jeff S. Bartlett
Managing Editor, Autos

Updated March 5, 2025

Update: Since this first drive was originally published in May, 2024, we finished testing the Land Cruiser. Read the complete Land Cruiser road test.

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser arrived amid a surge of new and redesigned off-road-ready trucks and SUVs. But Toyota has done something different. Its redesigned Land Cruiser is smaller, less expensive, and more fuel-efficient than the previous-generation version, which was last sold in North America for the 2021 model year.

This nostalgia-evoking SUV has heritage touches, like round headlamps on two of the three trims, and “Toyota” spelled out prominently in big, blocky letters on the grille. Even its base trim name, 1958, is a nod to when the first Land Cruiser was sold in the U.S.

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Yet it’s a truly modern machine, offered solely with a turbocharged hybrid powertrain and Toyota’s latest suite of active safety and driver assistance features. It shares basic architecture with the redesigned Lexus GX and the coming redesigned 2025 Toyota 4Runner, including its wheelbase. In some ways, the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser could be considered a more modern, more useful version of the Toyota FJ Cruiser, which was sold in the U.S. between the 2007 and 2014 model years.

Originally available in three trims when it went on sale earlier this year, just two Land Cruiser versions are now for sale. The base 1958 starts at $55,950, while the Land Cruiser comes in at $61,950. There was also a $74,950 First Edition model available, but the 5,000 units destined for North America have been sold. All Land Cruisers have a $1,395 destination fee.

There’s only one engine available, a 326-horsepower, 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Full-time four-wheel drive is standard, as are standard electronically controlled locking rear and center differentials which, when off-roading, allow power to be directly routed to wheels that have grip instead of spinning a wheel that may have compromised traction or may have lost contact with the ground.

To get a better picture of the Land Cruiser and how it differs from the Lexus GX (read our First Drive review), which uses the same platform but a different engine, we rented a First Edition from Toyota. The redesigned 2025 Toyota 4Runner also uses this platform. Keep in mind that the redesigned Lexus LX shares its platform with a Land Cruiser, but it’s the larger one that’s sold in markets outside of North America.

If you’re a Consumer Reports member, our initial expert assessment of the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser is available to you below. We have since bought our own Land Cruiser and put it through more than 50 tests at the CR Auto Test Center, including empirical measurements of acceleration, braking, handling, car-seat fit, and usability. CR members have access to the full road-test results now.

Sign up for CR’s Cars email newsletter to be notified when we post our latest road-test results.

What we rented: 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser First Edition
Powertrain: 326-hp, 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid engine; 8-speed automatic transmission; four-wheel drive
MSRP: $74,950
Options: Two-tone roof ($350), all-weather cargo mats ($130)
Destination fee: $1,395
Total cost: $76,825

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser, front — The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser First Edition sports numerous elements from past Land Cruisers, such as the white roof, round headlights, and “Toyota” spelled out on the grille.

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Jon Linkov

Jon Linkov is the deputy auto editor at Consumer Reports. He has been with CR since 2002, covering varied automotive topics including buying and leasing, maintenance and repair, ownership, reliability, used cars, and electric vehicles. He manages CR’s lineup of special interest publications, hosts CR’s “Talking Cars” podcast, and writes and edits content for CR’s online and print products. An avid cyclist, Jon also enjoys driving his ’80s-era sports car and instructing at track days.

Jeff S. Bartlett

Jeff S. Bartlett is the managing editor for the autos team at Consumer Reports. He has been with CR since 2005. Previously, Jeff served as the online editorial director of Motor Trend for 11 years. Throughout his career, Jeff has driven thousands of cars, many on racetracks around the globe. Follow him on X: @JeffSBartlett