2024 Toyota Land Cruiser Reviews, Pricing & Specs

You can’t have an icon without a distinctive look. Like any good Land Cruiser should be, the J250 is boxy, with a flat roof. Arranged into two trims and two packages in Canada, each version of the Land Cruiser carries details that harken back to the Cruisers of yesteryear. The heritage grille with “TOYOTA” spelled out across the front is a throwback to the 40 series. The round headlights seen on the top-shelf First Edition echo the 20 series, while the rectangular versions found on other Land Cruisers refer to the FJ62. All lighting is now LED, serving as a metaphor for the Land Cruiser in general: classic-inspired, but aligned with modern-day standards. The two higher trim levels feature colour-selectable fog lights from RIGID Industries. How’s that for a contemporary twist?

Another update for driver comfort? The beltline has been lowered for improved visibility. All 2024 Land Cruisers come with 18-inch alloy wheels, though 20-inch wheels are available with the Premium Package. The First Edition gets additional standard off-roader gear like a roof rack, a front skid plate, and mudflaps.

Inside, the base 1958 trim gets cloth seats, while other versions are covered in SofTex. The Premium Package and First Edition gets real leather with unique, trim-specific logos. The front seats are heated in every trim, and a heated steering wheel is standard as well. All versions except the base model also get a moonroof and ventilated front seats. We found the cabin of our tester quite pleasant. It has many of the visual hallmarks of Toyota’s current truck lineup, but the cushy seats, padded centre console, and attractive contrast stitching speak to an emphasis on comfort in addition to capability. It allows the driver to focus on navigating whatever terrain lies ahead without being distracted by sore muscles or scratchy seats.

This review is based on our experience driving the Land Cruiser on a Toyota-hosted launch program, meaning that, as on any first-drive program, the course was curated. Our seat time was spent almost exclusively on an off-road course. While we can make some informed inferences about the Land Cruiser’s on-road behaviour, we’ll be updating this review with more driving impressions down the road.

As opposed to the V8 most recently seen on this continent only in the United States, the new Land Cruiser is a hybrid and has both a turbo engine and an electric motor supporting it. It uses Toyota’s i-Force MAX hybrid powertrain. The 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine works with a 1.87-kWh battery pack and a 48-hp electric motor to produce a total of 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. It’s got an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard full-time four-wheel drive (4WD), with an electronically controlled two-speed transfer case allowing for high and low range. Of particular note is that Toyota’s Multi-Terrain Select system on board all versions but the base models can now operate in either 4Hi or 4Lo.

An automatic limited-slip differential is standard for 2024, as are rear- and centre-locking differentials. We had the opportunity to try the same section of the course with and without the rear diff locked. Without, that obstacle required more careful balancing of the throttle and brakes to crest. Locking the rear diff added a layer of foolproof-ness that many will find welcome.

All but the base Land Cruisers also come with a push-button disconnect for the front sway bar, or stabilizer bar, a feature that’s new to the model and traditionally commands a premium (it’s only available on the Rubicon version of the Jeep Wrangler). The ability to disconnect the stabilizer bar allows the Land Cruiser to benefit from more articulation off-road without excess body roll on-road.

Further updates for 2024 include the latest version of Toyota’s CRAWL control function, essentially a low-speed cruise control capable of managing the vehicle’s braking and acceleration over rocky, steep, slippery, or otherwise challenging terrain. The system now has five speed settings, allowing the driver to dial in pace with more precision. More importantly, its operation is now virtually silent, a welcome improvement over the previous iteration, which drew comparisons to a garbage disposal chewing rocks. We used it to ascend and descend steep, muddy hills, traverse standing water, and rumble over rocks, and heard only the sounds of the engine and the tires. The transmission, too, seemed appropriately unobtrusive, certainly not vying for our attention on this course.

The new Land Cruiser has just two rows of seating. We’re not getting the third row in North America, at least for now. Headroom measures 917 millimetres in the front seats and 897 mm in the back while leg room clocks in at 838 mm front and 678 mm rear. The centre console provides easy access to key off-road features: Buttons for the stabilizer-bar disconnect and the centre and rear lockers are all easily accessible directly behind the gear shifter, right next to the switch for 4Hi and 4Lo. Hard controls for climate and media are placed front and centre, just below the infotainment screen and in easy reach of driver and front passenger alike. The wireless charging pad lies just ahead of the cupholders, in vehicles that are equipped with it. The one we drove also had the centre console cool box as part of the Premium Package. It handily chilled the cell phone we unwittingly placed in it in mere minutes.

The rear liftgate opens onto a cargo area with a raised load floor. In our test car, it was equipped with a rubber mat, making the space feel usable and easy to clean. The backs of the second-row seats were another story, however: We wouldn’t want to risk dirtying the cloth. In total, the cargo volume measures 1,063 litres. It comes standard with a 120-volt AC outlet, powered by a 2400-watt inverter, as well as illumination. The trunk also gets USB-C ports in some higher trims.

The Land Cruiser we drove was equipped with the Multi-Terrain Monitor (MTM) system, which is standard above the base trim. This made the 12.3-inch centre touchscreen display incredibly useful on the off-road course where we tested it. MTM turns on automatically when the vehicle slows down to 15 kilometres per hour, a natural thing to do anyway when approaching the crest of a hill one cannot see over. Speed demons and those who like to live on the edge, literally, can also jab the button on the centre console to bring it up on demand.

For actual infotainment purposes, this larger screen is a good size. We prefer it to the massive version found in the Toyota Tacoma, Tundra, and Sequoia. Toyota’s multimedia interface tends to be sparse in appearance anyway, with minimalist font and lots of unused space, and spreading it out over a large expanse calls attention to that. We like that wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, along with two USB-C ports for front-row passengers and another two for the back seats.

The Land Cruiser 1958 comes with the base infotainment system, which we did not experience; it consists of an 8-inch centre display and a six-speaker sound system. The upgraded trim comes with a 10-speaker sound system or the option to upgrade, with the Premium Package or First Edition package, to a 14-speaker JBL premium sound system. Further Premium Package and First Edition content includes a head-up display and a digital rear-view mirror.

The 2024 Land Cruiser has not been rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nor were its predecessors. Nor, before you ask, was the Lexus GX (which is no longer as mechanically close as it used to be, anyway). Some of its platform-mates have been evaluated: the 2024 Tundra, for example, earned a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS. This, combined with Toyota’s track record, does give us a measure of confidence in the Land Cruiser’s safety, though it’s important to note that distinct proportions and height do have an impact on elements like the rollover test.

All 2024 Land Cruisers come standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, the newest iteration of the automaker’s driver-assistance technology suite. In addition to expected content like adaptive cruise control, lane-departure alert, and lane-tracing assist, the package also includes automatic high beams, road-sign assist, and Proactive Driving Assist. And that's full-speed cruise control with stop-and-go capability. The Premium Package and First Edition add lane-change assist, front cross-traffic alert, and traffic jam assist (Premium Package only).

Although the Land Cruiser is no longer the big boy, it does still sit near the top of Toyota’s SUV lineup, with only the Sequoia above it. The 2024 Toyota 4Runner starts significantly lower, at $56,455 including destination, and we’re not expecting the update for the 2025 model year to add the amount that would take it into Land Cruiser territory.

Base MSRP is $72,355 for the 2024 Land Cruiser 1958. That rises to $80,355 for the Land Cruiser, with the Premium Package adding $6,000 to this price and the First Edition package adding $12,690. These prices include the mandatory $1,930 destination charge and other dealer fees. And when you’re ready to explore upgrades, be aware that Toyota is providing plenty of support for customization: More than 100 accessories will be available through the Genuine Accessories and Associated Accessory Products program, with more to come. Between this and the robust aftermarket, Land Cruiser owners can make what they want of their vehicles.

It’s worth noting that the Lexus GX starts at $86,840, including destination, for 2024. Also fitting into this discussion are the Jeep Wrangler and the Ford Bronco, both of which undercut the Land Cruiser by a huge margin. However, while all three are capable off-road, neither the Wrangler nor the Bronco boasts the Land Cruiser’s comfort level, even in trims that reach its pricing tiers.

Natural Resources Canada estimates fuel economy specs for the 2024 Land Cruiser at 10.1 litres per 100 kilometres combined. This puts it better than the Jeep Wrangler (excepting the plug-in hybrid Wrangler 4xe) and it compares favorably to the 11.6 L/100 km combined for which the most efficient Bronco is rated. It certainly bests the last Land Cruiser we saw in the US, which was rated for an abysmal 14 mpg. The big question here is whether Land Cruiser fans will consider that fuel economy advantage worth the switch to the hybrid four-cylinder from the thirsty and well-loved V8.

Note: Images show a US model.