2024 Chrysler Pacifica vs 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica maintained its contemporary appeal despite not undergoing frequent redesigns. Its smooth exterior styling, with a modest grille, offered a refreshing alternative to the flashier Toyota Sienna and the SUV-like Kia Carnival. The Pacifica's design cleverly concealed sliding-door tracks, providing a clean look without the need for additional styling features, unlike the Honda Odyssey. Available in various trims, including the base Touring and the luxurious Pinnacle, the Pacifica featured standard LED lighting and offered wheel options up to 20 inches. The S Appearance and Road Tripper Packages added unique exterior and interior trims, enhancing its visual appeal.

Inside, the Pacifica's dashboard boasted a minimalist, sculpted design with well-integrated controls. The Pinnacle trim, tested with brown Nappa leather upholstery and quilted stitching, exuded luxury, though some interior elements felt less premium. The rotary shift knob was a quality touch, but its proximity to the volume knob could cause confusion. Overall, the Pacifica's interior was distinctive, offering a blend of style and practicality.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser, available in two trims, the 1958 and Cruiser, showcased a blend of retro and modern design elements. The base 1958 model, with its round headlights and cloth seats, paid homage to the Land Cruiser's heritage, while the Cruiser trim offered a more upscale look with additional colour options and advanced off-roading features. Our test vehicle, equipped with the Premium Package, featured Heritage Blue paint, 20-inch wheels, and a roof rack, enhancing its rugged appeal.

Inside, the Cruiser trim provided a utilitarian yet comfortable environment. The Java-coloured leather added a touch of luxury, while the dual 12.3-inch digital screens offered a technologically advanced feel. However, the second-row seats lacked comfort, and the high load floor made cargo loading challenging. Despite these drawbacks, the Land Cruiser's traditional SUV design maximized off-road capabilities and interior space, making it a practical choice for adventure enthusiasts.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica was powered by a 3.6-litre V6 engine, delivering 287 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque through a nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive was standard, with all-wheel drive available on select trims. The Pacifica's V6, known as the Pentastar, provided peppy acceleration and a towing capacity of 1,632 kilograms. Its chassis tuning prioritized comfort and stability, though some weight transfer was noticeable during acceleration and deceleration. The Pacifica offered a quiet and refined ride, positioning itself as a step above mainstream minivans.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser featured Toyota's i-Force Max hybrid system, combining a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine with an electric motor, producing 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. The full-time four-wheel-drive system, with electronic locking differentials, enabled a towing capacity of 2,720 kilograms. Off-road features like Downhill Assist Control and Crawl Control were standard, with additional modes and camera views available on the Cruiser trim. Despite its impressive off-road capabilities, the Land Cruiser struggled with handling on twisty roads due to its suspension tuning. However, it excelled in urban and off-road environments, offering a powerful and responsive driving experience.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica offered ingenious Stow ‘n Go seating, allowing second-row seats to fold flat into the floor, creating large storage bins. This feature dictated the use of second-row bucket seats, providing seating for seven. Pinnacle models included a power-folding third-row seat and a power liftgate. The Pacifica's passenger space was competitive, with ample headroom and legroom across all rows. Cargo space was generous, with up to 3,978 litres available with seats folded. The Stow ‘n Vac vacuum cleaner was a practical addition, though the centre console's storage was less accessible.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser's Cruiser trim upgraded to SofTex artificial leather, with ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel. The Premium Package added real leather and a power sunroof. While front seats were comfortable, the second-row seats lacked support, and the high load floor made cargo loading challenging. The Land Cruiser offered 1,062 litres of cargo space, expandable to 2,324 litres with the rear seats folded. However, the rear window design and centre console's cool box were less practical, impacting overall functionality.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica featured a 10.1-inch touchscreen with Uconnect 5, offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, and SiriusXM compatibility. The instrument cluster included a 7-inch digital display. Up to 12 USB-C ports, built-in navigation, and a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system were available. The Uconnect Theatre system provided rear-seat entertainment with touchscreens, wireless headphones, and Amazon Fire TV connectivity. The FamCam allowed parents to monitor rear seats, though an intercom system was absent.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser's Cruiser trim upgraded to dual 12.3-inch displays with the Toyota Audio Multimedia system, offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM, and access to Apple Music and Amazon Music. Four connected service plans were available, including Drive Connect with cloud-based navigation and a digital assistant. The Premium Package added a 14-speaker JBL sound system, wireless charger, head-up display, and digital key technology, enhancing the Land Cruiser's technological appeal.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica earned a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, with top scores in frontal and side crash tests. It was named a 2023 Top Safety Pick by the IIHS, though it missed the highest award due to lower scores in some tests. Standard safety features included blind-spot monitoring, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and rear park assist. Optional features included a 360-degree camera system and park assist.

The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser came equipped with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, offering advanced driving assistance systems like forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and pedestrian detection. Additional features included lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and a road sign reader. The Premium Package added front cross-traffic alert and lane-change assist. The Land Cruiser received a four-star overall rating from the NHTSA, with mixed results in crash tests.