2024 Toyota Land Cruiser vs 2025 Acura MDX

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser embraced its iconic heritage with a boxy design and flat roof, reminiscent of its predecessors. Each of the three trims featured unique details, such as the heritage grille and round or rectangular LED headlights, which paid homage to earlier models. The vehicle offered modern touches like color-selectable fog lights and improved visibility due to a lowered beltline. Inside, the Land Cruiser provided a range of seating options, from cloth to real leather, with heated front seats and a heated steering wheel standard across all trims. The cabin emphasized comfort with cushy seats and padded consoles, ensuring a pleasant driving experience.

In contrast, the 2025 Acura MDX underwent subtle exterior updates, including a new grille and revised bumpers, enhancing its sporty appearance. The interior saw significant changes with a new touchscreen infotainment system replacing the previous touchpad interface, offering more storage space. The MDX Advance and A-Spec Advance trims featured luxurious seats with heating, ventilation, and massage functions. Acura improved cabin quietness with added sound insulation, while the MDX maintained its reputation for quality, despite some issues with gloss black plastic trim. The controls were logically placed, making them easy to use.

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser was equipped with a hybrid powertrain, featuring a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a 1.87-kWh battery pack, and a 48-hp electric motor, producing a total of 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. It had an eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time 4WD, with an electronically controlled two-speed transfer case. The Multi-Terrain Select system and CRAWL control function enhanced its off-road capabilities, while features like locking differentials and a disconnectable front sway bar improved articulation and stability.

The 2025 Acura MDX offered a choice between a standard 3.5-liter V6 engine with 290 hp and a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine in the Type S, producing 355 hp. The MDX featured a 10-speed automatic transmission and optional SH-AWD, providing good power and handling. It offered various driving modes, including Sport and Snow, but fuel economy could decrease with aggressive driving. The MDX excelled in typical driving situations, offering a smooth and comfortable ride, though it was not designed for off-roading.

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser, based on the Prado, offered two rows of seating with headroom of 36.1 inches in the front and 35.3 in the back. Legroom measured 33.0 inches in the front and 26.7 in the rear. The center console provided easy access to off-road controls, and the cargo area offered 37.5 cubic feet of space with a raised load floor and a 120-volt AC outlet.

The 2025 Acura MDX featured 16-way power-adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation, and massage functions in the Advance trims. The second row could be configured as a bench or individual seats, while the third row was less comfortable for adults. The MDX offered 16.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, expanding to 71.4 cubic feet with the second row folded. In-cabin storage was adequate, with a new center console tray and wireless charging pad.

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser's higher trims included the Multi-Terrain Monitor system, enhancing the 12.3-inch touchscreen's utility during off-road driving. The infotainment system featured wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with options for upgraded sound systems and additional features like a head-up display.

The 2025 Acura MDX introduced a new 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Alexa and Google Built-in, replacing the previous touchpad interface. The system supported wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with upgraded Bang & Olufsen sound systems available. The MDX also featured a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation display and a 10.5-inch head-up display, enhancing the driving experience.

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser came standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, including adaptive cruise control, lane-departure alert, and more. While it hadn't been rated by safety organizations, Toyota's track record provided confidence in its safety.

The 2025 Acura MDX featured the AcuraWatch suite, with forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and more. The new AcuraWatch 360, exclusive to the Type S Advance, added features like front cross-traffic alert. The MDX maintained a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA.