Toyota Land Cruiser vs Chevrolet Blazer

The 2024 Land Cruiser is an all-new model. Its coming was presaged by the Lexus GX with which it shares a platform, but Toyota made sure that this midsize SUV falls squarely in its own segment.

Verdict: The new 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser is the latest in a spate of automotive reboots, and it just may be the best of them. The new Land Cruiser combines retro styling and excellent off-road capability with the latest in comfort and convenience and, of course, brand heritage. But Toyota may be relying too heavily on the revered nameplate to justify the price, particularly since it’s changed some of the fundamental characteristics of the model.

The Chevrolet Blazer is one of the oldest SUV nameplates on the market, and while the current version might disappoint fans of the original, it’s very much on-trend with modern times.

Chevy launched the Blazer as truck-based off-roader, starting with the original K5 Blazer, and following that it up with a smaller S-10 Blazer based on its compact pickup truck. The Blazer was shelved in the early 2000s, then revived for the 2019 model year as a car-based crossover SUV, eschewing ruggedness for greater efficiency and on-road refinement in a shift that reflected the utility-vehicle market as a whole.

The General Motors decision not to go all-in on nostalgia with a new off-road Blazer might seem questionable in the wake of the revived Ford Bronco, but the market for two-row midsize crossovers like the modern Blazer is even stronger, and it's filled with rival offerings like the Ford Edge, Honda Passport, Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan Murano, Toyota Venza, and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

For 2023, notable changes include a new 10-inch touchscreen display and available wireless charging for all trim levels, some styling changes, and new wheel designs and colour options. In Canada, the lineup consists of LT, True North, Premier, and RS trim levels (we checked out a Blazer RS for this review). A Chevy Blazer EV is also on the way for the 2024 model year, but this will be a completely different vehicle based on GM’s Ultium EV component set.