Toyota Land Cruiser | Cars to be thankful for

The First Edition of the latest Land Cruiser owes its presence in our good books to three things. Firstly, the way it looks, which, thanks to a hefty nod in the direction of the original ‘90s-era Prado, is right on the money. Secondly, there’s the way it drives, which is right on the nose. And thirdly, there is the fact of its scarcity – not just in a limited edition sense, but also a shortfall in J250-generation cars generally. Little wonder the example we borrowed generated so much attention at Annual Service; for many PHers, it was surely their first time encountering the model in the flesh. 

Toyota’s abject failure to build (or import) a sufficient number of Land Cruisers to satisfy the level of interest apparently being generated in UK buyers will be familiar to GR Yaris or GR86 buyers, though it was seldom a problem for existing owners, who were traditionally so few in number that the dealer’s likely knew them by name. This is because the ‘light duty’ variant typically sold in this country, while always among the most able and reliable SUVs, hasn’t been interesting to look at for decades. 

Its maker fixed that with the stroke of a Magic Marker in the summer of 2023. There are 729 comments on the reveal story we wrote at the time, but you need only read the first five to grasp the collective sentiment. Toyota’s decision to finally ditch the anonymous look it had persisted with since 2002 and embrace its squared-off, upright A-pillar heritage was almost unanimously well received. ‘Would rather have this than an Ineos Grenadier,’ said the first PHer to arrive on the scene. Well, quite. 

As it typically does, this level of forum-based enthusiasm was replicated in showrooms. Toyota UK told PH recently that the response was not unlike the one that greeted the first GR Yaris; its franchise dealers met people not just new to Land Cruiser (no shock there), but entirely new to Toyota, too. The public’s fervour is cited as the reason for the First Edition’s continuing presence on the UK press fleet; rather than being pensioned off after a matter of months (or triflingly few miles), the cars it received in the initial batch are being made to soldier on as the firm prioritises paying customers. 

That is only fair, of course, although the idea that the world’s largest carmaker can’t satisfy both requirements in a major European market is jarring. At any rate, it is confirmation (were it needed) that people can be relied upon to vote for thoughtful design with their feet. The Land Cruiser is appreciably retro, but not in a way that seems hopelessly beholden to the past; its core triumph is to very amply satisfy most people’s expectations of what a large and very robust 4×4 should actually look like. Backed by the knowledge that the Land Cruiser is itself the embodiment of what a large and very robust 4×4 should be all about. 

Indeed, if there is anything to be truly thankful for, it is the fact that underneath all the new body panels, the Land Cruiser remains impressively true to itself. This is, after all, a ladder-framed 4×4 powered by a four-cylinder turbodiesel, with an indulgent view of what constitutes the right amount of tough plastic and no quarter given in terms of off-road performance. Sure, the underlying GA-F platform is new-ish and therefore inevitably stiffer than its aged predecessor, and the J250 incorporates electric power steering for the first time ever, not to mention a modern eight-speed auto and disconnectable front anti-roll bar – but there is also a live rear axle, passive suspension, a standard transfer ‘box and permanent all-wheel drive with lockable diffs. 

Understandably, the knee-jerk comparison for all this kit has been the Land Rover Defender, given its shared reputation for longevity and mud-plugging traditionalism— but in truth the similarities end the moment you climb (literally) into the cabin. The Defender is a cleverly curated masterpiece of material choices and minimalist layout; the Land Cruiser is a knocked-over filing cabinet in comparison, with enough switchgear to make connection with the Kremlin seem feasible. It’ll take you days to learn where everything is— and whole hours to turn off all the pervasive driver assistance bongs that Toyota has installed, including one that admonishes you for looking at the sat nav for anything longer than a nanosecond. 

But if the fact of the Defender’s superiority as an upmarket SUV is recognisable in an instant (and subsequently confirmed by the rustic thrum of Toyota’s four-pot), so is the Land Cruiser’s fixation with a job-done sort of ruggedness. Much of it seems as wipeable as a John Deere cushion cover; it provides a shortcut to pretty much any function that isn’t linked to a safety feature and ought to be unflinching in the face of unsympathetic use. This is the sort of car that pretty much dares you to drive it directly at or over something, at speed. Most pick-up trucks do not rival it on the invulnerability front. 

Which is convenient for the Land Cruiser, because several do come close to rivalling it for rolling refinement. The J250 is a world away from the air-sprung niceties of most high-riding SUVs. Its leisurely attitude toward body control makes a diesel G-Class seem like a Porsche Cayenne – yet for all its tendency to heave under minor duress or bob like a Japanese cork on choppy asphalt, you rarely lose faith in its handling or begrudge the familiar limitations of a separate chassis. Partly that’s because the Land Cruiser is refreshingly comfortable in its own shaggy skin; partly it’s because it has all the hallmarks of a 2.5-tonne power tool – one patiently waiting for you to use it as intended. 

The previous Defender, of course, possessed this quality in spades and while clearly there is a world of difference between the J250 and Land Rover’s consciously unpolished bag of bolts, it is that car which occasionally springs to mind – much more so than the Defender ever does when you drive the hugely superior modern SUV that now bears its name. Granted, it helps that the 2.8-litre oil burner, a unit robust enough to have powered the mighty Hilux for a decade – and furnished with just 205hp here – has clearly not been chosen for its dulcet tone or neck-snapping performance. With 369lb ft of torque from 1,600rpm, it will eventually summon up 62mph in 10.9 seconds, which is effective enough – although it’s the unvarnished industriousness of the unit and its tough-as-boots vibe that works like a time machine on your imagination. 

This effect doesn’t necessarily paper over the Land Cruiser’s shortcomings on the road – where you’ll be lucky to see 30mpg – nor the scale of its current asking price, which starts at £77,845. Much the same amount of money will buy you a mid-spec Defender 110 D350, and frankly that’s exactly what most people in the market for an off-road-capable SUV should do. Yet for anyone who still daydreams about owning a Series I or 40 Series, but needs something obligingly modern and famously reliable, there really is nothing else quite like Toyota’s latest workhorse. 

Not for nothing either, but it looks good in Waitrose car park and it’s the 4×4 we’d choose to retrieve lumberjacks from impossibly remote Siberian taiga. But mostly it’s just happy to be itself, a facet that results in you feeling happy to drive it. And this includes the moments when you’re winding off steering lock or accelerating very modestly or forgiving it for rattling your filings. It’s easy to forgive the Land Cruiser’s relative shortcomings when they feel much less significant or memorable than the persuasive, personality-driven whole. Easier to forgive the lack of availability, too, if secondhand prices prove as resistant to depreciation as previous models…

Engine: 2,755cc, four-cyl turbodiesel
Transmission: 8-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 205@3,000-3,400rpm
Torque (lb ft): 369@1,600-2,800rpm
0-62mph: 10.9 seconds
Top speed: 102mph
Weight: 2,520
MPG: 26.4 (WLTP)
CO2: 280g/km (WLTP)
Price: £77,845 (starting price, standard)