Toyota Land Cruiser (2024 - )

If you’re faced with the most extreme terrain with torrid driving conditions, there is one vehicle you really want to be driving – the Toyota Land Cruiser. This is the model experts will take on the most gruelling expeditions and it’s guaranteed to take it in its stride.

With a history that dates back more than 70 years, Toyota has drawn on all that expertise and created the all-new Land Cruiser that really pushes the boundaries.

With a re-engineered 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine matched to a new eight-speed automatic gearbox, the latest Land Cruiser boasts a new platform that provides the foundation for increased rigidity and excellent response, ride and handling, both on and off road.

It maintains its bold, powerful ‘go anywhere’ rugged looks and comes with seven seats as standard, along with a wealth of mod cons and top notch technology.

Admittedly it’s not cheap, but neither are any of its closest rivals. At launch, there were two versions called Invincible and First Edition, but the latter was just for the launch period in 2024 and has now sold out. Dealerships are currently waiting for their 2025 allocation of Land Cruiser models to arrive.

We concentrated on the Land Cruiser Invincible for our test drive. 

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser boasts an exceptionally strong road presence and looks even more imposing with Sand coloured paintwork. It has squared off lines rather than soft curves and this accentuates its strength. Eye-catching features include oblong light clusters featuring a trio of light inserts, a chunky grille housing the TOYOTA name, a panoramic roof, rear spoiler, roof rails, side steps, grain-effect scuff plates, privacy glass, a full-size spare wheel and 20-inch alloys. It’s an exterior design that can stand up to all the rigours of intense off-roading.
Climb inside, with the aid of side steps and grab handles if necessary, and the cabin is very spacious, high-end and packed with technology. As a show of strength, there is a titanium-effect dashboard and the multimedia functions are accessed via a 12.3-inch high-definition touchscreen, while the important driving data can clearly be viewed on a 12.3-inch digital display with sharp graphics that are easy to read. In addition, a head-up display also shows the speed, speed limit and route directions etc.
Creature comforts include cloud-based navigation with up-to-the-moment traffic updates, a 14-speaker JBL sound system, full smartphone integration via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth and plenty more besides. And when you want to fully concentrate on the road ahead, the ‘Hey Toyota’ voice assistant can help to access and control numerous functions.
The powered front seats boast elegant leather upholstery and can be heated or ventilated, along with the outer second row seats. The steering wheel can also be warmed against the chill.
When venturing onto tougher terrain, a driver is often thrown from side to side and with that in mind, the Land Cruiser features protective knee pads and padded doors. And there are plenty of physical buttons that would be easy to use if wearing gloves when being jostled from side to side. It seems like those designers have thought of everything.
 

Powering the new Land Cruiser is a four-cylinder, 1.8-litre turbodiesel engine matched to a new eight-speed automatic gearbox. With 201bhp and 500Nm of torque, the vehicle which weighs in at 2.3 tonnes, can reach 62mph from a standing start in 10.9 seconds and has a top speed of 105mph.
It's a comfy motorway cruiser sitting effortlessly at 70mph, although the wind and engine noise do become more noticeable at higher speeds. It’s impressive when faced with twisting country lanes and deceptively agile through sharp bends with next-to-no sign of body sway, along with confidently grounded grip.
If you treat the automatic transmission too aggressively, it gets a tad raucous in its protests, but if the throttle is eased on rather than floored, it makes for a far more refined driving experience.
The steering is beautifully weighted with plenty of driver feedback and there are drive modes called Eco, Normal and Sport that alter vehicle’s dynamics. 
The all-round driver visibility is excellent with a high-seated position and large windows. Then there parking sensors and a rear-view camera to assist when reversing into tight spaces.
And if you are venturing off-road, there is a Multi Terrain Select system that will automatically adjust the vehicle’s settings to suit the conditions. It can wade to a depth of 700mm, has high and low range gears, a crawl function, locking diffs and you can also disconnect the front anti-roll bar to maintain front wheel contact with the ground on particularly uneven surfaces.
The Land Cruiser Invincible rides on 20-inch wheels so it is occasionally fidgety on rougher road surfaces, whereas the First Edition had smaller 18-inch wheels which would probably have coped better. However, it does feel pretty indestructible and ready to spring into action the first time Mother Nature throws a temper tantrum.
 

The new five-door Toyota Land Cruiser stretches 4,925mm in length, is 1,980mm wide, 1,935mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,850mm.
The cabin is exceptionally spacious and this is one of just a few seven seaters that can accommodate seven adults in comfort. There is bundles of room up front and a trio of second row passengers benefit from seats that can slide forwards or backwards. There are big windows, heated outer second-row seats, along with charging ports to stay connected on the move.
Gaining access to the pair of rear seats is simple too as the second-row seats can be moved forwards at the press of a button and the rear doors open nice and wide.
With all seven seats in use, the boot, accessed via a powered tailgate, is quite limited. Toyota says it can hold 130 litres, increasing to 566 litres with the duo of rear seats folded away neatly into the boot floor area – this can be achieved automatically at the press of a button. And with just the front seats upright, the boot capacity increases to about 2,000 litres (exact figure yet to be announced).
Elsewhere, there are numerous practical storage compartments scattered throughout the vehicle. These include a lockable glovebox, front and rear cup holders, door bins, a deep central cubby, a wireless smartphone charger, seat back pockets and some trays.
The Land Cruiser can tow a caravan or trailer weighing up to 3.5 tonnes and will never get bogged down thanks to its exceptional 4x4 set-up.
 

The all-new Land Cruiser was available in two specifications at launch. The Invincible model, as tested, costs £74,995 while the limited-run First Edition, which is now sold out, was priced at £79,995. The only optional extra on our vehicle was Sand metallic paint that added a further £730 to the final cost.
When it comes to the day-to-day running costs, under WLTP testing, our Land Cruiser could deliver a combined 26.6mpg which is on a par with similarly-styled competitors, and it has carbon emissions output of 279g/km.
This CO2 figure would result in a first-year road tax (or Vehicle Excise Duty) bill of £2,745 dropping to £190 after 12 months.
However, the expense doesn’t end there. As the Land Cruiser costs in excess of £40k, owners are subject to an Expensive Car Supplement that adds a further £410 to the bill for five years. Insurance will also be pricey as the model sits in group 49.
For anyone lucky enough to be considering the Toyota Land Cruiser as a business vehicle, don’t expect too much help from the taxman with its Benefit in Kind tax relief rating of 37 per cent.
But owners can have confidence in the reliability of this 4x4, an area where Toyota truly excels. And that is reflected in the warranty package as the basic three-year, 60,000-mile package can be extended for up to 10 years or 100,000 miles provided regular services are carried out at authorised Toyota workshops.
 

The Land Cruiser was born 74 years ago and was originally called the Toyota BJ. To prove its ability, it became the first vehicle to successfully climb to the sixth station on the slopes of Mount Fuji.
The Land Cruiser name was officially adopted in 1954 and it is Toyota’s longest-running production model with worldwide sales in excess of 11.3 million across more than 170 countries and regions. The fact that the limited-run First Edition models, along with the UK’s allocation of Invincible trim vehicles sold out quickly, is further proof of its appeal and demand.
And after our time behind the wheel of this giant, it’s easy to see the charm. Yes, it can tackle the wildest conditions with ease, but it’s the on-road refinement that has really improved. It can easily double as a family vehicle with room for seven, but if you’re not going to make the most of its true off-road capabilities, there are cheaper seven-seaters out there with decent enough 4x4 systems.