2024 Toyota Land Cruiser: The Legendary Off-Roader Reinvented For The Future | Cars & Bikes | Forbes

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Everyone knew the iconic Toyota Land Cruiser wouldn’t be gone for long when Toyota announced its departure after the 2021 model year. Fast forward to August 2023 and an all-new 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser made its world debut. Now it's hit the road, and after a 3-year hiatus this 66-year-old nameplate emerges with all-new hardware, advanced tech, and a return to its old-school charm.See, the original 1958 Land Cruiser was a serious off-road bruiser that put capability ahead of comfort or passenger capacity. But the last version was a pricey, premium three-row luxury conveyance that, remarkably, remained one of the most capable off-road vehicles you could buy. Still, at a starting price of $81,000 it wasn’t a particularly accessible model for serious off-roaders, with most of them serving soccer practice and premium mall duty as owners trembled at the thought of dusty paint and dirty tires.The new Land Cruiser is (thankfully) all about dirt and dust, powered by Toyota’s “i-Force Max” hybrid drivetrain, employing a 2.4-liter turbo engine mated to an electric motor, 8-speed automatic, and standard full-time four-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case. This drivetrain makes 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. It’s also EPA-rated at 23 miles-per-gallon (more than any previous Land Cruiser).A standard 7-inch digital driver-information screen is paired with an 8-inch touchscreen on base “Land Cruiser 1958” trims. The mid-grade “Land Cruiser” and premium “First Edition” trims get 12.3-inch driver displays and central touchscreens, along with heated and ventilated leather seats, larger wheels, upgraded audio, and LED headlights and foglights.Families that can get by with five-passenger seating will find the Land Cruiser’s on-road manners quite accommodating. Ride quality and seat comfort match more on-road-oriented crossovers like the Honda Passport or Kia Sorento. But the Land Cruiser’s starting price of $57,345 reflects a lot of off-road engineering most families won’t need, and with upper trim costs approaching $70,000 parents might get better value from a traditional crossover. For genuine off-road enthusiasts, they’ll find the new Land Cruiser as capable as ever, and with six decades of heritage few SUVs can match.Read more on Forbes:https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottyreiss/2024/09/30/toyota-land-cruisers-heritage-charm-modern-details-are-a-hot-ticket/For more from Scotty Reiss:https://agirlsguidetocars.com/Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_so
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