Toyota's smaller
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 After a two year hiatus,
00:11 the Land Cruiser nameplate is back in the US.
00:14 And today, we get to drive it.
00:17 The Land Cruiser's reputation is that
00:18 of an extremely capable off-roader,
00:21 utterly bulletproof and effortlessly cool.
00:23 So, how does this new one stack up?
00:26 Well, first, it's worth noting that over the years,
00:29 the Land Cruiser evolved to become packed
00:31 with premium features,
00:32 though that did contribute to the Land Cruiser
00:34 getting somewhat bulky.
00:37 Thankfully, this new cruiser debuts
00:39 a radically redesigned, head-turning new look.
00:42 It's still full of impressive technology,
00:44 the latest off-road features,
00:46 and that balanced blend of performance and efficiency
00:48 that you would expect from a Toyota.
00:51 But it looks like a Land Cruiser again.
00:53 The big news here is that all Land Cruisers
00:56 now come standard with Toyota's i-Force Max
00:59 hybrid powertrain,
01:00 mated to a full-time four-wheel drive system.
01:03 This premium hybrid powertrain produces 326 horsepower
01:07 and 465 pound-feet of torque,
01:10 with an electric motor in the bell housing
01:12 between the 2.4-liter turbocharged engine
01:15 and the eight-speed automatic transmission.
01:17 This is the Land Cruiser 1958, aka the base model.
01:21 However, cool retro touches,
01:23 such as the round LED headlights,
01:26 heated fabric seats,
01:28 and iconic Toyota Heritage grille, all nod
01:32 the Land Cruiser's storied history in North America
01:35 and make the 1958 look anything but basic.
01:38 Despite the name, the 1958 isn't old on the inside.
01:42 It has modern touches, like standard smart key system,
01:45 the push-to-start, blind spot monitor,
01:47 a seven-inch full-color multi-information display,
01:50 automatic climate control, USB-C ports,
01:52 an eight-inch multimedia touchscreen,
01:55 six-speaker sound system,
01:56 and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
01:59 Then we have the Land Cruiser grade,
02:01 which takes the 1958 and kicks it up a gear
02:04 with a long list of options
02:05 and a focus on added refinement and convenience.
02:09 It adds rectangular LED headlamps,
02:11 power-heated and ventilated SofTec trimmed front seats,
02:15 two 12.3-inch screens, and a 10-speaker sound system.
02:20 So here we are, we're out in the Land Cruiser.
02:23 We're on a sort of a nicely compacted surface,
02:27 a little bit of gravel, a bit of dust, and look at this.
02:30 It's calm, it's grown up, it's sophisticated.
02:34 You barely know that we were off-road.
02:38 With the addition of that iForce Max hybrid system,
02:41 you've got those little instant bursts of torque
02:44 when you need them, and that's great on the road.
02:46 It's wonderful to be able to get up to speed
02:48 when you enter a freeway or something like that,
02:49 but it's equally good
02:51 when you don't want to have to wait
02:54 for the turbos to spool up
02:56 for you to push on a little bit.
02:58 All Land Cruisers come standard
03:00 with full-time four-wheel drive
03:02 with center and rear-locking differentials.
03:04 The electronic locking rear differential
03:06 can split the power 50/50 to the rear wheels
03:09 for improved traction
03:10 and reduced wheel spin on rough terrain.
03:13 A new addition to Land Cruiser
03:14 is the available front stabilizer bar disconnect mechanism,
03:17 which increases suspension flex with the push of a button.
03:21 With the front stabilizer bar disconnected,
03:23 articulation increases significantly,
03:25 helping the front tires to stay in contact with the ground.
03:29 I love the low belt line in here.
03:31 Even though we've got this pretty big screen here,
03:33 I've got great visibility.
03:35 I said the same of the Lexus GX,
03:37 but I love this two-bulge hood design.
03:40 I love that I've got these bulges
03:42 that kind of show me where the corners of the car are.
03:44 Multi-terrain select,
03:45 which is now functional in both four-wheel drive high
03:48 and four-wheel drive low,
03:49 offers adjustable settings
03:50 to help control wheel spin on a variety of terrains,
03:53 such as mud, dirt, and sand.
03:55 Downhill assist control is standard.
03:58 Land Cruiser's front overhang
04:00 was decreased for greater approach,
04:02 providing up to 31 degrees of approach,
04:04 as well as 25-degree breakover
04:06 and 22-degree departure angles.
04:08 The available multi-terrain monitor system
04:11 can act like a spotter
04:12 by leveraging cameras to display the environment
04:14 around the vehicle on the touchscreen,
04:16 exposing potential obstacles looming ahead.
04:19 A little bit more speed here,
04:22 even out some of these bumps.
04:23 It's decently comfortable.
04:26 It's nice and quiet, I must say.
04:27 It's pretty refined in here.
04:29 Out of the box, this Land Cruiser
04:32 is just about as capable an off-roader
04:36 as you could possibly need,
04:37 so long as you're not planning on going
04:39 and doing the Baja or something like that.
04:42 The hybrid system, which I think is more
04:48 if power than it is for efficiency,
04:49 is probably the one black mark
04:51 against the Land Cruiser, in my opinion.
04:54 It would be nice if the economy
04:58 was a little better with the fuel,
04:59 but hey, can't have it all.
05:02 This is the kind of off-roading you can expect,
05:04 as maybe the average Land Cruiser owner to be doing.
05:09 And I'm happy to report,
05:10 Toyota have dialed this car in really nicely.
05:14 You can expect to start seeing Land Cruisers
05:16 on the road from spring 2024,
05:18 with the 1958 starting at $57,345,
05:23 including destination charge,
05:24 and the Land Cruiser starting at $63,345.
05:29 you