When you stop and think about the first word that comes to mind when someone says “Toyota Land Cruiser,” invariably, it’s “capable” or some version of it. After a brief hiatus, the venerable beast returned last year. The new model retains the capability, but now infuses some luxury into the package, as we found out in our week with the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is back after a brief hiatus, retaining its capability with a mix of luxury this time.
Amid much uproar, Toyota killed the Land Cruiser in 2021 in the United States. It did keep its upscale cousin, the Lexus GX, but the SUV that helped put Toyota on the map when it arrived in the U.S. in 1958 was no more — until last year.
The 2025 model is a carryover from last year’s entry, which was much changed from the last iteration of the SUV. It’s now a boxier, more rugged-looking beast — styling adopted by many automakers in recent years — but it’s got some “beauty” to go with the beast.
Big, beautiful box
If you want a go-anywhere ute, you should have the Land Cruiser on your list of vehicles to be considered. First, that kind of capability is part of its heritage, but more importantly, Toyota made sure it looks the part and performs it as well.
The exterior styling may best be described as aggressively boxy. If they put this thing in a wind tunnel, it was only to see if it fit because no one cares how slippery it is. It is rough and tumble, and it looks like it.
Our tester came in Sand with a light gray roof. Butterscotch might be a more apt description, but it’s not very macho. The color is amazing. The number of times I was stopped and asked about the car, and specifically the color, was shocking. I will say, it appears to be a polarizing hue. Every man I know — save one — loved it and every woman said, “Uh … no.” C’est la vie.
The Land Cruiser’s boxy shape is current in vogue, but seems especially fitting for this go-anywhere beast.
Let’s go
While the old Land Cruiser was powered by a brutish V8, this is the mid-2020s! We don’t do V8s when a hopped up, turbo charged 4-cylinder tied to a small electric motor will do. The 2025 Land Cruiser is powered by Toyota’s i-Force Max hybrid powertrain that puts out 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque.
It uses an 8-speed transmission and full time 4-wheel drive is standard. To keep it in line with its heritage, engineers included center and rear locking differentials as standard equipment across the lineup. The electronic locking rear diff splits power 50-50 front to rear, which means better traction and less wheel spin when traversing rugged terrain.
The Land Cruiser also offers several drive modes, including Multi-Terrain Select, which is functional in both 4WD High and 4WD Low, and offers adjustable settings to help control wheel spin on a variety of terrain, such as Mud, Dirt and Sand.
I didn’t get to put the Land Cruiser through its off-road paces, but what I can say is that this setup is responsive and powerful. It’s as adept at navigating rush hour as it is the rush that comes from hours of off-roading. When you put your foot in it, it goes. And it does so while not burning through all your gas, posting a respectable 23 mpg combined.
0 Comments