Rejuvenated icon promises better on-road manners without compromising off-road capability
The Toyota Land Cruiser is proof that the Japanese firm truly offers the most diverse model range in the business. Sure, one could haul a Mercedes A-Class inside a Mercedes Actros, but they don’t live next to each other in showrooms. Whereas you could drive away from a Toyota dealer in anything from a 65mpg hybrid supermini to a straight-six manual sports car – or an off-roader with a ladder-frame chassis, a live rear axle and a 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel engine.The Land Cruiser helped build the Japanese brand’s reputation for solid engineering, and although it is a bit of a niche thing in Europe, elsewhere it’s still massive.You can take that literally: in some markets, the Land Cruiser has its own model range, including the 4.6m-long Land Cruiser 300 Series and the ultra-old-school Land Cruiser 70 Series. That comes with a 4.5-litre V8 diesel and a manual ’box.Over here, we get just the 250 Series, also known as Prado, and it entered a new generation in 2024. It’s not electric, it’s not even a hybrid (not over here, anyway) and the mechanical specification hasn’t radically altered from the old one.But although the new J250-generation Land Cruiser isn’t a radical departure from the J150 before it, there’s still plenty to talk about.The Toyota Land Cruiser range at a glanceAll Land Cruisers sold in the UK are powered by the familiar 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel engine from the old Land Cruiser and the current Toyota Hilux pick-up truck, although it has been updated for a broader spread of torque through a new, smaller turbocharger. A 48V mild-hybrid version will join the range later.The four-pot diesel is paired with a new eight-speed automatic gearbox. Toyota calls it Direct Shift, which means it is a torque converter with a lock-up clutch that closes at lower speeds than before. Toyota offers two specifications: Invincible and First Edition. The First Edition, offered in limited numbers and now sold out, exclusively features a paint job reminiscent of the classic 1960s Land Cruiser 40, with round headlights and either Smoky Blue or Land Sand paint, matched with a grey roof. All cars come as standard with black leather upholstery, dual-zone air conditioning, a 12.3in touchscreen and a head-up display. Other equipment includes a JBL stereo, a panoramic reversing camera, a digital driver’s display, 20in alloy wheels and a sunroof.What’s quite unusual is that you can choose from two entirely different headlight designs: one square, one circular. First Edition cars get the circular lights as standard, and Invincible cars get square ones.
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