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Jason Cammisa and I See the New Toyota Land Cruiser Differently, but We Do Agree on One Thing
“Toyota has been on such a roll lately, especially for enthusiasts; so my first question when driving the new Land Cruiser is, ‘How the hell did Toyota get this so wrong?'”
Strong opening words from Jason Cammisa, host of Hagerty’s hit YouTube show Jason Cammisa on the ICONS. As a self-proclaimed Land Cruiser fanatic, this one hit a little close to home. In his latest episode, Cammisa takes the new Toyota Land Cruiser out for a spin in the desert, detailing the Cruiser’s origins and how the model has split into a whole family of vehicles in the ensuing decades.
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I’m not going to undercut the rich storytelling he bakes into this episode, because you need to go and watch it for yourself—if for no other reason than to watch awesome footage of an FJ40, an FJ60, and an FJ80 Cruiser lug their way over some pretty rugged terrain.
But I will get into a little bit of what he says about the new one. As he illustrates the shifting ideals of “stealth wealth” vs. “excess show-off,” he admits that a $100,000 Toyota (which was nearly what the previous-generation Land Cruiser commanded at a dealership by the time it left the North American market) no longer made sense. “Toyota was gonna have to make a very big change” if it wanted to bring the Land Cruiser nameplate back to our shores—which clearly, it did.
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He begins by praising the ingredients that are there in the new J250 Cruiser: solid rear axle, body-on-frame construction, locking center and rear differentials, even a sway bar disconnect and front camera system on the higher-spec version that he’s driving here. “In a world where most things that look like SUVs are actually just front-wheel-drive economy cars, this is a real off-roader,” he says.
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However, Cammisa takes serious issue with one thing he says is glaringly absent from the new model’s list of ingredients: Effortlessness. “This thing feels like it’s struggling; to get off the line, and worse, just to keep up with traffic.”
The main culprit, according to Cammisa, is the four-cylinder turbocharged engine. “No one will ever forgive Toyota for this four-cylinder, especially not when it’s judged against its V-8 predecessors.”
Before I make an impassioned defense of the new Cruiser, let me start by saying this: I like Cammisa—both as a colleague and as an automotive journalist. I’m biased, sure, but I think he’s producing some of the best video content out there and there’s absolutely no denying that he knows his stuff. We can disagree on stuff like this, and the world moves on. I won’t lose sleep if you side with him on this matter, and I bet he’d say the same if you end up on my side. Discourse about cars is fun, and if we all liked the same stuff, this hobby would get boring faster than it takes the J250 Land Cruiser to accelerate to 60 mph.
When I first drove the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser in San Diego last winter, I came away reasonably impressed. I thought the new model carried the flag well enough for what that nameplate has come to represent. Cammisa’s gripe about the hybrid battery raising the load floor is entirely valid, but as the Cruiser lacks a third row of seats, there still looked to be a decent amount of cargo room.
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I can half agree with his qualms about the four-cylinder—a 2.4-liter turbocharged unit common to a few other Toyota vehicles rocking the body-on-frame TNGA-F architecture, including the all-new Tacoma, and the all-new 4Runner. I noted in my first-drive review that the four-pot sounded almost like a diesel at times with how clattery it was. So he’s right: It’s certainly not a poster child for refinement.
I did not, however, get a chance to wind out the new Land Cruiser on the highway; Toyota kept the Cruisers on a short leash during the event. But I did take a new 2.4-liter Tacoma out on the road, and relative to the truck’s outgoing powertrain, a naturally aspirated V-6 paired with a five-speed automatic, the new engine and eight-speed automatic felt noticeably more capable—both in accelerating and keeping up with traffic.
It’s not quite apples to apples, but I don’t think the engine in the Land Cruiser is as much of a dog as Cammisa says it is. (I’m hoping to book a longer loan of a new Land Cruiser in the coming months to see whether I still agree with myself . . .)
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Cammisa hangs a lot of the Land Cruiser’s ethos on the word “effortlessness,” but I’d argue that another adjective better describes what has made this nameplate so great over the decades: longevity. And sure, a hybridized turbo four isn’t exactly the model for longevity to most folks, but Toyota has a history of building long-lasting, durable hybrids. (Exhibit A: The Prius.)
From that lens, I found the new Land Cruiser’s interior to fit that mold well. Yes, the plastic bits may seem unbefitting for a vehicle that starts at nearly $60K, but I think a buyer is attracted to the idea of a Land Cruiser for its durability, and fancy materials might get in the way of that.
Ditto the exterior styling; Cammisa lamented that it lacked the visual presence to match its price, but I’d argue that subtlety works in two overlooked ways here. First, remember that idea of stealth wealth that made early Land Cruisers the choice of Lake Tahoe weekend warriors and Montauk jetsetters? Exactly nothing about the other TNGA-F Toyotas can make that sort of case now; the Tundra and Sequoia have both been transformed into roided-out agro machines, in line with what American buyers seem to desire from their big tank-like vehicles. The Tacoma and 4Runner take similarly extroverted routes for exterior styling. Lots of folks that I’ve talked to love the new look. I’m a bit nostalgic for the quieter days when these nameplates spoke softly and carried on for decades. In the Land Cruiser, I see subdued styling that won’t age out as soon as the next major trend rolls around.
If it seems like I’m picking nits, that’s fine. I kind of am, especially because Cammisa wraps up the episode up with an argument that I’ll endorse wholeheartedly: The real new Land Cruiser is actually the Lexus GX 550. See, the new Land Cruiser and the GX are both from the Prado line, a lighter-duty version of the Land Cruiser sold elsewhere in the world that trades a smidge of rock-thumping capability for better on-road refinement.
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And when you realize that the new Cruiser and the GX share the same platform but one has a twin-turbo V-6, better towing capability, no hybrid battery to eat into the rear cargo area, and a nicer interior, the case for the Cruiser begins to deteriorate. Add in the fact that you can have the off-road version of the new GX 550—dubbed Overtrail by Lexus—for in, some instances, less money than what a new Land Cruiser will cost, and the case all but crumbles for pragmatic folks.
The J250 Land Cruiser might not be the perfect embodiment of the ideals with which the Land Cruiser nameplate was forged over the decades, but to say that Toyota got it “so wrong” feels a bit extreme.
Feel free to let me know how wrong I am in the comments.
I purchased the 1958 as a companion to my my lucid Grand Touring. I purchased it to be my weekend warrior, whether it be trips to Costco or taking my 85 lb dog to the mountains to go hiking. I am in love with this machine, the only upgrade I made thus far was the stereo. Otherwise, I genuinely love the cloth seats, the rugged hard plastic that takes a beating, and the incredible fuel economy that comes from such a massive car. I couldn’t care less what the 0 to 60 is on it; for that madness I have my Lucid. Sometimes, when I’m stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I miss being high up in the 1958. I bought his car with a 10-year warranty and I think it’ll last me years beyond that.
Excellent comments. There are a lot of haters. The 1958 is freaking awesome.
They tried to make it a Range Rover today. Yet for about the same money you can buy the Rover.
Like Jason, you failed to mention the MASSIVE recall on everything Toy-Yugo TTV6 that resides in the Lexis and Tundra…and $60k+ for a base 1958 with it’s crapplastic interior ,sub par tech, MANUAL SEATS, anemic drivetrain, lousey ride, a hood prop, after thought battery pack placement, ect ect ect , is an insult to the LC name plate .. if this is the direction Toy-Yugo is headed , I’ll keep my FJ.
Are you complaining about not mentioning problems with an engine that this model doesn’t have? There is no “TTV6” under this hood, so why would they talk about it?
Manual seats seems nice. One less thing to break. Same with a hood prop. Why pay more for gas struts when a hood prop never fails and is cheaper? Nearly all cars could stand to be simpler, and those two seem like great starts.
I love the cloth seats and manual bits. The fact the tailgate is not auto sold it for me. I have an old 80 I’ll never sell but since getting the 58 rarely drive.
Nathan, you sound like someone who’s 8 and 9 team is just 5 plays away from being 17-0 and should be considered….hands down…as the Super Bowl favorite.
It really isn’t that good and will look worse once the 4Runner arrives – plus Toyota makes no money after the first sale – fanboys are not generating revenue as being the 2nd, or 3rd or 4th owner.
Toyota would rather sell 10k and have the fans be slightly disappointed than 600 and have them raving….because they don’t buy them new
When did you drive one? Please share your first-hand experience that helped you arrive at “It really isn’t that good.”
Test drives are not hard to come by…do u need the date and dealer name😊
I mean I do like Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, you sound like you’re describing them perfectly! (This was a good analogy, truly. Made me chuckle.)
I made it very clear in my review of the Land Cruiser last year that the 4Runner will probably outsell this 4 to 1. Your point about second and third owners is valid, but that’s always been the case, so I don’t think there’s some massive shift in consideration from Toyota’s side on how the company positioned this. (Whether or not you agree with the positioning, is something I won’t try to dissuade you from.)
Based on that last sentence, don’t you think it’s smarter for Toyota to drop the price back from what the Land Cruiser had crept up to in its 200-Series era? I mean surely something that costs less (too much still, maybe. But every vehicle costs too much now if you ask most folk) will sell more of them, thus achieving your 10K vs. 600 goal, no?
I highly agree with both your points. I live in New Zealand, and over here we call it Land Cruiser Prado. I test drove the test unit a couple of months ago because I was looking forward to this latest model because I love the looks and was expecting Toyota to make big improvements from the previous generation. I currently drive a Prado 2020 model imported from Japan which was highly specced, which I really love. So when I tested this latest model, I immediately noticed all the inferior traits compared to my 2020 model which is a 2.8L diesel with KDSS. The new Prado or Land Cruiser in the US, is underpowered, shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd gears made a lot of noise and felt like the vehicle’s gear ratio was not properly tuned. Even when I used the Sport + driving mode to make it more responsive and quicker, I was still disappointed. Making it a 10 speed transmission would’ve improved the shifting. Suspension wasn’t great, interior felt cheap, the 3rd row wasn’t flat when folded due to the battery underneath it. When I spoke to the sales agent, he agreed to all of my observations and Toyota should’ve stuck to diesel engines instead of making it a hybrid. Prados here in New Zealand and Australia are widely used for towing and off roading so the hybrid engine was not a good choice. So I’ll stick to my 2020 Prado until Toyota comes up with something worth upgrading to.
For almost 30 years, basically since the introduction of the Lexus version, the LC has been “X”…and now it’s “Y”, it’s not the same. But people are saying…but…but it is the same, it can do this, it can do that, just like the old one…it even has the same name!
It is different, it’s cheaper and not as well appointed and should have probably been given another name bc it’s a fine vehicle in its own right,but it’s not what a LC has been compared to the last several generations. I like how Jason called them out on it.
I highly agree with both your points. I live in New Zealand, and over here we call it Land Cruiser Prado. I test drove the test unit a couple of months ago because I was looking forward to this latest model because I love the looks and was expecting Toyota to make big improvements from the previous generation. I currently drive a Prado 2020 model imported from Japan which was highly specced, which I really love. So when I tested this latest model, I immediately noticed all the inferior traits compared to my 2020 model which is a 2.8L diesel with KDSS. The new Prado or Land Cruiser in the US, is underpowered, shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd gears made a lot of noise and felt like the vehicle’s gear ratio was not properly tuned. Even when I used the Sport + driving mode to make it more responsive and quicker, I was still disappointed. Making it a 10 speed transmission would’ve improved the shifting. Suspension wasn’t great, interior felt cheap, the 3rd row wasn’t flat when folded due to the battery underneath it. When I spoke to the sales agent, he agreed to all of my observations and Toyota should’ve stuck to diesel engines instead of making it a hybrid. Prados here in New Zealand and Australia are widely used for towing and off roading so the hybrid engine was not a good choice. So I’ll stick to my 2020 Prado until Toyota comes up with something worth upgrading to.
Based upon your comments concerning the Lexus version of the vehicle, it seems to me that you are more in agreement with Cammisa than not. I get the idea that you have more of a disagreement with his opening words than his ultimate premise.
I currently drive a 200 series, my wife drives a Rav-4 prime and am a Toyota loyalist. The idea of a stripped down Land Cruiser with a tougher interior and less stuff to break absolutely appeals to me. My 200 series is really too nice for what I use it for. However I don’t understand why Toyota only offers the new land cruiser four cylinder hybrid. The Rav-4 has no less than three power plants to choose from, and clearly Toyota could offer the twin turbo six for the Land Cruiser if it wanted. Forget “stealth wealth” give me a comfortable but utilitarian interior, a Six Cylinder engine, KDSS, and a split tailgate.
Too bad the Lexus is the only option, I guess I’ll just have to keep my 200 series for another ten years. Mabye in that time Toyota will finally bring a product to market that it’s most loyal customer want to buy.
I did not think the new Land Cruiser is targeting the same demographic. For the hardcore overlanders the choice has to be 4Runner, the math and options made it clear. They also trying to push the old money to start aligning their wallet toward LX brand. What is left is selling the LC brand to folks who are perfectly stuck in the middle between 4Runner and LX: too old to do hardcore overlanding,one zip code away from exclusive neighborhood, 40 to 58 with a farm or cabin in the country, wife and kids who still cares MPG from time to time. LC is dependable for getting your family home without getting out of cell phone service coverage area.
You have to go top of the line TRD to get the same drive train and 4×4 capability as the base LC. Lower trim 4 runners are 4-cylinder only and under 300hp.
I went into Camissa’s video thinking I’d disagree because I really like the new Land Cruiser, but he honestly changed my mind and now I’m much more interested in the Lexus.
My main nit to pick with this generation Land Cruiser is why does it lack the Prado badge in the US? It is a Land Cruiser Prado! They should market it here as such.
TOYOTA = simple, affordable and reliable.
They kept it simple and that’s all they did. And it is OVERPRICED. Reliable, that’s what they’re expecting but the truth is only time will tell.
I sell Toyotas and I drive Landcruisers almost daily. Take a look at Car Care Nut YouTube channel and his take on 1958 Landcruiser – that base model is the true heritage to the name – a rugged, base model awesome true adventure vehicle. We have been selling them at up to $5k off MSRP – before anyone comments on that fact, i argue that is a good thing for consumers who appreciate what they are getting and is NOT a bad reflection on the vehicle. If you want all the luxuries, then get a fully loaded Lexus RX – a car that was designed to ne a luxury car from the beginning. With a couple of dress-up options, 1958 LC is still well under $60k. And we put custom leather seats and cooled seats at the dealership for those that need it. Good luck finding a Lexux at prices like that, especially with announced price increases on GX550. By the way, I love the Lexus – but I would never spend $15-20k more for it over 1958 LC. And as far as the engine is concerned, 465 torque is fantastic – it IS effortless around town and on the highway at reasonable speeds – this is NOT a sports car. We have customers trading their proven 4runners for this vehicle because they represent a great value, have timeless styling, have WAY more power than the old v6, and offer one of the best 4wd systems in existence.
Bottom line – Cammisa should Not have based his report on First Edition vehicle – $75-77k IS too much for this vehicle. I think his conclusion would be different if jumped from those old LCs into a 1958 – he would see the resemblance between those old models and the new one.
Perfect review and couldn’t agree more.
Gonna keep my ’97 FZJ 80. Inline 6 FTW
The biggest problem for the new Land Cruiser in the states is the Lexus GX. For a little more you can get a superior drivetrain with the TT V6 and generally superior service at the Lexus dealer. The Hybrid adds a layer of complication which Toyota does very well but I do not want.
The only way to get a “REAL” Land Cruiser (J300) in the USA, is to purchase the Lexus LX600. It has the same V-6 twin-turbo powerplant as the GX, but is a superior chassis, better interior materials, better build quality, and so forth.
Unfortunately, the V-8 engine met its demise with the prior LX570 and Land Cruiser, in favor of the V-6TT. Not sure the V-8 will ever come back.
But the bottom line is that if you want the “real” LC, get a Lexus LX600 or LX700 (new hybrid variant for 2025).
Biggest mistake, by far, of all my automotive endeavors: selling my 1966 FJ40 that I ordered, waited for, and bought brand NEW my senior year in high school. Paid $2995.00, oh, to have a Time Machine!