Toyota pays homage to the Land Cruiser, introduced in the United States in 1958, by calling it “the godfather” of the company’s tremendous off-road heritage. That’s a legit honor.
An online reading of Land Cruiser’s entire history would make one’s hands cramp from too much scrolling, so I’ll just skip to the relevant part when the Land Cruiser was discontinued in 2021 and brought back in 2024.
The Land Cruiser departed as an expensive full-size luxury SUV with modern design, and returned as a considerably more affordable midsize SUV bearing a resemblance to the beloved boxy early models.
For 2025, the previous top-level Land Cruiser First Edition model has been eliminated, leaving a lineup of just two models: the 1958 ($57,900) and the Land Cruiser ($63,900).
There are unique front design features between the two. The 1958 has retro-style round headlights and a “TOYOTA” heritage grille, while the Land Cruiser gets slim, rectangular headlights.
All models come with a robust i-Force Max hybrid powertrain consisting of a turbocharged 2.4-liter gasoline engine and two electric motors. It produces 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive are standard, and the EPA fuel economy ratings are 22 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined.
I drove the Land Cruiser trim of the Toyota Land Cruiser. That wording is awkward but better than calling it the Land Cruiser Land Cruiser.
The 1958 trim is already well-equipped, and the Land Cruiser model adds power heated and ventilated SofTex (synthetic leather) front seats, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, power liftgate, 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, 10-speaker sound system, and several additional off-road driver-assistance technologies.
An optional Premium Package ($4,600) on the test vehicle included yet more features, my favorites being a 14-speaker JBL premium audio system, illuminated entry, power moonroof, center console cooling box, and two extra USB-C ports in the cargo area.
Land Cruiser’s interior is an appealing blend of contemporary styling and a throwback to the early years. Retro-style buttons and knobs are in plentiful supply along with the 12.3-inch touchscreen display of Toyota’s uncomplicated infotainment system.
Every Land Cruiser has the same interior configuration: Two rows of seats with roomy seating for up to five people, no third-row option, and 37.5 cubic feet of cargo space.
The cargo floor is several inches higher than the actual bottom of the cargo area because the battery pack is under there. I expected it to cause problems during my ritual unloading of 40- and 50-pound bags of wild birdseed, but it turned out to be helpful. When I pulled the bags out and down, that extra “step” reduced their momentum and they were easier to direct properly onto the little dolly platform. Ordinarily they just come crashing down willy-nilly.
Driving the 2025 Land Cruiser was a week’s worth of fun. I’m glad the Land Cruiser is back, with a personality more expressive of its traditional adventuresome roots.
2025 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER
Base price, including destination charge: $63,900
Price as driven: $70,139
Mary Lowry is a member of the Motor Press Guild and a member and past president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association. She lives in Snohomish County. Vehicles are provided by automotive manufacturers as a one-week loan for evaluation purposes only. Manufacturers do not control content of the reviews.
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