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Thanks: West Kendall Toyota 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser First Drive: Is the Smaller, Cheaper Off-Road SUV Better? Toyota is quite effectively threading the needle with its latest Land Cruiser variant. In the beginning—which is 1951, to be clear—there was just the Land Cruiser. Two decades or so in, a “light-duty” model appeared, which would eventually take on the name Land Cruiser Prado. Until now, this distinction has been recognized by only Land Cruiser nerds, as the Prado was never sold in America as a Toyota (though later it was rebadged and sold stateside as the Lexus GX). Over the years, the Land Cruiser grew bigger—and here, more expensive—until Toyota decided not to bring the latest full-freight model to America in 2022. It has finally been replaced by this, the smaller 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser that the rest of the world calls the Prado. Is it still a real Land Cruiser? The nerds will debate this until the end of time, but yes, Prados are real Land Cruisers. They’ve always been mechanically very similar to the full-size Land Cruisers, especially when you compare them to the 70 Series Land Cruisers still sold around the world (and date to the 1970s). Moreover, this new 250 Series Land Cruiser (Prado) and the larger 300 Series Land Cruiser (the direct replacement globally for the last full-size Land Cruiser sold here) now share the same platform. To us, any “real Land Cruiser” handwringing is just the modern version of complaining about coil springs instead of leaf springs, independent front suspension instead of two live axles, and a V-8 instead of an I-6, none of which ruined the full-size Land Cruiser in the ’80s and ’90s. What Else Is New? To be fair, the new, smaller size isn’t the only change to consider. This new Land Cruiser is also a hybrid. The old V-8 and ancient five-speed automatic are long gone, hardly a surprise these days, and in their place sits a turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid that makes 55 fewer horsepower but 64 more pound-feet of torque for a total of 326 hp and 465 lb-ft, along with a modern eight-speed automatic. The same I-4 is in the Tacoma pickup, and the hybrid component is simple, with a 48-hp electric motor crammed between the engine and transmission fed by a small battery under the rear seats. The automatic’s ratios and programming feel right for a truck, and it shifts far smoother than that five-speed ever did. It’s backed by a proper two-speed transfer case and retains a full-time four-wheel-drive system, and there are locking center and rear differentials. Toyota has shelved the KDSS automatic front and rear anti-roll bar disconnect system with a simpler manual disconnect system on the front axle only. KDSS and e-KDSS are now exclusive to Lexus, so check out the new GX if you don’t want to have to push a button to decouple the front anti-roll bar. Windows Down and Cruise It may be new, but the Land Cruiser certainly still feels like a body-on-frame truck from behind the wheel. The steering is light and devoid of feel, with only engine vibrations traveling up the steering column. Those shimmies and shudders you’re used to still make their way through to the cabin; the ride is quite nice otherwise, though, and the truck feels sturdy enough you could go barreling down a dirt road without fear of breaking anything or rattling something loose. There’s a bit of squirm in the upper trims’ chunky all-terrain tires when you turn the wheel, but more than anything you’ll notice all the body roll, pitch, and dive you’d expect from a tall, trucky SUV. Both the grip and precision are higher than the body movements lead you to expect, which makes it surprisingly fun to drive on the road. All that body motion really makes you feel like you’re hustling it around a corner even at the speed limit, something you won't experience in your average two-row SUV. Unsurprisingly, a tall, boxy SUV with all-terrain tires isn’t the quietest inside. There’s always a thrum from the rubber as you’re driving, and at freeway speeds it’s joined by wind noise from the blocky door mirrors and upright windshield. On a calm day, the interior noise is tolerable at 80 mph, but if there’s even a bit of wind, you’ll need to speak very loudly to be heard by the front-seat passenger. Read More 📌 Instagram ▶ 📌 Tiktok ▶ @cartvpress
