10 Things We LOVE about the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser

After having the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser for a week, we came up with 10 of our favorite things about the full-sized SUV.

In case you haven’t already read the 10 things I disliked about the fresh-from-the-grave Land Cruiser, it’s a lot of little things—little things that could be remedied with aftermarket parts or a software update. It was a difficult list to come up with, but this list will be a fairly easy one. My biggest gripe about the Land Cruiser is the price. It doesn’t feel very “Toyota” to have the price tag be so high, it’s only marginally less expensive than its cousin, the Lexus GX 550. (In fact, HERE’s a comparison between a Land Cruiser Premium and the GX 550 Overtrail with virtually identical MSRPs.)

Let’s dig into the 10 things that amazed me during my week-long affair.

1. The Full-Sized Off-Roader Felt Dainty

When standing near the Toyota Land Cruiser from the outside, it looks beastly. It’s tall, it’s wide, it’s long, and boxy. When you’re in the driver’s seat, the bolstered seats, comfortable steering wheel, large windows, and tight steering make it feel deceptively smaller. The only time I noticed its actual size was when I took corners at high speeds or went over large bumps.

You can see where the corners are from the hood, the tires are easily visible when leaning out the window, and there was always a place to put my elbows. For how large it looked, it’s a very easy car to become acquainted with.

2. The Visibility is Amazing

Related to the first point, it’s a breath of fresh air to get into a new car and be able to see out of it. It has a high-res backup camera, but it’s not completely necessary as the windows are so large blind spots are essentially non-existent. My toddlers both loved being able to see everything from their car seats. My oldest especially loved driving with the window down, as she could poke her little hand out and pretend it was an airplane.

The sunroof is quite small, and you have to open the cover manually – which is odd for a $71,000 car – but once you see the giant roof rack that comes from the factory, it’s easy to forgive.

The backseats are arguably the best seats in the house, as they can see everything from that seat.

3. The Cargo Space Makes it a Decent Family Hauler

Yes, there are added inches in height in the trunk for the hybrid battery, but the trunk space is incredible. It was able to fit my double stroller, my Costco haul, and my husband’s bumper holder he forgot to bring to work with room to spare.

Aside from the trunk, there is so much space in the rear footwells that I didn’t have to use the trunk for my toddlers’ diaper bag, my purse, water bottle, extra coats, and socks. It all fits on one side which left the trunk for all the extras.

If you were into camping, there’d be an insane amount of space for all your supplies. Especially when you factor in the rooftop, or how much space you get when you fold the rear seats flat.

4. People are Very Curious About It

If you’re like me and you enjoy talking about cars with just about anyone, the Toyota Land Cruiser is a conversation starter. Everywhere I went, including the donation station at my local Goodwill, people stopped me to give it a once over. I even had a group of firefighters ask to take a peek at my WinCo. Their jaws almost hit the floor, with one even saying, “Man, now I have to convince my wife to get one,” after he saw my two daughters strapped in.

It made every outing fun, as I got a chance to flex my car-talk muscles with people who jumped at the chance to be close to one. It’s not a luxury car (though it’s priced like one), or a sports car, but it’s a car that excites people.

Click HERE to read the counterpart of this article,
10 Things We “HATE” About the 2024 Land Cruiser

5. Let’s Be Honest, It’s Freaking Cool Looking

How many other cars out there – aside from other Toyota and Lexus models – look like the Land Cruiser? It’s a perfect boxy blend of Toyota’s modern design language and with a delightful sprinkle of inspiration from the past. It reminds me of a toy truck my younger self would have pined over at the mall.

It looks like it can handle anything you throw at it. Which, when the road changes from tarmac to dirt, mud, snow, gravel, rock, or ice, it pretty much can.

6. It’s an Absolute Blast Off-Road

Per my “HATED” list, I didn’t care much for it in daily driving scenarios. However, once I had the chance to take it off-road, my opinion of the Land Cruiser started to soften around the edges. There were so many divets, bumps, washed-out sections of the trail, and even protruding boulders the Cruiser conquered with shocking ease. If it could, I imagine it would be yawning as it took the Central Oregon forest roads by the horns.

The off-road technology was really impressive, too. The off-road information setting in Toyota’s OS utilized all the cameras that were on the car to show you all the angles that are otherwise difficult to see, like under the rock sliders, the rear, and the front.

Those who buy the Land Cruiser will likely seldom take it off-road – but I sincerely hope they do.

7. The Optional Sound System is Worth It

Trust me on this one – the optional 14-speaker JBL sound system as part of the $4,600 Premium Package makes the rough ride so much more enjoyable. The subwoofer is lively, the speakers are amazing, and even if I was listening to Miss Rachel to calm the kids it was impressive.

The Premium Package comes with other goodies too, like a center cooling console box to keep bevies cool, a Heads-Up display (that I turned off), illuminated running boards, and other safety features like front cross-traffic alert.

8. The Height Made it a Functional Kid-Mobile

Related to point number 3, I appreciated how easy it was to install my daughters’ car seats. The lower anchors were very easy to find and use, and the upper tethers were easily accessible on the back of the chair. Getting my girls in and out of the car was even easier because I didn’t have to bend over to get them in or out. My oldest loved jumping from the running board to the ground.

I could tell they appreciated being higher up, too. They were quietly staring out of their windows enjoying the world as it passed them by.

I obviously can’t afford one, but for those who can with small kids (and older kids, too), it’s worth considering if you’re regularly camping or off-roading.

9. The Technology (When it Worked) Was Very Intuitive

One of the things I put on my “cons” list was how glitchy the factory OS was at times. I do suspect, though, that a software update would fix it. [Editor’s Note: On some models, updates are rolling out currently that may not have been installed in this press loaner.] On the rare occasion that it worked without a hiccup, I loved that everything was easy to access, HVAC controls and other commonly used functions were knobs or buttons, and even the on-screen settings were in places that made sense.

The off-road settings and information screens were also very responsive, easy to interpret, and my husband especially appreciated the feature that showed you exactly where your tires were and where they’d end up. He said, and I quote, “Every off-roader should have this.”

10. The Full-Time 4WD System Makes it More Accessible

The Toyota Land Cruiser, unlike most models of the 4Runner, comes standard with full-time 4WD (not to mention BOTH center and rear differential lockers). In case you didn’t know, that means you wouldn’t have to manually shift it from 2WD to 4WD. Instead, it’s essentially AWD until you tell it to go into 4-Hi or 4-Lo. I know several people that are intimated by the thought of having to “learn” 4WD, prompting them to buy an AWD instead.

Technology like this would encourage those who may be scared away by the “complexities” of driving with 4WD to get opt for this instead of a Subaru Outback.

It’s the same reliable system without the need to think about it. The car will do it for you unless you tell it not to.

Images: Kristen Finley, Toyota USA