How the Land Cruiser Stacks Up to Its Off-Road Rivals

After a three-year hiatus, the venerable Toyota Land Cruiser has returned to U.S. soil. Based on the updated global market Prado SUV, America’s latest off-road contender is aimed squarely at the likes of the Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler, and Land Rover Defender. Here’s how Toyota’s reborn 4x4 icon stacks up against the competitors.

It is important not to get this latest Land Cruiser offering confused with the global market 300 Series model that debuted back in 2021. Toyota opted not to bring the J300 to the U.S. market due to slow sales of its predecessor, instead letting Lexus dominate that space with its better-selling LX600 variant. That said, all of the SUVs utilize the same TNGA-F platform, which also underpins Toyota’s Tacoma, Sequoia, Tundra, and Lexus GX models. For that reason, the Land Cruiser retains the same 112.2-inch wheelbase as the LX600. That isn’t to say these are the same size machines, with the Land Cruiser’s 193.7-inch overall length falling well behind the LX. The SUV is also some 4.4 inches narrower than the previous 200 Series model, which is a welcome change in the world of ever-bloated off-roaders. For comparison, a four-door Ford Bronco is a bit shorter overall at just 189.4 inches, but the Bronco’s 116.1-inch wheelbase is slightly longer. The Land Cruiser is about three inches narrower than the Ford, however.

The new Land Cruisers are also a bit more diminutive under the hood, where you’re left with a single powertrain option. Whereas the full-size LX600 receives a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 making 409 hp, the American Land Cruiser gets an i-Force Max hybrid unit. More specifically, the truck comes equipped with a 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine mated to a 48-hp electric motor located inside the eight-speed automatic gearbox. The electric motor draws power from a 1.87-kWh pack and helps boost output to 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. The Jeep Wrangler 4xe uses a similar inline hybrid setup to boost output, but comes bolstered with a second electric motor attached directly to the engine. Those motors work together with the Wrangler 4xe’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot to provide 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. Thanks to a 17-kWh battery pack, the Jeep also provides up to 21 miles of all-electric driving range. That said, the Land Cruiser provides a higher maximum tow capacity of 6000 pounds, whereas the Jeep can only lug 3500 pounds. The Ford Bronco lineup has a maximum towing capacity between 3500 and 4500 pounds depending on the model. The Defender is in a class of its own here, with 90 models providing up to 7716 pounds of towing capacity. Properly optioned 130 models can tow up to to 8201 pounds.

While Ford doesn’t offer its Bronco lineup with a hybrid powertrain, the automaker does offer a choice between either a turbocharged four-cylinder or a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine in its non-Raptor models. That said, the more potent 2.7-liter provides only 315 horsepower and 410 lb-ft of torque, which falls behind either competitor's hybrid offering. Land Rover's Defender also forgoes a hybrid system with its four-cylinder offering, which provides 296 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. That said, the optional 3.0-liter inline-six comes backed by a 48-volt hybrid system and an electric supercharger. That powertrain provides 395 hp and 406 lb-ft.

Like every Land Cruiser before it, this new LC features a ton of off-road hardware right from the factory. Every Land Cruiser will come supported by a full-time four-wheel drive system, just like the Land Rover Defender. The Toyota is backed by a two-speed electronic transfer case, a center locking differential, and a rear locking differential as standard. The truck employs the same style double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension as the full-size LX. That’s more akin to the Bronco than the other aforementioned rivals, with the Jeep utilizing a solid front axle and the Land Rover a fully independent four-wheel setup. That suspension package helps the Land Cruiser achieve a maximum ground clearance rating of up to 8.7 inches, which falls toward the bottom of the segment. Non-Raptor Bronco models are rated at a minimum of 8.3 inches, whereas the Wildtrak takes that figure to 11.6 inches. A base Defender on coil springs will provide 8.9 inches of clearance, whereas the air suspension ups that figure to 11.5 inches. The Wrangler is a monster by comparison, with every model receiving at least 9.8 inches of ground clearance. The Xtreme Recon package raises the bar to 12.9 inches.