Toyota’s Oldest Nameplate, the Land Cruiser Returns—Without V8 Power

• Introduced in 1958, the Land Cruiser started out rugged and morphed into the modern SUV.

• The new Land Cruiser will use the i-Force MAX turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, generating 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque, channeled through an eight-speed transmission.

• Will there be dealer markups? Based on current listings of used 2021 Land Cruisers with low miles for over $80k, you can count on it.

Before Toyota had a Celica or Cressida or Previa or Tercel or 4Runner or Supra, there was the Land Cruiser, in the early days of high-riding off-roaders, before they were called SUVs.

It was 1958 when Toyota introduced the Land Cruiser in the US market—selling only one vehicle in its first year. But it went on to blaze a trail that started out rugged and became increasingly comfortable and upscale.

Before long, the boxy brute became Toyota’s best-selling model—while the Japanese automaker remained a small player in the US—with leaf springs and solid front and rear axles.

The Land Cruiser evolved into a bigger 4x4 and too many variants to name here, from station wagons and a two-door soft top to a pickup truck and an enclosed jeep, before settling into the familiar SUV body style that was taking the industry by storm in the 1990s.

Old Nameplate, New Life

With this rich history, Toyota is primed to resurrect the Land Cruiser, which has been on hiatus for three years, and the new model springs forth from Toyota’s TNGA-F body-on-frame global truck platform, which is shared with the new Lexus GX.

Toyota unveiled the new Land Cruiser Tuesday night for journalists gathered in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum.

The first models from this new eighth-generation J300 series will arrive in the US in spring 2024. While the previous upscale Land Cruiser carried a starting price above $85,000 when it left the market in 2021, the automaker is pushing the new model at a more accessible mid-$50,000 range.

Will there be dealer markups? Based on current listings of used 2021 Land Cruisers with low miles for over $80k, you can count on it.