A new Toyota Land Cruiser is heading to America

Toyota pulled the Land Cruiser from its US lineup at the end of 2021, and you know, life really hasn’t felt right ever since. Oh, sure, we have the Lexus LX 600, which is basically a huge-grilled, leather-clad carbon copy, but it’s just not the same thing. We want the Land Cruiser. We want the big, tough Toyota you can drive up a building, then off a cliff, then into the ocean, and know it’ll start up just fine the next day.

That’s why we’re particularly stoked about an announcement from Toyota this week giving us our first glimpse at a brand new Land Cruiser that’s expected to arrive in 2024. Only this time, it’s not going to be the same as the J300 Land Cruiser sold elsewhere in the world. This one’s going to be a little bit smaller and a whole lot tougher. Hopefully cheaper, too – something to hang with Ford Broncos, Jeep Wranglers, and Land Rover Defenders.

While Toyota has yet to confirm any official details, we have to believe the new Land Cruiser will share its architecture with the recently revealed Lexus GX 550. That means it’ll be slightly bigger than a 4Runner, and will likely use the GX’s 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 engine and optional Electronic-Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System that allows for better off-road prowess through increased wheel articulation. Given the Land Cruiser name, there’s no way this thing’s going to be a mall-crawling soft-roader.

Taking a closer look at the teaser image (and brightening it in Photoshop, that always helps), we can see a pretty simple and chunky design, with blocky taillights and a simple front fender and fascia. The Land Cruiser looks to have the same uptick in its body sides as the Lexus GX, and does without roof rails, which is actually super retro. (Surely they’ll be available as an option.)

There’s good news for the rest of the world, too. This Land Cruiser will likely come to other countries as the Land Cruiser Prado, something that Toyota teased for Europe and beyond. No matter what it’s called, we’re just happy the Land Cruiser will be back soon.