How the Base Trim ‘24 Land Cruiser Surprised This Veteran Toyota Tester

Having tested and owned Toyota SUVs for decades, I thought I knew what Toyota’s base trim of the all-new 2024 Land Cruiser would be like. I was completely wrong. This vehicle sets a new standard in the industry for go-anywhere sport utility vehicles. 

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958 - A Lucky Draw
Toyota boldly placed a base trim, called 1958, in its press fleet and brought it to an event where automakers showcase all their fun cars. These include special vehicles ranging from Miatas to $500K electric Rolls Royce cars. It was a gutsy move, and Toyota hedged a bit by also bringing along a stick-shift Supra. However, it was a surprise to see the vehicle not operating in a support role during the legendary Ragtop Ramble and Crustacean Crawl event sponsored by the New England Motor Press Association. 

As luck would have it, I was the member tasked with driving the Land Cruiser 1958 from our prior night’s staging location to the event, and I also drew its keys randomly from a hat for the day-long ramble. My manufacturer's driving partner for the day was from Honda, and he enjoyed the opportunity to drive a non-Honda for the day. We both had turns driving the Land Cruiser, and we came to the same basic conclusion: How in the world could Toyota make such a great off-road adventure vehicle feel so adept on-road? Toyota has seemingly stolen Land Rover’s secret sauce!

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958 - The Powertrain Is Best In Class
The first thing one notices about this amazing vehicle is the powertrain. It’s Toyota’s electrified and turbocharged i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain paired with a full-time four-wheel drive system. This premium hybrid-electric powertrain produces 326 horsepower and a staggering 465 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s smooth, super-torquey, and has power in every situation. We can honestly say that is among the best SUV powertrains we have ever tested. We would rank it with Jeep’s V8 Wrangler 392, the 4XE Wrangler, and Land Rover’s Supercharged V8s in the Defender series. 

The 465 lb-ft of torque is on tap from a standstill. This big vehicle can pull from a stop like a six-figure battery-electric vehicle. Once underway, it’s a typical Toyota hybrid, which is to say, superb. Need to pass on a lonely mountain road? It rockets forward when you ask and then settles back into being super-efficient and nearly silent. 

Full-time four-wheel drive is different from a 4X4 or a typical AWD vehicle. The Land Cruiser has a low range, and it can lock the center and rear differentials. It is never in “two-wheel drive high.” Its default mode is 4H. Using the system is super simple (unlike the many levers and dials in the Wrangler). We figured it out in about ten seconds and employed it with zero issues over a few days of testing on the highway, slogging through localized heavy traffic situations, touring lonely mountain roads, and pounding down some dirt trails in New Hampshire. It also visited the seashore in two states during those few days. Over two full tanks of fuel, we observed 23 MPG combined, and the mileage rose to over 25 MPG on the highway. That is roughly 35% better efficiency than anything in its class without the burden of a plug.

My favorite feature of the powertrain is Toyota’s crawl system with downhill assist. We used it on a steep gravel descent, and it was flawless. What a perfect feature for a vehicle that may be asked to head to the mountains in winter. 

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958 - It’s a Real SUV In a World of Pretenders
The Land Cruiser is built on a real frame. It’s not a crossover pretending to be an SUV (not that there’s anything wrong with that). The front suspension can decouple for greater articulation over ridiculous obstacles. We saw bash plates underneath and also saw its full-size matching spare tire. 

Thankfully, the industry’s ubiquitous all-glass roof is not used up top. Instead, it’s made of reinforced steel. Our media tester had a $1,400 accessory roof rack system that looked like it could easily accommodate an expedition’s full kit.

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958 - The Price
The 1958 is the base trim with cloth seats (Yeah!), a smallish infotainment screen, and no automatic dog polisher. It just has the stuff you need, which includes a kicking audio system. Our tester had a total price before dealer Doc fees but inclusive of the Destination fee of $59,970, including some options like the roof. We’d call this the real-world starting price. There are two more expensive trims. Kudos, Toyota, for putting a base trim vehicle in the hands of journalists. 

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958 - Buy Your Own Tires
Our tester had Yokohama Geolander X-CV all-season tires in size 245/70/18. We covered long hours of highway driving, and these tires were absolutely ideal for that. Literally silent. Smooth. Decent in corners. However, I’m a tire tester, so the choice surprised me. I spoke to a Toyota employee on hand at our event and asked, “Where are the all-terrain tires?” He told me, “Toyota spoke with customers and did its research on that. We found that no matter what we put on, the owners were likely going to pick their own rubber anyway. So, the stock tires are affordable and excellent on the highway.” Smart. If this was my rig, I’d use these tires for summer use and have a set of Falken WildPeak A/T4W all-terrain tires with their severe snow duty rating for my spring, fall, and winter adventures. 

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958 Conclusion  - I Want to Read What Kamil Thinks
I’m not an off-road enthusiast, though I do own a Bronco Sport Badlands that has seen a lot of off-pavement time. At the New England Motor Press Association, the team overlanding expert is Kamil Kaluski. He’s coming back from a trip soon and will be covering this new Land Cruiser for multiple outlets. Once he has a review up, I will place a link in this story. I cannot wait to hear what that owner of multiple modified Toyota/Lexus off-roaders thinks of this new Land Cruiser 1958. My own opinion? This is the best vehicle of its type on the market today. 

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John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work at our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ Grammarly grammar and punctuation software when proofreading. 

Images of 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958 by John Goreham.