Quite possibly the most important vehicle in Toyota’s truck and SUV history, the Land Cruiser was the company’s second-ever SUV following its World War II AK10 model. A recent three year hiatus in the U.S. for the Land Cruiser made us miss it, and now is perfect timing to bring back the celebrated SUV in line with its heritage in Toyota’s lineup. We’ll take a look at those callbacks featured on the 2024 model’s design, taking us through the history of the iconic Toyota Land Cruiser.
It Wasn’t Always Called “Land Cruiser”
Much like the beloved Jeep and Land Rovers, the Toyota Land Cruiser’s history dates back into World War II. When Japan had captured the Philippines, it had also captured a version of the U.S. Army Jeep—either a Willys MB or a Bantam GP, unfortunately history isn’t terribly clear on which one it was—and the empire commissioned Toyota to create Japan’s version of that military vehicle. The Toyota AK10 was born, but its use was limited and photos of it are even more scarce. It stuck around after the war, but in the 1950s, the U.S. asked Toyota to build a small utility vehicle based on the same specifications as the Willys MB. That’s when the first Toyota J-series was created and was essentially just a Toyota Jeep but larger than the MB and came with a larger, more powerful engine in the Toyota B-series 3.4 liter I-6.
Initially produced in small numbers, the BJ went into full production in 1953, but Willys wasn’t happy with the fact that the BJ looked so much like the CJ (sound familiar), and Toyota changed the design and its name to what we’re all so familiar with today: Land Cruiser. The headlights that were part of the fenders were now moved to inside the body and flanking each side of the grille, and the front fenders took on more of a downward slope. It also came with a new 3.9 liter F-series I-6 engine producing even more power, also used in the FJ fire truck version of the Land Cruiser. Eventually, that 3.9 liter would become a regular option beyond the fire truck J-series.
The 1958 Land Cruiser
We see the inspiration of this early J-series Land Cruiser in the 2024 model when it uses its Heritage Headlight design. The round headlights are a direct callback to those Jeep-like Land Cruisers, but the new Cruiser’s specific 1958 trim is a callback to the first model year of the Toyota J-series that was sold in the U.S. Being so Jeep-like in its functions and design, you’d think it’d be a hit, but you also have to remember that WWII was still fresh in American minds. That first year only saw one Land Cruiser sold in the U.S., but when Toyota introduced the 40-series, that’s when America finally took notice. It was also the era that the F-series engines became the only gasoline I-6 available for the J-series and followed its “FJ” designation from that point onward. The BJ-series used a diesel engine, but sadly we won’t find that in the new Land Cruiser. We also don’t get an I-6 or even a V-6 in the 2024 Land Cruiser, as the 2.4 liter turbocharged hybrid I-4 found in the new Tacoma is also making its way into the new Toyota SUV.
While you won’t find the barn doors at the rear of the 2024 Land Cruiser, you will see another callback to the original FJ40 and its four-door siblings, the FJ45V and FJ55. The 2024 model gets a light gray colored roof for its two-tone Trail Dust and Heritage Blue colors, also a callback to the two-tone offering on the J40s, but it would have been nice to see a full two-tone paint job like those early J-series Land Cruisers and not just a lighter colored roof.
An Amalgamation Of Land Cruisers
Overall, the exterior design of the 2024 Land Cruiser is a mix of every Land Cruiser ever built. The front fenders on all models also have the looks of the original FJ40 in its arches that stand proud of—but not separate from—its front fenders. It’s a Toyota design language that we now find on the Tundra and Tacoma, but you can also say it’s more like the J50 Land Cruiser because its front fenders were also attached to the body, but also still had that forward drop. The boxy design is also a callback to the J40, with its straight line cut-line leading down to the front bumper. Looking at the rest of the front end, the slight opening above the grille is sort of similar to the opening on the J40 and J50 that allowed additional air into the engine bay. When you look at the separator trim on the A-pillar, it gives off the notion that the window could fold down like the J40, but it’s fixed in place just as it was on the J50.
The grille itself is also a heritage item, the “Toyota” emblem is much like the J40, J50, J60—which was the last model to have round headlights—J70, and pre-facelift J80 series. The pre-facelift J80 was the last version of the J-series to have the “Toyota” emblem as it was replaced by the “ovoid” emblem in 1995, but a return to the “heritage” emblem did happen on the J300, but that series didn’t come to the U.S. On the standard Land Cruiser, the square headlights are a later J-series callback starting with the post-facelift J60s and the J80s quartet of square sealed beam headlights. However, the J80 would also get a facelift to a single—but still square—halogen headlight assemblies in 1991 and that look could be argued to be replicated on the 2024 Land Cruiser, too.
The side profile reveals that the rest of the 2024 Land Cruiser is more like the J60 to J200 series of Toyotas with the rear quarter windows forward-leaning forward and trailing edges. Though, where the separation of the roof and the body by a separator trim in the D-pillar could be argued to hearken to some of the FJ Cruiser’s design in that area. The way it dips below the rear quarter window reminds us of that beloved Toyota SUV.
Customization Is A Land Cruiser Heritage, Too
Much like a lot of the J-series, the 2024 Land Cruiser is a blank slate for off-road enthusiasts. While the standard 1958 and “Land Cruiser” trims will offer some very functional technologies to make getting off the pavement easier than ever, it’s the opportunity to make the 2024 Land Cruiser a unique vehicle from the start that will potentially impress future owners. Toyota will offer over 100 accessories to make an individualized 2024 Land Cruiser possible from the dealer floor. Off-road recovery gear, storage racks and carriers, and color-selectable Rigid Industries LED fog lighting (which is standard on the “Land Cruiser”) can all be added to a Land Cruiser before it leaves the dealership and can be rolled into the price and payments of the 2024 SUV.
The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser is easily one of the most important launches by the brand in recent years. The mix of heritage and modern design with forward-looking tech and a hybrid powertrain all look like winners in our book. If they get the price right, this might be the best SUV Toyota has launched in some time. We expect the 2024 Land Cruiser to launch in springtime 2024, at a starting price around $55,000.
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