Earlier this week, Toyota offered us a first glimpse of the 2025 Land Cruiser, a rugged SUV with a famous nameplate that will rejoin the U.S. market. A set of teaser photos showed the all-new 4×4 as a silhouette, but we have the ability to view it full way before the official debut and compare it to the 2024 Lexus GX.
The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser is not the same as the car sold everywhere else. This model is smaller than the normal Land Cruiser, which received an all-new J300 generation a couple of years ago.
Toyota pulled the old model from the American market back in 2021. Sales were abysmal because it overlapped with the full-size Lexus LX which had a better overall design. This new 2025 Land Cruiser is related to the smaller Lexus GX and will sticker from around $60,000 as opposed to $90,000.
In the Japanese market, this version is expected to be called the Land Cruiser 250, while the Middle East and many parts of Europe enjoy this as the “Prado”. The Land Cruiser Prado is known for being more economical and easier to drive on smaller roads.
Thanks to previous sightings and numerous leaks, including official patent images, we have a lot of information about the 2025 Land Cruiser, even though it won’t go on sale until next year. The SUV is based on the TNGA-F body-on-frame platform, so it’s related not only to the Lexus GX, but also to the Tundra pickup.
We believe Toyota will try to keep costs down for what is essentially a low-volume SUV, and that’s why the Lexus GX and 2025 Land Cruiser will be twin brothers. They should have exactly the same wheelbase at 197.04-inch (5,005 mm), which is actually longer than the one offered in the Middle East, the J300.
2025 Land Cruiser engines
Australian magazine Drive has obtained leaked information regarding their Prado, which is relevant for the American Land Cruiser too. It will be offered only with 4-cylinder engines, which could be how they differentiate it from the Lexus GX.
The base engine of the Prado will be the 2TR-FE, a 2.7-liter gasoline motor without turbocharging. It makes only about 160 hp, so it’s fit only for emerging markets. In markets where diesel is popular, the new Land Cruiser gets the 1GD-FTV, a 2.8-liter turbodiesel shared with the Hilux with about 200 hp on tap. The third option is the TJA250, a turbocharged 2.4-liter with potential hybrid assistance. This is the most likely U.S. market engine, though we can’t completely rule out a V6.
Land Cruisers were known for lasting hundreds of thousands of miles thanks to their simple and reliable Toyota engines. However, the 2025 Land Cruiser will most likely feature the 3rd-gen Toyota Tundra’s twin-turbo V6, which has been known to have issues to do with spun bearings. It will be interesting to see how its 349 horsepower and 10-speed automatic compare to the Bronco’s 2.7 EcoBoost.
It’s also possible that the Japanese market 250 or the Prado will feature a 2.4-liter turbo hybrid drive.
2025 Land Cruiser design
In terms of design, we have a good idea of what to expect, and so can you thanks to these accurate renderings from Kolesa. They are based on the teasers as well as spy photos but use the “bones” of the Lexus GX.
To keep costs down, all the major body panels will have the same mounting points on the chassis. Some major stamped components like the roof and doors could be identical. The two cars will mostly differ through their grilles and bumpers.
At the front, the 2025 Land Cruiser sports a taller set of headlights than the GX, while at the back, it lacks a wrap-around LED light bar. Of course, Toyota needs to find a way to make the LC cheaper through equipment, wheels, and paint. Honestly, we think it’s a winner because the GX is ugly and not very Lexus-like.
