Following the announcement that the Toyota Land Cruiser nameplate is returning to American shores, the Japanese automaker has released a teaser for the SUV. It not only gives an idea of its basic appearance, but also reveals that it will basically be the twin brother of the recently introduced Lexus GX.
A few things strengthen the GX connection. First, the full boxy profile and vertical front end. Then there’s that separate piece of sheet metal on the rear door sill. These are undoubtedly the hallmarks of GX. But beyond the design tips, there’s the full size. Toyota photographed the new Land Cruiser next to an FJ40 Land Cruiser, and while it’s definitely bigger, the size difference isn’t as large as we’d expect from the global 300 Land Cruiser and its twin, the Lexus LX.
Toyota’s own press release also confirms what we’ve seen; that this is not the global Land Cruiser. The announcement reads: “With a 65-year legacy, you can choose to slow down or reinvent yourself. We chose the latter.” In other words, it’s not the Land Cruiser you know.
Now, before anyone starts complaining that this American Land Cruiser isn’t going to be a “real” Land Cruiser, that’s not quite true either. The Lexus GX has always been based on a smaller, cheaper version of the Land Cruiser, the Prado. This is probably what our Land Cruiser will be called in other markets. And while it’s not as big and not a direct descendant of previous Cruisers, the Prado is still plenty credible off-road.
Given that this will be the smaller and not the full-fat Land Cruiser, the US version should be as well far more affordable than the 200 Series Land Cruiser was. This SUV started at over $85,000. We don’t know for sure, but the Sequoia TRD Pro’s sub-$78,000 price tag seems reasonable to us.
Powertrains are basically the same as the GX, with a twin-turbo 3.4-liter V6 and four-wheel drive as standard, with some sort of hybrid version coming in the future. The chassis will be based on the TNGA-Frame platform with double wishbone front suspension and multi-wishbone solid axle rear suspension. It will likely be available with a third row of seats, either as an option or as standard. And while there’s no launch date yet, you can rest assured that the SUV will be revealed this year and will be unveiled sometime next year.
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