Awesome Toyota Land Cruiser

After a three-year absence in the U.S., the Toyota Land Cruiser is back and marks a return to its adventurous roots in terms of style. We spent a few days getting to know the Land Cruiser First Edition and see if its performance and capabilities live up to its tough new looks.

Toyota is showing off some fantastic special projects for the 2023 SEMA show. Our favorite is the FJ Bruiser – Motorsports Garage’s custom-built off-road chassis with the body of a 1966 FJ Land Cruiser and the brawn of a TRD race engine. It also has a conveyor belt track underneath to help it move if it gets high-centered. Check out the full four-episode build here.

The new Land Cruiser marks a return to form. The US-bound SUV will start in the mid-$50K range. It’s shorter and narrower than before, has a 2.4L turbo hybrid drivetrain with 326 hp and 465 lb-ft. of torque, and available multi-terrain modes for off-road fun. Every 2024 Land Cruiser has full-time 4WD, a locking rear diff, and a choice of round or rectangular headlights.

To celebrate their versatile new X1N series, Australia’s Patriot Campers created the Desert Ops LC79 Supertourer, an awesome custom Toyota Land Cruiser. Both the X1N and the LC79 have a matching 1970s color scheme, beefed-up off-road suspensions, and are ready to conquer about any terrain.

Toyota is releasing a limited-edition of 1200 vehicles featuring a black accented grille, bronze BBS 18″ forged aluminum wheels, and retro-style badging. Its chrome lower moldings and running boards have also been removed to make it more off-road friendly.

FJ Company’s G40 Land Cruiser starts with an authentic FJ40 or FJ43 body, with a modern 228 hp 4L V6 Toyota engine, a 5-speed manual transmission, ABS, and traction control. You can customize its color, top, interior, suspension, lighting and accessories.

Using years of experience in restoring Land Cruisers, The FJ Company is keeping the spirit of the definitive 4×4 alive. The FJ Company Sport adds modern equipment to an FJ40 body and chassis, including a 210hp 1FZ engine, Old Man Emu suspension, and a digital dash and radio.

This low-riding, custom-built beast started life as a 2016 Land Cruiser, but now is capable of pushing out more than 2000 hp, and hitting a top speed of 220 mph, courtesy of Motorsports Technical Center, and a pair of volleyball-sized Garrett turbochargers. Debuts at SEMA 2016.