2025 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958 First Test: Cool—but You Really Gotta Want It

You want the new Toyota Land Cruiser? Relatable. It’s among the coolest vehicles of 2025, built to be rugged, retro, and celebratory of the Land Cruiser nameplate’s rich heritage—heritage this latest 250 Series defends out on a trail.

Even in entry-level 1958 trim, the 2025 Land Cruiser charmed throughout our assessments. Vibes were high and our hearts were in it, but the mind did what it does and got to thinking. Contemplating the vehicle’s experience against its test results and price makes this one simultaneously worthy of adoration and avoidance. Sometimes, rationalization ruins everything.

See All 22 Photos22

Much to Like

If there’s any automotive enthusiasm in your soul, you get the appeal. Design has a lot to do with it; Toyota made the Land Cruiser look tough but friendly, like a rig you’d want on your side. Team Round Headlight and Team Rectangle Headlight can at least agree that the 250’s styling is worthy of the legendary Land Cruiser badge.

There’s honesty in how it drives, as well. Classic trucklike dynamics give the Land Cruiser determined imprecision, engaging its driver to command this gentle brute as it plods over terrain. Aside from the slightly stiff brake pedal, all the Land Cruiser’s controls have a relaxed feel that makes driving relaxing, too.

The ride quality is a high point. Shimmies inherent to body-on-frame vehicles are present, but plush comfort is the primary sensation as the structure absorbs impacts. Thick tires wrapped around 18-inch wheels provide initial cushioning before the soft suspension takes over.

Despite some bobbing body motions, the Land Cruiser feels substantial and settled. That’s nice when rolling steady on a highway and appreciable off-road as the suspension dissipates chop and readily articulates to keep things feeling stable.

Visiting familiar local trails was a must for our evaluations, and the Land Cruiser ate ’em up. On this dry, rocky terrain its full-time four-wheel drive compensated for the 1958 trim’s relatively lightly treaded tires. Locking center and rear differentials are there when needed, but the Land Cruiser never stumbled on these routes that have challenged other SUVs. The ’Yota only needed a little dirt to convince us there’s no need to be gentle with it, and soon we were hustling down switchbacks and up hills. Cruise land, it certainly does.

See All 22 Photos22

Might Not Be What You’re Looking For

In an era when fake-tough crossovers clog mall parking lots, the Land Cruiser’s purposeful engineering is refreshing. Yet if using it for that purpose isn’t why you want it, there are many reasons why you should instead consider a different car.

It’s crucial to consider the near-$60,000 starting price; our lightly optioned 1958 cost $61,640. This base model is similarly expensive to a variety of other specialty vehicles, those that provide true luxury, great efficiency, rowdy performance, and trail chops—your pick. Not to mention, it’s within a few grand of its corporate counterpart, the great Lexus GX.

That price chafes when you look and feel around the 1958’s interior, which has materials and trim akin to a low-end Corolla. Hard black plastic is everywhere—the door panels, dashboard, and center console are made almost entirely of the stuff. Then there’s the manually adjustable seats, upholstered in fabric that’s soft enough yet is of a weave slightly smoother than burlap. Thankfully, there’s leather on the steering wheel and shifter.

The 1958’s features, too, would be expected from a basic car costing half as much. The 7.0-inch driver's display and 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen are small and grainy, but the six-speaker audio sounds just fine. It’s a slicktop; the 1958 can’t be had with a sunroof. Yes USB-C ports, no wireless charging pad. Still, the front seats and steering wheel are heated, while rear passengers get their own climate zone.

Some might read these observations as critiques, others as ideal. This hard-wearing, low-frills cabin could be seen as part of the Land Cruiser’s purpose-built mission: free from delicate bits that wouldn’t withstand the rigors of unpaved adventures. And indeed, everything seems well assembled. Thankfully, there are far more real buttons than digital ones.

See All 22 Photos22

Of course, you can simply opt for the higher-end Land Cruiser trim and treat yourself to nicer finishing for a few thousand dollars more.

Still, the interiors of equally pricey vehicles are downright opulent in comparison, not to mention quieter—the unpleasant hollow clang every time the doors close and wind whipping off those gigantic side mirrors don’t sound like $60,000.

Toyota’s included ADAS features are effective, aside from the lane keep assist, which doesn’t hold the loose Land Cruiser centered confidently, especially through curves. That aid requires occasional firm steering inputs to convince it that your hands are on the wheel, rather than the light touch or capacitive sensing equivalents in more refined rivals.

Although this big box on wheels has abundant space inside, it’s packaged awkwardly in places. The hybrid battery elevates the cargo area, and the second-row seats don’t fold enough to provide a flat floor. Kneeroom below the steering wheel seems narrow.

One annoyance: When using low range, the stability control and collision warning systems deactivate, putting a warning in the driver’s display. That obscures where the screen can show data useful for off-roading, such as a traction monitor, inclinometer, tire pressure, and vehicle temperatures. The warning can be dismissed, but it continually reappears seconds later.

See All 22 Photos22

Numbers Beyond 1958

In our testing, this 1958’s results are nearly identical to those of the higher Land Cruiser trim we assessed previously. Its 0–60-mph acceleration took 8.1 seconds, eventually strolling across the quarter mile line in 16.3 seconds at 84.3 mph. Skidpad grip of 0.71 g average and a figure-eight lap of 29.3 seconds at 0.57 g average are low yet predictable from a roughly 5,500-pound hulk with a metal rack on its roof.

The most notable disparity between this 1958 and the First Edition is the 60–0 braking distance, which took a long 131 feet in the former and 117 feet in the latter, largely attributable to the different tires each wear.

Every 250 Series Land Cruiser has a hybrid powertrain wearing Toyota’s i-Force Max badge. It’s a 2.4-liter turbocharged I-4 supplemented by an electric motor mounted inside the eight-speed automatic transmission. Producing 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque, don’t think for a second this is some wuss hybrid system just pulled from a Prius—complexity aside, it seems as up to task as the outgoing model’s V-8, never choking itself for efficiency when it needs to deliver.

See All 22 Photos22

Rich with low-end electric torque and making a pleasingly mechanical hum, this i-Force Max setup suits the new Land Cruiser’s attitude and capabilities nicely. Slightly clunky transitions between the engine and motor add to the character. On a trail, these power sources cooperate to keep the 250 chugging up inclines and use their decompression and regeneration to keep descending in check. It’s just not quick.

Nor—despite hybridization—is the Land Cruiser fuel efficient. Officially EPA-rated at 22/25/23 city/highway/combined mpg, we observed about 18 mpg in our mixed driving, consistent with previous Land Cruisers we've tested and the one we recently added to our long-term review fleet. That makes the EPA’s 412 mile full-tank range rating seem optimistic, not ideal for long-distance overlanding treks.

You Really Gotta Want It

Easy as it is to fall for the Land Cruiser, it’s hard to recommend as a sensible way to spend $60,000 or more. It’s not that the 250 drives poorly or doesn’t have the versatility to excel in a variety of daily tasks. It’s that if you’re ready to spend on a nice daily driver, finding a vehicle that simply has more isn’t difficult. What’s difficult is seeing where your money went.

Now, if you’ll use this Toyota as a Land Cruiser, the math changes. Take it out there, far away enough to know the robust chassis, capable powertrain, and focused interior are worth what you spent. The timeless charisma that goes along with it is a trait you’d want out of any vehicle, but the Land Cruiser 1958 doesn’t need to bank on heritage to prove it does what it’s built to do.