The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser May Be Good-Looking, but It Has Two (Rather Big) Drawbacks

The all-new Land Cruiser received positive reviews from nearly everyone who drove one. It isn't a psyop to get you behind the steering wheel of this correctly priced off-roader with grocery-getter potential. The vehicle really is okay. Sadly, it's not perfect.

A Toyota mechanic who has been dealing with the marque's rides for quite some time now got his hands on a press unit and immediately analyzed it in very much detail. Even other mechanics could watch the video below and learn a thing or two about how one should memorize the intricate details of such a ride. It might help them in the long run!

But what is of interest to us here is the fact that Toyota placed the 1.8-kWh nickel hydride battery in the trunk. Instead of finding a clever solution, the Japanese automaker just slapped it on the cargo floor. In doing so, it made lifting luggage more complicated and minimized the overall cargo capacity.

Even worse, it put a tiny under-floor storage compartment right at the front of that raised rectangular. Normally, anyone would think that such a placement would come in handy and be useful when needing a tool. However, it has a load limit of 132 lb (60 kg). As such, don't even think about putting a wheel in the trunk without maximum care and the proper restraints or about installing a fridge. You might easily break that lid.

It also makes sleeping in the car or camping inconvenient. All it takes to break that lid is for someone to move something in the car and put pressure on that cover with their knees.

Moreover, the turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder powerplant might not be good enough for everyone's adventuring needs. It gets help from a 48-hp motor that comes into play when the engine is most commonly stressed (during the initial acceleration, for example), but it forced the brand to establish a payload (passenger and cargo weight) limit of 1,100 lb (500 kg). You must be mindful about it if you don't want to lose your warranty.

Toyota even has a formula to establish how much cargo you can put in the back without going over the limit. You need to know your and your passengers' weights and subtract that number from the 1,100-lb payload figure. The result is how much stuff you can put in the trunk.

To put this better into perspective, the BMW X5 xDrive50e, which is a plug-in hybrid and has a usable 25.7-kWh battery, has a maximum payload of 1,323 lb (600 kg).

Oh, and let's not forget that the 2024 Land Cruiser requires premium fuel and has a 17.9-gallon gas tank, which is 0.3 gallons smaller than what the posh X5 we mentioned earlier has.

Unlike the BMW, however, the Land Cruiser "250 Series" starts at $55,950 if your local dealer agrees to that suggestion. That's over $17,000 less than what the Bavarians want for their PHEV with no extra options.

But do these drawbacks make the new Land Cruiser a flop? Well, the honest answer is no. It'll do almost anything you want as long as you read the owner's manual and respect the vehicle's limits.

Even the Toyota technician agrees that this model could be worthy of your hard-earned money because it will go off-road with ease, it won't bury you in pricey fixes, and can comfortably sit four adults and a smaller person because there's quite a hump for the unlucky one who gets the middle rear seat.

The only thing you have to do is enjoy the boxy design and pay attention to the road. This SUV should not let you down.