The Monterey Car Week 2023 is almost in full swing as the events culminate this coming weekend. But all the other introductions (Escalade IQ, Santa Fe, Land Cruiser) this Month are worthy of our attention.
Sure, two out of three can be taken at face value – Cadillac unleashed the first-ever, all-electric Escalade IQ full-size EVSUV in Times Square when it took over New York City. Meanwhile, Hyundai went to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to feature the world premiere of the fifth-gen Santa Fe at its home away from home.
On the other hand, Toyota staged the official release at home in Toyota City, Japan. It also featured localized, regional premieres in Europe, Australia, or North America – each covering its set of intrinsic values. For example, parts of the Old Continent and Australia will get to call the new SUV as Land Cruiser Prado and share the 2.8-liter turbodiesel with 201 horsepower.
Meanwhile, the United States (and China) will receive the most potent installment of the 'light duty' 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser (now twinned with the Lexus GX 550 instead of the J300 Land Cruiser in this region, too) because it will share the powertrain with the N400 Tacoma in the form of the 326-hp hybrid i-Force Max 2.4-liter turbo four-pot (electrified) mill.
And it seems folks are still discovering its secrets, even weeks after the initial presentation. For example, tucked in the US online portal's descriptions is the cool information that Toyota's 2024 Land Cruiser is not only powerful but also frugal. More precisely, the Japanese automaker is estimating 27 combined mpg for the model – which is definitely better than most of its competitors and on par with subcompact CUVs, for example!
As for the home release in Japan, the Toyota Land Cruiser is also dubbed 250 there to avoid confusion with the J300 Land Cruiser that's also on sale in the country. But keen observers don't care about that – and instead would like to focus on the initial presentation. More precisely, at one point on the stage, there were the two guises of the 2024 Land Cruiser, along with a background shot of two additional mystery SUVs.
One is small and off-road ready, given the rear door-mounted spare wheel – so we can easily speculate it's a three-door Land Cruiser or a potential revival of the FJ Cruiser nameplate. The other is larger, with five doors, but also much subtler than the rugged off-road SUV. So, cue the speculations about the potential introduction of a flagship crossover SUV!
The Halo oto channel on YouTube usually provides fresh automotive info corroborated with their virtual designs. Now there is a new CGI take on the intensely-rumored fourth-generation Toyota Century SUV. Note that everything the host says should be taken with a grain of salt, as always, as nothing is official from the Japanese automaker just yet.
Interestingly, although many pixel masters expect the rumored Toyota Century SUV to portray the sedan in a stately fashion that could rival Rolls-Royce's Cullinan, now the resident CGI expert switched visions from their previous unofficial depiction (included in the gallery and at the end of the video embedded below) to a fresh design that's making a stark departure from the Century sedan. Plus, it's also a fully electric model, not a hybrid or PHEV! So, do we give it our CGI hall pass or not?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News