Although it's still summer, Toyota hasn't slowed down the pace of new model introductions, and on August 1 or 2 (depending on your location on the blue marble we call home), the entire world bore witness to the launch of the 2024 Land Cruiser – 250 or Prado, depending on the region.
Some will call the new model the Toyota Land Cruiser 250 (Japan), while others will caress it as the Land Cruiser Prado (in some places in Europe or Australia), but America will simply refer to it as the 2024 Land Cruiser. So, following a three-year hiatus, the nameplate is back, and first deliveries are slated for early 2024 with tentative pricing in the mid-$50k range.
Even better, the sibling to the 2024 Lexus GX 550 comes with hybrid power – in North America, it will exclusively get the 2.4-liter turbo inline-four hybrid i-Force Max powertrain with 326 horsepower. That's not bad, considering the 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 inside the Lexus GX churns out 349 ponies, right?
Additionally, you could snatch one of the 5,000-unit First Edition models if you want collectible status. But even if you don't need that and still love the classic round-headlamp design over the new squared-off version of the regular Land Cruiser, no worries because the base trim is called Land Cruiser 1958 and comes with the vintage appearance and a raft of black plastic body cladding to make it look as tough as nails.
Logic dictates that everyone got hyped by the worldwide introduction. And that's also valid for the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. So, a good case in point will be made by this virtual artist, known as Theottle on social media, who have resorted to CGI slicing and dicing the 2024 Land Cruiser to make it worthy of its smaller, three-door ancestors. And in the process, he also gave virtual access for Toyota to join the lucrative business of open-top off-road SUVs.
More precisely, in the latest behind-the-scenes making-of video, the pixel master used the dual-tone 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser First Edition and a three-door Jeep Wrangler template to imagine the hypothetical looks of the three-door body style. Even better, it's not just a simple, shorter wheelbase Land Cruiser as the CGI expert worked hard to integrate the open-top SUV style beloved by so many Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco enthusiasts.
So, what do you think – is the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser ready to compete with the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler in the real world? And would it have a better chance at standing out in any crowd if the Japanese automaker also invested (heavily) into making a three-door version to honor its ancestors and, simultaneously, offer the same open-top adventure thrills as its main rivals?
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
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