Tested: The 2026 Toyota Land Cruiser Wants to Be Anywhere But Here

• The Toyota Land Cruiser is mechanically similar to the Lexus GX 550 and Toyota 4Runner but is outperformed in our testing.
• The Land Cruiser comes with a hybrid powertrain combining a 2.4-liter turbocharged engine and a single electric motor.
• With sketchy braking and handling, there's plenty of room for improvement.

Hope you like hybrids

The Land Cruiser is only available with a turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-four paired with an electric motor and an eight-speed automatic transmission. And while this off-roader is a hybrid, much like the rest of Toyota's 2026 lineup, it isn't one you have to plug in to get the very best efficiency.

With a big battery wedged in the trunk that takes up some of your cargo space, the Land Cruiser puts down a respectable 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque. Those are pretty strong figures, but less so when you factor in that this SUV weighs 5,541 pounds. Its buzzy little engine is far from the best-sounding, but thankfully, it isn't overly vocal most of the time. 

On its best run, the Land Cruiser managed an 8.3-second run to 60 mph and a pedestrian 16.3-second quarter mile at 85.8 mph. For context, the last Lexus GX 550 Overtrail we tested managed a 6.4-second 0-to-60-mph time and a 14.6-second quarter mile at 94.6 mph. That massive speed difference should raise some red flags when you consider that the Lexus' 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 produces 349 hp and 479 lb-ft, not significantly more than the Toyota's engine. However, the GX has a 10-speed automatic transmission and no hybrid system, which runs out of steam pretty quickly.

For a homegrown rival, let's take a look at the Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro. It also has the same engine and transmission as the Land Cruiser. The last one we tested managed a 7.5-second 0-to-60-mph time, taking 15.6 seconds to complete the quarter mile at 86.2 mph. While these numbers are closer to the Land Cruiser's, they're still an improvement, especially when you consider that the TRD Pro weighs about the same at 5,503 pounds and rides on even chunkier off-road tires.

Stop, please, I'm begging

Things didn't improve during the braking test. For context, SUVs of this size and weight should aim to stop at about 125 feet. That's about what the Lexus GX 550 Overtrail managed (126 feet), while the 4Runner TRD Pro fell slightly behind with a 127-foot result. However, the Land Cruiser struggled considerably here, just barely stopping from 60 mph in 133 feet. 

That number only tells half of the story, however. On its first go, the Land Cruiser needed a truly startling 149 feet to stop. Most notably, as I slammed on the brake pedal, its antilock brakes activated in a truly strange way, pulsing in what felt like half-second increments, rocking this SUV back and forth violently as it shed speed. This improved slightly with each subsequent run as its brakes heated up, eventually yielding a more normal stopping experience. However, if my family were on board and an emergency arose, I wouldn't have full confidence that the Land Cruiser would have my back. 

On our 200-foot skidpad, the Land Cruiser pulled just 0.70 g, while the Lexus managed 0.75 g and the TRD Pro did 0.73 g. These results aren't vastly different and are in line with what's expected of tall, heavy off-roaders. However, should you ever need to maneuver out of the way of an obstacle, expect a fair bit of lean and a quick reduction in power as this Toyota's highly conservative traction control system freaked out at the sign of even the slightest bit of tire slip.

It's one thing for an off-roader to have limited grip, but it's a completely different thing to be so unpredictable as you approach its grip limits. With traction control disabled, the Land Cruiser once whipped its tail around so quickly under braking that it almost caught me off-guard. And while this sheds some light on why it's so eager to pull power in twisty situations, it highlights that there's more work to be done on its suspension calibration to improve overall stability.

I'm not saying the Land Cruiser's performance should rival the latest Ferrari, but given that you'll have to spend over $70,000 to have one, it should at least be closer to what the GX 550 and the 4Runner TRD Pro can manage. 

A not-so-silent cruiser

When it came time to pull out the decibel meter, the Land Cruiser scored its first big win by being quieter than both the GX 550 and the 4Runner TRD Pro at idle. It registered 38.3 dB, whereas the others measured 41 and 47.1 dB, respectively. This lead remained as the Land Cruiser leaped off the line, registering 69.3 dB at full throttle versus 75 dB in the Lexus and 75 dB in the TRD Pro. 

However, as it settled into a 70 mph cruise, the Land Cruiser proved to be the noisiest of all three at 69 dB, while the GX 550 managed 68 dB and the 4Runner a trio-beating 66 dB. 

So what have we learned? In terms of handling and sound levels, all three off-roaders are about on par. However, as nice to look at as the Land Cruiser is, it falls behind in terms of acceleration and braking. And while it would rather be anywhere other than our test track, its visit revealed that this Toyota certainly has its strengths, but there's room for improvement.