Toyota Land Cruiser 2025 or why the Japanese went retro

In an era when every other new product tries to look at least like Tesla, the Japanese are releasing a square body, round (not always) headlights and a “dusty ocher” color, as if they emerged from 1978. Meet the new Toyota Land Cruiser 2025 model year.


Is this a retro flashback or sabotage by the design department? There is something interesting hidden under this nostalgic appearance, not only from a technical but also from a cultural point of view. Why is Toyota returning to the past again when the world is moving into a digital future?

Design

The SUV's design seems to have been assembled from archival drawings: straight lines, as if drawn with a ruler, simple planes, angles that are not afraid to be too obvious. The most recognizable thing is the round headlights. This was the "look" of the iconic FJ40, and today it again looks with the confidence of the mechanical era, in which form was subordinate to function, and not vice versa.


The silhouette is square, strong and "honest". No attempt to be streamlined, fashionable or, as is now the norm, urban. In profile, the features of the 60th series Land Cruiser are easily recognizable: a high roof, an almost vertical windshield, short overhangs, and this special body position. This is a form dictated by tasks: to see better, to drive further and not to be afraid of bad roads.

Why does it work? Because today's automotive design is tired of gloss. We are surrounded by crossovers with identical streamlined bodies, and retro is returning as something familiar, but still a challenge. The Ford Bronco has proven that people want emotions. Even the Cybertruck, with all the futuristic design, catches the same idea - it is a radical departure from the masses and formal honesty.

In this context, the Land Cruiser 250 sounds like an old-school guitar against a digital beat. Its design is not just a cosplay of the classics, but a well-thought-out emotional hook. This is a car that is recognizable from afar. car, which a child draws if you say: "draw a jeep."

Interior

If the Land Cruiser 250 looks like it came from the last century on the outside, then inside it is a confident step into the future. The interior does not try to play retro, it speaks modern language, but with a strong emphasis on the traditions inherent in the popular Japanese brand.

The central panel is perhaps the best example of design balance. At first glance, it has classic architecture: horizontal lines, large mechanical switches, almost military minimalism. But in the center is a large multimedia touch screen.


The digital instrument panel is designed in such a way that it seems analog. The numbers are legible, the needles move smoothly - it feels like you are in a real SUV, not a tablet on wheels.

Assistants? The full set. Lane keeping systems, adaptive cruise, all-round visibility – everything like modern flagships. But Toyota presents these technologies as an addition, not a replacement for the driver’s skills. It is not trying to make the Land Cruiser an “autopilot”, on the contrary, it puts the person behind the wheel first, unobtrusively helping him in completely routine tasks.

The climate control system here has buttons and traditional "knobs". Multimedia - with support for everything you need, but without intrusive touch control. And this is the essence of the Toyota philosophy: technology helps a person, but does not take control from him.


The old "Japanese" immediately come to mind, where everything was in its place, worked and nothing irritated. The new Land Cruiser seems to say: you can be modern without losing your character.

Under the hood

Modern engineering is hidden behind the chopped lines of the Land Cruiser 250 body. And if earlier the "Kruzak" was associated with an atmospheric gasoline internal combustion engine for centuries, now we are given a choice.

The first line is occupied by the new 2,4-liter turbocharged T24A petrol engine. It produces an impressive 279 hp and 430 Nm of torque. It works in tandem with an 8-speed automatic and consumes 10,7 l/100 km in the combined cycle according to WLTP. Not a record, but adequate.


Next comes the classic 2,7-liter naturally aspirated 2TR-FE. It develops 163 hp and 246 Nm of torque. The engine may be familiar to you from previous generations of Land Cruiser and Hilux, it has a simple design and is unpretentious. But against the background of new internal combustion engines, it is already perceived as an option for those who do not want to change anything. The consumption is high - 13,2 l / 100 km.

But the diesel is a real workhorse. A 2,8-liter 1GD-FTV turbocharged engine, 204 hp and a torque of 500 Nm at 2800 rpm are its main capabilities. This traction is felt from the very bottom and gives confidence, especially where the asphalt ends. At the same time, it is also more economical than its gasoline "colleagues", since it consumes 9,1 l / 100 km in a combined cycle.

Passability

But not only engines. The new Land Cruiser is built on the TNGA-F platform. This is the latest generation frame architecture, which has already been tested on the 300 series and the Tundra pickup.

It provides significantly greater body rigidity, which is important for both controllability and durability. An independent spring suspension is installed in the front, and a dependent one, also on springs, is installed in the rear. The choice is not accidental: it maintains comfort on the road without sacrificing cross-country ability.


So what is this, marketing or a real off-road conqueror? Judging by the configuration, everything is serious. There is a four-wheel drive with a plug-in front axle, a downshift, locks, electronic assistants. The front brakes are ventilated discs, the rear ones are also on discs, but without ventilation. In general, there is everything to leave good roads without fear.

The Land Cruiser 250 remains true to itself. Even with a turbo, with screens in the cabin and other options - at its core is excellent traction, a frame base and reliability. It's just that now it's not only for the remote taiga, but also for those who want to avoid traffic jams on the way there and use the same CarPlay.

Are there competitors?

The Land Cruiser 250 is not alone in this retro comeback. It is part of a broader wave of return to forms in which vehicles looked like tools for real tasks, rather than fashionable smartphones on wheels. There are several other very interesting options here.

Ford Bronco is perhaps the most striking example. When the company brought back the 2020s legend in 60, it didn’t come up with a “modern interpretation,” but literally recreated the spirit of the original. Square “face,” round optics, two-tone paint schemes, even fabric inserts in the interior.


The Jeep Wrangler has never gone out of style. It’s like the Rolling Stones: no matter the decade, it’s always around. In its case, retro isn’t a strategy, it’s a genetic code. Each new generation retains the seven-slot grille and that unique “American square.”

The Land Rover Defender took a slightly different path. Its return in 2019 caused controversy: externally, it seems to be the same "defender", but technically it is an ultra-modern crossover with electronics on every centimeter of the interior and body. But it was the first to show that retro can be expensive, technical and at the same time desirable. More about style than dirt.

Who's next? There are rumours of a return of the Suzuki Jimny in a five-door version to global markets. The Ineos Grenadier is another British attempt to resurrect the "old" Defender from scratch. In Japan, they are discussing a restyling of the Mitsubishi Pajero Mini, and who knows, maybe even the Nissan Patrol will suddenly return to its roots. In any case, time will tell.