An HONEST review of the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958...

Transcript:

Hi, I’m Janna, and this is a Real Mom Car Tour of the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser—specifically the 1958 Edition. In this quick tour, I’m going to tell you what I liked and what you need to know about the Land Cruiser, because a lot of us were surprised when it first came out. So without further ado, buckle up—let’s do it.

If you’re new here, I’m glad you found me. Hi, I’m Janna. I give real mom car tours. I’m a boy mom, an auto enthusiast, and I’m an Aquarius—which means my life (and sometimes these tours) can be a little chaotic. But they’re fun. So buckle up, and let’s get back to it.

Design and trim level

First things first: the design. Toyota wanted to pay tribute to the original Land Cruiser, and you can totally see it. The retro grille, the round LED headlights, the rugged stance—it looks like it belongs off-road.

And this color looks great, in my opinion. It’s called Meteor Shower, and it really highlights the dark accents and the overall design.

If you’re familiar with the previous-generation Land Cruiser, it leaned more luxury. Soccer moms like me were driving it, and it was expensive—big, bold, and luxurious. The 1958 trim is not going to be luxurious. This is the base model. There was a First Edition trim that came out first, and now we’re left with two trims: this 1958 Edition and the Land Cruiser trim. You can add packages to get leather, heated seats, and more—so keep that in mind as we tour. At around $60,000, this is the base model.

Front end highlights

Up front, you have the Heritage grille—a black matte Heritage-style grille with the Heritage Toyota emblem. I’m going to say “heritage” a lot because… it is.

You also get the round Heritage headlights on the 1958. The other trim does not get the round lights—so if you love this look, the 1958 is the one. Down below, you’ve also got round LED fog lights.

Powertrain and capability

Let’s talk about what’s under the hood. Every new Land Cruiser is a hybrid. You’re getting Toyota’s 2.4L i-FORCE MAX 4-cylinder hybrid.

It makes 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque, which is a lot of low-end torque—especially helpful off-road. This is also full-time four-wheel drive.

And just look at the stance. The Land Cruiser has a bold, rugged look and elevated ground clearance. I don’t know the exact ground-clearance number offhand, but I can tell you I really felt how tall it sits—I wanted running boards getting in and out, and if you’re shorter, you definitely will.

You’ve also got roof rails up top, and spoiler alert: at about 75 mph on the highway, it’s loud. You can hear the wind whipping around up there. I genuinely thought my windows were cracked, but they were already up.

On the 1958 you also get these black, squared-off side mirrors, and they do include blind spot monitoring and an integrated turn signal.

This one rides on 18-inch dark alloy wheels with Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tires.

Fuel economy

MPG is something people have strong opinions about. Even though it’s a hybrid and a 4-cylinder, it’s also full-time 4WD. Toyota rates it at 22 city / 25 highway / 23 combined.

Personally, it doesn’t bother me. I’ve posted a couple short videos on TikTok and Instagram and people were not loving the MPG—but I don’t think it’s bad. Tell me what you think.

Rear design and cargo details

In the back, you have steel bumpers, “Land Cruiser” badging in black, the retro Toyota emblem, and i-FORCE MAX branding—anytime you see i-FORCE MAX, it’s the hybrid setup.

And dog lovers, rejoice: the rear liftgate glass opens.

At this price point, though, the liftgate itself is manual—you pull it up yourself. Not my favorite, because I always have my hands full with kids, but since I already did the work, let me show you the cargo area.

The hybrid battery sits under the cargo floor. I love that you get Land Cruiser-branded carpeting back here, plus tie-down points on both sides for gear. You also get a 2,400-watt inverter, so you can power things at the tailgate or at a campsite.

Second row and family practicality

Let me hop in the back for a second—my fingers are freezing.

You’ve got cupholders, USB-C chargers, and vents up top. But there’s no third row, and as of now, the Land Cruiser is only offered as a two-row in North America. (European-spec versions can have a third row, which is why people assume it exists.) I’m hoping Toyota eventually offers a three-row option.

This is on the same platform as the Lexus GX 550. It’s still body-on-frame, and the inside feels similar—but the Lexus sister vehicle is much more luxurious, and it’s priced like it: typically mid-$70Ks to low-$80Ks. So you have to decide: are you more bare-bones, or do you want the heated leather, massaging-seat experience? I need the nice seat… but I do love this car.

It drives like a truck—which I love. I like sitting high. It has a commanding presence. I like the handling, the turning radius, and how easy it is to park. And yes, I still back it in everywhere—because if you can’t back in at the soccer field, your kid can’t play soccer. Those are the rules of life.

The second-row seats lay flat, and these are Toyota “tumble” seats, which I’m not a huge fan of.

A couple other things to know back here: it can tow up to 6,000 pounds.

For car seats, you get three top tether anchors and two sets of lower LATCH anchors.

Interior: simple, functional, and surprisingly likable

Inside the 1958 trim, it’s simpler than I’m used to—and some of you are going to love that. There’s no massive tablet-style screen. Instead, you get an 8-inch infotainment screen with wireless connectivity and Toyota Audio Multimedia, plus a six-speaker sound system.

You still get hands-free voice assistance (you can say “Hey Toyota”), but that requires a subscription. There is navigation.

Toyota uses durable cloth seats here, which makes sense for off-road use. Personally, I think synthetic leather or leather is easier to wipe down and keep clean, but let me know what you prefer.

One thing that surprised me: the seats are heated. Another thing that didn’t surprise me: they’re manual adjustment. It takes getting used to—I’ve been spoiled by power seats. I wish it had power adjustment, but again, base model.

The steering wheel adjusts manually, but it is heated, so I’ll take that luxury where I can get it.

And purists—rejoice: there are real knobs and physical buttons for climate, heated seats, defrost, and more.

You get three USB-C ports up front, including a dedicated one for the infotainment connection (Apple CarPlay/Android Auto). There’s no wireless charging pad, but there is a place to set your phone so it doesn’t rattle.

Drive modes are controlled here, with sport/normal/eco, plus off-road functions like downhill assist, crawl control, and front/rear lockers. Since it’s full-time 4WD, you also have a control for 4HI and 4LO.

You can control the usual stuff on the steering wheel: volume, calls, lane-keeping, adaptive cruise, and more. There’s good storage, a traditional glovebox, and Land Cruiser branding throughout—on the mats, dash, and those round retro vents that match the round lights up front.

You also get auto hold, an electronic parking brake, a button to open the fuel door, and towing-related settings for that 6,000-lb rating.

There’s also an available Wi-Fi hotspot, and a fully digital driver display. I like it, but I don’t think it’s customizable—if it is, I haven’t figured it out.

Safety and off-road details

Safety-wise, it comes with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, including pre-collision assistance, rear cross-traffic alert, and blind-spot monitoring.

You also get a full-size spare tire underneath and recovery hooks.

Final thoughts

So, what do you think of the 2025 Land Cruiser? Would you pay around $60,000 for the base model and take it off-road? Let me know in the comments.

And if you can handle this brand of chaos, like, subscribe, and hit the bell for notifications. You can find me on TikTok and Instagram and at realmomcartours.com.

Thanks for watching—if you made it all the way to the end, tell me. I’m trying to post these every week, and coming up next is the brand-new Mazda CX-90. Until then, I think that’s all I’ve got. Thanks for watching.

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