Those in Germany who still want this boxy Toyota SUV will now have to join a lengthy waiting list.
While Toyota has certainly taken its time (14 years to be exact) when it comes to updating its Prado, its new J250 Land Cruiser successor does nevertheless seemed to have knocked it out of the park. And rather funnily enough in spite of its loud electrification push, the region that seemed to be most receptive of this diesel-powered SUV is to be Europe, with news just coming in of its initial 1,000 unit allocation for Germany all snapped up within just 30 minutes of when the order books opened.
Online reservations for the new-generation Land Cruiser opened at 8 a.m. on December 21st over there, and closed just half an hour after that when the initial 1,000 unit batch was all spoken for. Germans still interested in one must hence now register on a rapidly-lengthening waiting list for their chance at procuring this retro-look SUV, with even those lucky enough to snap up the debut batch too having to wait till Autumn next year for their cars to arrive.
The Land Cruiser is currently available in three variants over in Germany: the Executive, Tec, and the First Edition. Toyota has not specified how many of each trim will be included within the initial allocation of 1,000 cars but has previously confirmed that only 3,000 First Editions will be allocated for the Old Continent.
Measuring 4920 mm long and 1870 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2850 mm, this J250 iteration of light-duty Land Cruiser is slightly larger than its Prado predecessor. There are two faces that can be had with this SUV: one with rectangular headlights and one with round headlights.
Underpinning this J250 Land Cruiser is the same body-on-frame TNGA-F platform as to be found in its full-fat sibling, which with improved suspension aims to make good on Toyota’s promise of it being ‘more responsive and comfortable in all driving situations’ than its prior iteration. A Stabiliser Disconnect Mechanism has been added for the first time, allowing for front stabiliser state to be changed depending on whether the car is on or off road.
Moving under the hood, European J250 Land Cruisers will initially be sold with a Hilux-sourced 2.8-liter turbodiesel rated at 201 hp and coupled to an 8-speed automatic transmission. A 48 V mild-hybrid oil-burner will follow in 2025 over there, while other markets like the United States will also see a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder hybrid that packs 326 hp and a dead-reliable 2.7-litre naturally-aspirated V6.
Chunky physical controls are still to be found in its rather utilitarian-styled cabin, but the presence of a full-length panoramic roof and twin-screen infotainment system shows that Toyota is also marketing this as a bonafide Land Rover Defender rival. Unlike the aforementioned British offering however, it remains to be seen as to when exactly this Japanese SUV will be arriving over here in Malaysia.
