First Toyota Land Cruiser EV Concept Is Something Different Altogether
With a monocoque chassis and electric motors, this ain’t your typical Land Cruiser.
It was only a matter of time before Toyota released an electric Land Cruiser concept. For better or worse, all of your favorite legacy nameplates will be electrified eventually and it seems the Landy's time has come. However, the electric Land Cruiser will be radically different from every other model that came before it.
With electrification comes a monocoque chassis, for the first time in the Land Cruiser's history. Traditionally, the Land Cruiser is body-on-frame, which gives it superior off-roading and towing capability. So its switch to a monocoque—which is better for structural rigidity, ride comfort, and on-road handling—shows where Toyota's priorities lie.
A monocoque chassis doesn't mean the electric Land Cruiser Se won't be able to off-road well. The new Land Rover Defender is proof such a chassis can handle some serious terrain. But the small amount of extreme off-road capability it loses is the tradeoff for more comfortable on-road experience.
The Land Cruiser Se won't be the only Landy with three rows of seats but this one might be the most spacious. With a monocoque chassis and an electric powertrain, Toyota will be able to carve out more interior space than it would have been able to otherwise.
It should be a looker, too. The concept borrows some of the new 2024 Land Cruiser's design, with a boxy, horizontal front end and a stepped shoulder line at the C-pillar. But there are also shades of Range Rover in its sportier rear-end, roof spoiler, blacked-out D-pillar, and floating roof design. It still looks butch, thanks to its flared wheel arches and upright front end, but it's clearly leaning more toward urban customers than ever before.
Toyota didn't reveal any powertrain or battery specs, so there's no word on power, performance, or range. However, it did reveal its dimensions. At 202.7 inches long, 78.3 inches wide, and 67.1 inches tall, the Land Cruiser Se is slightly longer, narrower, and shorter than the 2024 Land Cruiser. The EV also has a longer wheelbase, at 120 inches, versus the current car's 112.2 inches.
When Toyota eventually electrifies the Land Cruiser, it will appeal to a broader audience and have a wider range of skills than ever before. It might lose a smidge of its off-road focus but it will make up for that with better daily driving. Will it lose some of its character in the process? Potentially. But if that's what it takes for the iconic nameplate to survive Toyota's transition to EVs, then I'm OK with it and I think Land Cruiser customers will be, too.
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