Japanese tuner Kuhl Racing has turned out some unusual builds in the past, so a lifted Toyota Land Cruiser seems unexpectedly straightforward. But Kuhl still found a curveball to throw at the aftermarket aficionados who will see its new Land Cruiser—dubbed the Blocker Iron Build—at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon.
This Land Cruiser 250 (also known as the Land Cruiser Prado, and the only version of the Land Cruiser currently sold in the United States) rides on 37-inch Yokohama Geolander M/T G003 tires, which isn’t unusual. Arctic Trucks proved these bigger tires can fit nicely in a Land Cruiser 250’s wheel wells with a bit of modification. It’s the 22-inch Kuhl Verz DR03 wheels that have us doing a double take. Their chunky design brings to mind the mono blocs one might spec on a G-Wagen, not a Land Cruiser.
They might be an unusual aesthetic choice, but the wheels definitely stand out, in part because the rest of the modifications are textbook off-road fare. A seven-inch suspension lift gives the Blocker Iron Build a claimed 15.7 inches of ground clearance—more than a Mercedes-AMG G63 4×42. Tubular front and rear bumper guards, fender guards, and side steps provide body protection, while an additional skid plate protects the underside. A roof rack with a 40-inch LED light bar, a bigger roof spoiler, and an extra tailgate spoiler, round out the changes.
Kuhl is selling these parts individually in its home market, as well as offering complete builds. The first version available is based on the VX trim level and retails for 6.7 million Japanese yen (about $43,300 at current exchange rates), with the aftermarket parts accounting for about 920,000 yen ($5,900) of that total. This version is a little tamer than the show car, swapping the mud-terrains for less-aggressive rubber and riding on 18-inch Verz-Kross X6 wheels.
Japanese customers can also get Kuhl parts for the larger 300 Series Land Cruiser, which isn’t sold in the U.S. (we get the glitzier Lexus LX instead). Perhaps the company will also take on the “baby” Land Cruiser FJ as well. Depending on whether you dig the look of this Land Cruiser 250 or not, that could be a good thing or a bad thing.