Hold Up, There’s a 2026 Toyota Land Cruiser That’s Cheaper Than Before?
The trim strategy for the Land Cruiser remains simple for Toyota’s sophisticated off-road performance machine.
Justin BannerWriterMotorTrend StaffPhotographerManufacturerPhotographerSep 11, 2025
002 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958 Edition
It’s hard to believe that Toyota’s new generation Land Cruiser has already been around for three model years now. While things remain largely the same for 2026 Land Cruiser that’s arriving in dealerships, there have been some pricing updates to the rugged SUV featuring retro-cool looks (especially the round LED lights on the 1958 model), full-time 4WD, center- and rear-locking differentials, and Toyota’s powerful, i-Force Max 2.4-liter turbo hybridized engine producing 326 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.
Speaking of the 1958 version, its $58,650 price tag has seen a $750 hike over the 2025 model. The good news is that, if you want slightly more plush Land Cruiser trim of the Land Cruiser with the rectangular LED headlights, that model actually starts at $405 less (yes, you read that right) than the 2025 model ($63,495 for 2026 versus the $63,900 for the 2025 model).
019 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958 Edition
There’s more to the upper-level Land Cruiser thanks to power heated and ventilated SofTex front seats, a 12.3-inch digital cluster with a matching 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, and standard Rigid LED fog lights. The Premium package adds leather to the seats, along with lumbar support and driver position memory, a 14-speaker JBL sound system, digital rearview mirror, head-up display (HUD), illuminated entry, and a power moon roof. Both the 1958 and the standard Land Cruiser come with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 and the Smart Key System, while digital key access through your smartphone using the Toyota Remote Connect app gives you true keyless features. Digital key is standard on the Land Cruiser Premium Package and optional for the 1958 and base Land Cruiser trims.
How does the Land Cruiser’s pricing stack up against its U.S.-branded SUV competition? Generally speaking, while the 2026 Land Cruiser is far more expensive than base models of the Ford Bronco four-door ($40,990) and Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD ($40,830), when you start looking at more equivalent models, things level out some. That said, the Bronco Badlands is still more than $11,000 cheaper than the Land Cruiser, although the Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve is $1,340 pricier than the Land Cruiser thanks to the Jeep’s $64,835 base price.
012 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser Long Term
While Ford doesn’t have a hybrid version of the Bronco yet, the Grand Cherokee does have the 4xe version, and adding hybrid power to the Jeep is a big price sting versus the standard hybrid powertrain in the two Land Cruiser trims. The 4xe Limited, the base trim of the Grand Cherokee 4xe, is $3,635 more than the Land Cruiser 1958 and the 4xe Summit Reserve is an astonishing $80,945, an eye-watering $17,450 premium.
008 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser 1958 Edition
But the 2026 Toyota Land Cruiser’s main competition might come from within. Not only is the 4Runner another Toyota product, but one built on the same platform as the Land Cruiser. Unlike the Land Cruiser, the 4Runner is available without a hybrid engine in its SR5 base trim and that results in a $14,430 price reduction to get what’s an equally capable 4WD Toyota SUV for the most part. You don’t even need to cross the $60,000 mark in the 4Runner to get hybrid power as the TRD Off-Road hybrid is $53,440 and still costs $5,210 less than the Land Cruiser 1958. If we match top for top trims, the 4Runner Platinum Hybrid is $64,310 and where you start losing out in price as it’s $815 more than the 2026 Land Cruiser trim. Even so, there are seven other 4Runner 4WD trims with three hybrids between the SR5 and the Platinum Hybrid. Many of them cost less than the $58,650 of the 1958 trim by losing the electrification.
070 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser Long Term
Which means you probably need to ask yourself a question when looking at the 2026 Toyota Land Cruiser. Do you value having an SUV with the Land Cruiser name in your driveway or do you value having a capable off-road SUV? If you value the Land Cruiser, then you don’t really have a choice. If you fancy a capable off-roader, then you have many choices and you don’t even need to lose the i-Force Max Hybrid, given its availability for the 4Runner.
Justin Banner
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he’s had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He’s best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
