The Venerable Toyota Land Cruiser is Going Electric with the New Land Cruiser SE Concept
The venerable Toyota Land Cruiser is not only getting a futuristic makeover but is also going electric. The new Land Cruiser EV concept is one of the most aggressive cruisers ever designed by Toyota. It showcases a bold and angular exterior with Tesla style LED headlights and aggressive wheel wells.
Image: Toyota
The concept shares some features with the 2024 Land Cruiser, with a boxy angular front end and a stepped shoulder line at the C-pillar. The design of the rear-end takes cues from the Range Rover with its roof spoiler, blacked-out D-pillar, and floating roof. Overall, the exterior design is impressive and eye-catching which is a plus when considering that its target market is geared towards urban consumers.
Image: Toyota
In keeping with the global trend towards electric vehicles, it was only a matter of time before Toyota electrified the Land Cruiser. However, with electrification comes changes to certain things that were standard on traditional gas-powered Land Cruisers. Traditionally, the Land Cruiser has always been a body-on-frame design which gave it truly off-road capabilities and excellent towing capacity.
Image: Toyota
With the Land Cruiser EV, the body-on-frame has been done away with and replaced with a monocoque body design which offers better structural rigidity, ride comfort, and on-road handling. In essence, the new Land Cruiser EV is geared more towards on-road driving and passenger comfort rather than off-road capabilities.
Image: Toyota
However, a monocoque chassis doesn’t mean that the Land Cruiser EV won’t be able to operate off-road. In fact, other models with monocoque bodies such as the Land Rover Defender has proven that such chassis can also operate off-road, although not as capable as traditional body-on-frame chassis.
Image: Toyota
Interior wise, the new Land Cruiser SE as it is officially named, features three row seating with an extremely cavernous interior. The monocoque chassis and electric powertrain allows more interior spacing as compared to gas-powered models. The spacious interior provides excellent leg and head room and comfortably seats seven passengers.
Image: Toyota
Toyota hasn’t revealed any information about the Land Cruiser SE powertrain or battery specifications. However, we can assume it would be comparable or even exceed other EV SUV’s currently on the market. While the traditional Land Cruiser appealed to a more rugged off-road audiences, the Land Cruiser EV concept is a bold step by Toyota to appeal to a broader audience especially urban consumer and increase the overall purchases of the Land Cruiser which has been on a downward trend over the last few years.
