Toyota Land Cruiser MHEV: a classic diesel 4x4, but with an ECO label

The Toyota Land Cruiser is, for many, the best off-road vehicle on the market, especially after the disappearance of some of its main rivals, such as the Mitsubishi Pajero (Montero in our market) or the Nissan Patrol, among others.

Toyota is a brand known for its commitment to conventional hybrid vehicles, but it still maintained a conventional combustion engine layout for its off-road vehicles. Using a diesel engine in a 4x4 may seem anachronistic in the year 2025, but it makes perfect sense: diesel engines have better torque for overcoming obstacles in the mountains and getting out of difficult situations, while maintaining lower fuel consumption than an equivalent gasoline engine.

The new Land Cruiser Mild Hybrid maintains the 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel engine, 204 hp and 500 Nm of torque associated with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, paired with a 48 V system that acts as a motor-generator that provides 65 regenerative braking to charge the small hybrid battery.

This new Mild Hybrid or semi-hybrid system allows for homologated consumption of 10.2 L/100 km and CO₂ emissions of 276 g/km. Despite being a high fuel consumption, it is relatively contained if we take into account the dimensions and weight of the vehicle, and should not be an impediment for potential buyers of the Land Cruiser, which has a base price of 87,950 euros and 97,500 euros for the superior VX-L version.