Toyota has premiered its new Land Cruiser, which gains retro styling and new technologies to enhance its on- and off-road credentials.

Revealed more than 70 years after the original first launched, the fifth-generation model now adopts Toyota’s body-on-frame GA-F platform. Already used for the larger Land Cruiser 300 sold elsewhere around the globe, this is designed to significantly improve off-road performance while providing increased comfort for on-road driving.

The new frame is 50% more rigid, while the combined body and frame rigidity is greater by 30%, delivering improved responsiveness, handling and ride comfort. Basic suspension performance has also been enhanced, enhancing off-road driving capability.

It’s also the first Land Cruiser to adopt electric power steering (EPS), said to provide smoother, more direct steering and easier manoeuvrability at all speeds. Using EPS also allows the new Land Cruiser to feature Lane Tracing Assist as part of its Toyota Safety Sense active safety and driver assistance package.

It also premieres a new disconnecting anti-roll bar system, which enables the driver to change the status of the anti-roll bar (stabiliser) using a switch on the dashboard.

Meanwhile, upgrades to the Multi-Terrain Monitor and Multi-Terrain Select provide further support when driving off-road. Using high resolution camera and display, the Multi-Terrain Monitor gives the driver a clear view of the area immediately around and beneath the vehicle; the Multi-Terrain Select system automatically adapts vehicle performance to suit the demands of different off-road driving conditions.

In the UK and Western Europe, the Land Cruiser launches first with a 2.8-litre diesel engine that’s intended to provide an optimal balance of fuel efficiency and performance. It produces 204hp and is married up to a new eight-speed direct shift automatic transmission, enabling it to tow loads of up to 3,500kg. An electrified version adding in 48-volt mild hybrid technology will arrive early 2025.

The new retro look is intended to convey the “back-to-its-origins” quality of the new Land Cruiser, but is also designed to enhance off-road performance thanks to shorter overhangs, sculpted corners and a narrowed lower body, while the body parts have been designed for easy replacement in the event of damage.

Slightly larger than before, the Land Cruiser offers five- or seven-seat configurations. The interior incorporates a horizontally arranged instrument panel and switches shaped for easy operation, while drivers’ all-round visibility has been given priority, helped by the low-set cowl, horizontal instrument panel and a lowered belt line that allows deeper side windows to be fitted.

Latest Toyota Safety Sense systems will also feature as part of a comprehensive package of advanced safety features and technologies said to reduce the burden on the driver.

Toyota will open pre-sales of the new Land Cruiser for UK and European customers in during the fourth quarter of this year, with first vehicle deliveries expected in the first half of 2024.

A special First Edition model will initially launch, available exclusively for customers to reserve during the initial pre-sales period later this year and with only around 3,000 units to be available. Details include classic round headlights and two dedicated bi-tone exterior paintwork finishes: Sand and Smoky Blue.

Further details of the UK model range and pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date. Details of the commercial variant are also yet to be revealed.

First launched as the ‘Toyota BJ’ on 1 August 1951, the Land Cruiser became the first vehicle to successfully climb to the sixth station on the slopes of Mount Fuji. It’s now one of Toyota’s best-selling models, with 11.3 million sales to date, across more than 170 countries and regions.