Compare the2025 Toyota Land CruiserVS 2025 Land Rover Defender

The Land Cruiser’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Defender doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Land Cruiser are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Defender doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Land Cruiser are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Defender doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Toyota Land Cruiser has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Defender doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Land Cruiser has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Defender doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Land Cruiser has a standard Parking Support Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Defender doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

Both the Land Cruiser and the Defender have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Land Cruiser 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Land Rover covers the Defender. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Defender ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Land Cruiser for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Land Rover doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Defender.

There are over 6 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Land Cruiser’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Land Cruiser’s reliability 35 points higher than the Defender.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 22 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota second in reliability, above the industry average. With 121 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 28th.

The Land Cruiser’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 30 more horsepower (326 vs. 296) and 170 lbs.-ft. more torque (465 vs. 295) than the Defender P300’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Land Cruiser’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 59 lbs.-ft. more torque (465 vs. 406) than the Defender P400’s standard 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid. The Land Cruiser’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (465 vs. 450) than the Defender P500’s standard 5.0 supercharged V8.

On the EPA test cycle the Land Cruiser gets better mileage than the Defender 110/130:

Regenerative brakes improve the Land Cruiser’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Defender doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Land Cruiser uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Defender requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Land Cruiser stops much shorter than the Defender:

The Toyota Land Cruiser’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Land Rover Defender only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Land Cruiser (except 1958) has an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Defender doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Land Cruiser’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (49.6% to 50.4%) than the Defender’s (46.2% to 53.8%). This gives the Land Cruiser more stable handling and braking.

The Land Cruiser handles at .68 G’s, while the Defender 110/130 pulls only .67 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Land Cruiser executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Defender 110/130 (29.7 seconds @ .55 average G’s vs. 30.1 seconds @ .54 average G’s).

For excellent aerodynamics, the Land Cruiser has standard flush composite headlights. The Defender has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Land Cruiser is quieter than the Defender 110/130:

The Land Cruiser has a much larger cargo volume than the Defender 110 with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 10.7 cubic feet).

The Land Cruiser’s cargo area is larger than the Defender’s in almost every dimension:

The Land Cruiser’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Defender’s swing out door blocks loading from the driver’s side.

The Land Cruiser’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Defender’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Land Cruiser (except 1958) has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Defender doesn’t offer a power cargo door.

The Land Cruiser’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Defender does not have an oil pressure gauge.

If the windows are left open on the Land Cruiser the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Defender can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Land Cruiser has standard extendable sun visors. The Defender doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Land Cruiser’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The Defender’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.