9 Cheaper Alternatives To The Toyota Land Cruiser

The Toyota Land Cruiser is synonymous with toughness and reliability. It is a reputation it has been earning for more than 70 years. Toyota first used the Land Cruiser name in 1954 to describe the small all-wheel-drive truck developed for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. Over the decades, the Land Cruiser has grown more luxurious but never abandoned its rugged roots.

The current 250-series Land Cruiser sold in the U.S. is based on the smaller Prado model sold in other countries. It is not only physically smaller than the 200-series it replaced, but it also has a much lower price tag as well. In 2021, the 200-series Land Cruiser started at a little more than $87,000 with delivery, processing, and handling fees. Today, a new Land Cruiser 1958 starts at $59,775, all fees included. That is a significant price cut for what is still a very capable body-on-frame SUV. 

The 2027 Land Cruiser is powered by a hybrid 2.4-liter turbocharged i-Force Max powertrain that produces a combined 326 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. Meanwhile, standard full-time four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case and crawl control ensures it will get the entire family to the campsite — or the local Whole Foods.

For this list, we wanted to present buyers with a diverse set of alternatives that deliver many of the Land Cruiser's main strengths at a significantly lower price. These include models that prioritize rugged off-road ability, while others focus a bit more on practicality, comfort, and even a dose of luxury. There is something for everyone in this list, and every one of them will save you serious money. Without further ado, here are nine of those alternatives ranked from the most to the least expensive. All the MSRPs cited in this article include handling and destination fees.

We start the list by looking in Toyota's own backyard. Starting at $55,085, the Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road i-Force Max is the most expensive Land Cruiser alternative on our list, but it is still several thousand less than the base Land Cruiser. Although Toyota believes they appeal to different buyers, the 4Runner TRD Off-Road i-Force Max and the Land Cruiser share the exact same powertrain. The similarities continue with the same body-on-frame TNGA-F platform, two-speed transfer case, "crawl control," and more. However, the 4Runner actually holds the edge in ground clearance (9.1 inches versus 8.1 inches, respectively). In an off-road battle, there isn't going to be much in it between them.

The Land Cruiser has the edge in interior space, however. You get more head, shoulder, hip, and leg room compared to the 4Runner. The Land Cruiser also offers 46.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row of seats compared to 42.6 for the 4Runner TRD Off-Road i-FORCE MAX. Although all 4Runner models do have that beloved power rear window.

For most buyers, the decision will likely come down to exterior styling and space requirements. The two rigs are very similar. If you need the extra space inside, the Land Cruiser is the smart pick. But if you can live with slightly tidier dimensions and need off-road capability, go with the 4Runner. 

The 4Runner TRD Off-Road i-Force Max is as close as you can get to a Land Cruiser, but if you want even more dramatic savings, a 2026 4Runner SR5 with the $2,000 part-time four-wheel-drive option will serve you just fine. You lose the i-Force Max engine, two-speed transfer case, and some other goodies. But you will only spend $45,865 and still get a viable Land Cruiser alternative.

Like the Land Cruiser itself, Jeep also got its start in the military, and today, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is one of the most serious off-road SUVs you can buy. A 2027 four-door model starts at $53,325. That is a $6,450 savings over the Land Cruiser. The Rubicon may not have the on-road refinement of the Land Cruiser, but thanks to a removable roof and doors, it has an even greater sense of adventure. Before you buy one, you might want to check if driving without doors is legal in your state.

A Wrangler Sport S is much less expensive than the Rubicon and is a capable vehicle in its own right. However, with front and rear electric-locking differentials, rock rails, skid plates, electronic front sway-bar disconnect, Dana 44 solid axles, and 33-inch all-terrain tires the Rubicon delivers the kind of off-road hardware that makes it a significantly more capable Land Cruiser alternative the trail gets serious. And while the 285-hp 3.6-liter V6 engine is down on power compared to the hybrid power plant in the Toyota, the Rubicon does come standard with a six-speed manual transmission for those that like to shift on their own.

If you like to bring your toys with you, it is important to note that the Land Cruiser can tow 6,000 pounds, but the Wrangler Rubicon can only manage 3,500. For the off-road enthusiast who wants the iconic Jeep looks, a manual transmission, and that open-air driving experience, the Wrangler Rubicon is a great choice. It is also less expensive than Toyota's rugged SUV, and you may even get some free rubber duckies along your travels.

For $51,590, you can get a 2027 Honda Passport TrailSport. It is the first vehicle on this list that doesn't use body-on-frame construction. It doesn't even have a dedicated four-wheel-drive system like every other SUV we have discussed so far. Sure, it has a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system, aggressive 31-inch tires, and 9.6 inches of ground clearance, but an AWD Honda isn't going to be any good off-road, right? Wrong.

The Passport TrailSport is plenty capable. It is $4,800 more expensive than the base Passport RTL. However, you get a significant amount of off-road upgrades for your money. All-terrain tires, off-road suspension, Honda's TrailWatch camera system, recovery hooks, skid plates, and more help justify the added expense for those interested in getting closer to matching the Land Cruiser's off-road prowess. 

The 285 hp and 262 lb-ft of torque from the 3.5-liter V6 are on par with the Wrangler and noticeably less than what the Land Cruiser offers, but power isn't everything. The Passport TrailSport is capable of going further than where most owners are likely to ever go. The Honda even has a respectable 5,000-pound towing capacity.

The Land Cruiser can probably get you even further off-road than the Passport TrailSport, but for over $6,000 you have to ask yourself how often you will take advantage of that extra capability. If you don't really need that low-range transfer case and more sophisticated off-road hardware, the Honda Passport TrailSport might be the smarter choice for your family. And if off-roading is not on the menu at all, the $46,790 2027 Honda Passport RTL can save you even more money.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited can handle some trails, but unlike the Wrangler Rubicon, this is a Land Cruiser alternative for those who appreciate the Toyota's luxury and comfort over its rock-crawling abilities. The Grand Cherokee has been an icon ever since it drove through a glass window for its premier at the 1992 Detroit Auto Show. Today, it continues to be respected for its mix of on-road manners and off-road ability.

A two-row 4x4 Limited starts at just $48,315. That is more than $10,000 less than the Land Cruiser. The Jeep is powered by the slightly unrefined new turbocharged 2.0-liter Hurricane four-cylinder. It makes good power, producing 324 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. Despite a torque deficit of over 130 lb-ft, the Grand Cherokee Limited can tow up to 6,200 pounds– 200 more than the Land Cruiser.

Interior dimensions between the two SUVs are close. The Jeep has an advantage in some areas, such as rear legroom, and the Toyota has an advantage in overall interior space and cargo volume. But the biggest difference between these machines is in the off-road equipment. The unibody Jeep doesn't have a two-speed transfer case or locking differentials. The Jeep will take you off-road, but when the trail gets really tough, you might want the Toyota. Or take your $10,000 savings and buy a Can-Am Outlander Pro Quad and go just about anywhere you want.

When the Nissan Pathfinder first came out 40 years ago, it was a rugged body-on-frame SUV based on the Hardbody pickup truck. However, for the last 30 years, the Pathfinder has been a unibody model with a priority on ride comfort over off-road use. Then, in 2019, Nissan released the Rock Creek option package to give the Pathfinder a bit more off-road mojo. In 2023, the Rock Creek become a separate trim level.

A 2026 Pathfinder Rock Creek will set you back $46,665. The Rock Creek trim sits 0.63 inches higher off the ground than other Pathfinder models. It also comes with wider all-terrain tires and hill descent control. The 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine is tuned for a bit more power, too, producing 295 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque compared to 284 hp and 259 lb-ft in other Pathfinders. 

If you don't need these off-road upgrades, you might want to look at the base Pathfinder SV. It still comes with four-wheel drive, but it starts at $3,100 less than the Rock Creek. The savings continue at the gas pump, as the SV gets 26 mpg combined versus 23 mpg for the Rock Creek. The SV also runs on regular gasoline, not the premium grade the Rock Creek requires.  

Probably the most significant differentiator in daily driving between the Nissan and the Toyota is the fact that the Nissan is a three-row SUV. If you need that third row, then a Land Cruiser just isn't going to work for you. With its third-row flexibility, reasonable off-road abilities, and more than $13,000 in your bank account, the Pathfinder represents an attractive trade-off.

The value leader in the Subaru Outback range is the base model that starts at just $34,490. For that money, you get a 2.5-liter boxer-4 engine making 180 hp and 178 lb-ft of torque. It comes with Subaru's famous symmetrical all-wheel drive with X-Mode and hill descent control. But if you want a rig that competes a bit better in the off-road and luxury departments, you will want to step up a few trim levels.

At $45,490, the Outback Wilderness is still 25% cheaper than the Land Cruiser, but it will do 90% of the work. We are not financial advisors, but that sounds like a deal to us. The Wilderness features a 260-hp turbocharged 2.4-liter boxer-4, a four-wheel independent raised suspension with electronically controlled dampers, and a 3,500-pound tow rating — 800 pounds more than the base car. The Wilderness trim also offers 9.5 inches of ground clearance. That is over an inch more than the standard Land Cruiser (8.3 inches).

Of course, ground clearance alone doesn't make a great off-roader — a giraffe has plenty of ground clearance, but we wouldn't want to ride one on the Rubicon Trail. Although all Subaru Outbacks are unibody crossovers and feature the brand's famous symmetrical AWD, the Wilderness has underbody protection, all-terrain tires, and high-clearance front and rear bumpers to give it some extra off-road chops over the base Outback.

If you want to have a more luxurious experience, you can add the optional $2,090 OP22 or $4,090 OP23 package to the Wilderness. The former will load it up with a 12.1-inch touch-screen display with 360-degree surround view of the car and a power moonroof. The latter will also add Nappa leather, ventilated front seats, and power-folding exterior mirrors into the mix. And it will still be nearly $10K less than the Toyota. It won't conquer the same extreme terrain as the Land Cruiser, but most buyers would rather have the 10 grand.

A four-door Ford Bronco has a starting price of just $43,290. Like the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, the Bronco's party trick is its removable top and doors. It is tough to beat that open-air feeling. Although having an extra $16,485 in your pocket is darn close. The Bronco is yet another body-on-frame SUV, but it has a rougher and more tumble demeanor than the Land Cruiser. 

The base Bronco is plenty capable and will serve the off-road needs of most people. The standard 300-hp and 325-lb-ft 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged inline-4 provides plenty of thrust, and it comes mated to a seven-speed manual transmission, while a 10-speed automatic is a $1,795 option. For even more off-road capability, stepping up to the $50,885 Badlands trim will give you electronic locking differentials, a disconnecting front stabilizer bar, and Bilstein position-sensitive dampers.

One area where the Bronco falls short is in towing capacity. The Ford SUV is rated to tow just 3,500 pounds, giving the Land Cruiser a 2,500-pound advantage. But if you don't need that extra towing capability, the Bronco is a viable alternative to the Land Cruiser. Your biggest issue will be deciding how to spend all that money you saved.

And now for something completely different: a pickup truck. At first glance, a Chevrolet Colorado WT 4WD may not seem like a logical alternative to the Toyota Land Cruiser. But once you dig into the details and factor in the value proposition, it starts to make a lot more sense. The Colorado WT 4WD can be had for just $36,795 a whopping $21,980 less than the Land Cruiser. It's a pickup, but it comes in a four-door configuration just like the Land Cruiser. It also uses body-on-frame construction  and boasts a slightly lower 7.9 inches of ground clearance. Add the $945 Advanced Trailering Package, however, and the truck will tow up to 7,700 pounds. Of course, the main benefit of picking a Colorado over the Land Cruiser is a five-foot cargo bed, which gives it a significant utility advantage for buyers who need their family vehicle to also perform work duties.

The turbocharged 2.7-liter TurboMax inline-4 makes 310 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. That's just 16 hp and 35 lb-ft shy of the Land Cruiser's hybrid powertrain. There is seating for five, and while the overall length of the truck is about two feet longer than the Land Cruiser, the interior dimensions are very close. The trade-off is that the Colorado doesn't have the enclosed storage space the Land Cruiser has. Although for $1,295, you can add a hard folding lockable tonneau cover to the truck bed, making that a non-issue.

If you are willing to think a bit outside the box, you can get yourself a suitable Land Cruiser alternative for a lot less money. And your partner won't freak out if you throw a pile of meat you find on the side of the road in the back of the pickup. Try that in the Land Cruiser.

That brings us to arguably the best value on our list. It is easy to dismiss the smaller Bronco Sport, but the Badlands trim with the Sasquatch Badlands Package can go further off-road than anyone really needs it to. And honestly, you don't even need that to get yourself a budget Land Cruiser alternative.

Yes, the Bronco Sport is a unibody SUV, but as we have seen with other vehicles on this list, that alone doesn't knock it out of contention. The Bronco Sport Big Bend will set you back just $33,690. You could darn near buy two of them for the price of the Land Cruiser. The Big Bend will also come with a HOSS off-road suspension and a proper 4x4 setup It might not have all the beef of its Bronco big brother, and if the roof and doors come off your Bronco Sport, you are in a world of trouble, but this SUV deserves serious consideration.

The turbocharged 1.5-liter EcoBoost inline-3 is good for 180 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque. That is well below that of the Land Cruiser. That is one reason why the Bronco Sport can only tow 2,200 pounds. Still, due to its boxy design, the Bronco Sport can offer more front and rear headroom than the Land Cruiser 1958, as long as owners don't opt for a moonroof in the Bronco Sport. Leg room is nearly identical front and back compared to the Toyota, too, but the Toyota does have a maximum cargo capacity advantage of at least 16.9 cubic feet.

So, if you need to do a lot of moderate towing and haul a lot of cargo, the Land Cruiser is going to better suit your needs. But if you don't need that, the Bronco Sport Big Bend is a compelling option for a whole lot less money.