ANTRIM, Michigan — The dirt track of 10 Pines Ranch here is alive with American Motocross Racing District 14 racing during the summer/fall months. Bike racers young and old show up to show off their physical skills and fitness over the one-mile track’s diabolical mix of high-speed turns, jumps and moguls. Their steeds? A spicy international mix of Japanese and Austrian-made bikes.

The four-wheel world of off-road SUVs is getting spicier as well with the introduction of the all-new 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser.

Land Cruiser? The hulking, three-row, Tundra-based SUV that Toyota Motor Corp. retired two years ago? Toyota has brought the badge back as a midsize, two-row SUV to take on American icons Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco in the wildly popular off-road class. It’s a class that General Motors Co.’s Chevy and GMC brands have ignored, and Toyota has filled the void with a trio of off-road warriors: Land Cruiser, 4Runner and Lexus GX.

I spent a week with the Land Cruiser cruising all over Michigan from 10 Pines Ranch to four-lane highways to the off-road trails of The Mounds ORV Park in Flint. The robin-egg blue Toyota got a lot of attention.

“Ooooh, I see you have the new Land Cruiser,” said my friend Andrew in Charlevoix. “How do you like it?”

“It’s really smooth on-road for a truck-based SUV,” I said. “But it seems pricey for a Toyota SUV at $70K.”

“That’s cheap,” laughed Andrew. “My old one cost 90 grand.”

Oh.

Buyers are willing to pay a lot of coin for off-road macho, obviously — just take a look at the $62K Wrangler Rubicon 4xe and $80K Bronco Sasquatch I’ve tested. The Land Cruiser certainly looked the part with its two-tone roof and fashionable Lego-block exterior that compares favorably to modern Land Rover Defenders and Merc G-Wagons.

The ol’ Land Cruiser built its reputation as a high-end, off-road-focused full-size SUV that sat next to the three-row full-size Toyota Sequoia in the showroom. Toyota is positioning the new midsize Land Cruiser as a premium version of the Toyota 4Runner, which has been thrilling dirt-lovers for years.

Like the forthcoming remade 2025 4Runner (which I’ll test soon), Land Cruiser is based on the midsize Tacoma pickup’s ladder frame and shares off-road hardware like disconnecting front sway-bar and two-speed transfer case. Unlike the 4Runner — which options a base, rear-wheel-driver four-banger as well as a hybrid turbo-4 — Land Cruiser is only available with all-wheel drive and the hybrid powertrain.

So armed, it takes aim at high-end models in the segment (think Wrangler 4xe and Bronco Sasquatch) with a hybrid drivetrain and suitable on-road manners. In keeping with the industry trend of electronics narrowing the gap between mainstream and luxe brands, the Land Cruiser compared favorably to a $62K Range Rover Evoque I had in the driveway at the same time. Optioned with the $4,600 Premium Package, the Toyota was the Range Rover’s match with head-up display, JBL sound system, wireless phone charger — even a refrigerator in the center console.

Indeed, the Land Cruiser’s hybrid turbo-4 not only put up luxe-like numbers (326 horses and 465 pound-feet of torque) — but its stop-start engine shutoff at stoplights was barely noticeable compared to the Rover’s rough system.

Land Cruiser wants your $70K off-roader to be a pleasant, all-season daily driver.

There are no removable doors and roof here like those in Wrangler and Bronco. Instead, Land Cruiser floated up I-75 on its big 20-inch wheels like a regular SUV. Smooth, handsome, quiet. Well, almost quiet.

The Toyota is boxier than the 4Runner, with a tall greenhouse that reminds of the Merc G-Wagon. Entry and egress was a cinch for your giraffe-necked reviewer, but the Cruiser has the aerodynamics of a brick and A-pillar wind noise was constant. Still, it was easier on the ears than the Jeep/Ford twins and their big, knobby all-terrain tires.

The Land Cruiser was outfitted with Dunlop Grandtrek rubber — an all-terrain tire but with a noticeably less-aggressive tread pattern.

Watching bikers fly over jumps in their Kawasakis, Suzukis and Hondas at 10 Pines, I got the urge to take my Japanese dirt-kicker off-road as well.

At The Mounds ORV Park outside Flint the next day, the big Toyota proved that it belongs. Where the OG Wrangler is old-school analog when it comes to going off-road (even the transfer case shifter requires muscle to yank into Neutral), the Land Cruiser is all buttons and dials.

Still, Land Cruiser can’t match the Bronc’s high-tech digital system. Where the Toyota’s off-road mode selector gives you options of Sand, Mud, Dirt, Deep Snow — it’s up to you to choose which off-road tools to use. The Ford goes further, displaying graphics that match the landscape out your windshield — then engaging axle lockers, anti-roll bar disconnect, etc., depending on the mode you select. Now that’s premium.

Don’t like what Bronc recommended? Tool buttons on top of the dash can be engaged.

Heading out into The Mounds sandbox, I stopped, shifted to Neutral, then pushed a button to disconnect the front sway-bar. With the front wheels moving independently of one other, I comfortably navigated uneven moguls. Cruiser and I had a blast.

When I was over-aggressive, the rugged truck rails — WHUMP!— or front skid plate — WHUMP!— absorbed punishment. True to its comfort vibe, Land Cruiser has a less aggressive off-road setup (8.7 inches of ground clearance, 31-degree approach angle) than the Detroit twins, but it’s enough for most off-roading.

More problematic was the Toyota’s mileage.

The ol’ three-row Land Cruiser boasted a stonkin’ V-8 engine, 24.6-gallon gas tank and 8,100-pound towing capacity. Cruiser 2.0 offers half as many cylinders, 17.9 gallons of fuel and 6,000 pounds of towing. Though the ’24 model advertises itself as a 25 mpg-highway hybrid fuel-sipper, my mostly-highway travel returned just 17 mpg.

As a rule, I assume half that when towing, meaning the Land Cruiser may have to fill up every 150 miles with a motorbike trailer behind it. That’s a lotta gas stops. No wonder most tow vehicles I saw in the 10 Pines paddock were full-size Ram, Chevy Silverado and Ford F-150 pickups. The latter has a 36-gallon tank and over 800 miles of range (400 when towing).

My Toyota road trip was passenger and cargo-friendly. The interior lacked the personality of the exterior, but digital displays and phone connectivity were state-of-the-art — if not as intuitive as the Ford and award-winning Jeep systems.

Only the clever, aviation-style oval vents interrupted the Lego-block interior (round headlights are also an option). Heading home from The Mounds on I-75, I navigated rough construction-zone pavement. Ah, Michigan, where it's often hard to tell the difference between on-road and off-road.

Good thing all-terrain tire, rugged SUVs are all the rage. Welcome back, Land Cruiser.

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser

Vehicle type: Gas-powered, four-wheel-drive five-passenger SUV

Price: $57,900, including $1,395 destination charge ($70,589 as tested)

Powerplant: Hybrid-electric drivetrain with 2.4-liter, turbocharged inline 4-cylinder

Transmission: Eight-speed transmission

Power: 326 horsepower, 465 pound-feet torque

Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.7 sec. (Car and Driver, 2.0L); towing, 6,000 pounds

Weight: 5,639 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA est. 22 city/25 highway/23 combined

Report card

Highs: Head-turning looks; comfortable on and off-road

Lows: Noisy at highway speed; thirsty hybrid

Overall: 4 stars

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