4 Features That Make The 2021 Heritage Edition Our Preferred Toyota Land Cruiser

Long seen internationally as the godfather of apocalypse-ready off-roaders, the 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser has received an update from Toyota's marketing team in order to pay homage to Land Cruisers of yesteryear. What we have now is the Land Cruiser Heritage Edition.

There are many SUV options, but none with as much history and tradition as the Toyota Land Cruiser, one of the oldest models in the environment that embodies the legacy of the Toyota FJ Cruiser and takes it to the next level with a powerful engine under the hood and all the necessary comfort inside to enjoy a trip, whether in town or on the roughest terrain. All those who have driven it know that for the 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser there is no destination too remote.

Here are the top-four features that we like most about the 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition:

The Cargo Area and Back Seat

Toyota removed the third row of seats to maximize cargo capacity, giving the Land Cruiser a five-seat configuration like its Lexus sibling, the LX, which added a two-row model last year. The cooler in the center console has also been eliminated to open up more storage space in the center arm rest console.

With the deletion of the third-row, up to eight can fit within the Land Cruiser, but five is really a better idea. Regular Land Cruisers have a standard third row that’s cramped and not useful; Heritage Editions make that third row optional - and we absolutely prefer the 5-seat configuration.

With the third row upright, the Land Cruiser carries 16 cubic feet of cargo. With it packed away, that space grows to about 43 cubic feet, and with rows two and three stowed, the big Cruiser carries about 82 cubic feet. Sans third-row, the Land Cruiser is much more suitable for what it was designed for in the first place - overlanding adventures.

Yakima MegaWarrior Cargo Basket

The Yakima MegaWarrior cargo basket, which comes standard on the Heritage Edition, will round out the overlanding lifestyle theme of this Land Cruiser. Beefy construction, wide body fits any gear you can huck into it. The only thing that isn't beastly about this cargo basket is the installation. Quick and easy, install is a snap and fits virtually any crossbar.

Forged 18-inch Bronze BBS Wheels

In keeping with Toyota's TRD product lineup, the special bronze 18-inch BBS wheels maintain the product theme with the Tundra, 4Runner and Sequoia. Also having a retro-look "Toyota" badge on the center cap, these wheels actually improve performance by offering less un-sprung weight and better steering feel, both characteristics prized by off-roaders.

Retro Badging

The most prominent of these badges is the "Toyota Land Cruiser" emblem on the D-pillars, with an italicized and underlined "Toyota" logo in all caps and a cursive-look "Land Cruiser" script. Its appearance is reminiscent of the front-fender badge on the iconic FJ40.

The Land Cruiser has been a part of its U.S. lineup for more than six decades without interruption, first arriving on our shores in 1958. Toyota says it will build twelve-hundred of these special editions for our market—not all that limited a quantity if you consider that the company only sold around 3K Land Cruisers in the United States last year. However, for the above reasons (and more) we could not be bigger fans of this SUV, especially considering the fact that it will likely be the final Land Cruiser sold in the USA, at least for the near-future.