Compare the2022 Land Rover DefenderVS 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Land Rover Defender have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Toyota Land Cruiser doesn’t offer pretensioners for the middle seat belts.

Both the Defender 110 and Land Cruiser have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Defender has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Land Cruiser’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Defender uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Land Cruiser uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Defender and the Land Cruiser have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Defender comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Land Cruiser’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Defender’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Land Cruiser’s (6 vs. 5 years).

The Defender P400’s standard 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid produces 14 more horsepower (395 vs. 381) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (406 vs. 401) than the Land Cruiser’s 5.7 DOHC V8. The Defender V8’s standard 5.0 supercharged V8 produces 137 more horsepower (518 vs. 381) and 60 lbs.-ft. more torque (461 vs. 401) than the Land Cruiser’s 5.7 DOHC V8.

As tested in Car and Driver the Defender P400 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Toyota Land Cruiser:

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

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Defender’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip (not available P400). The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

For better stopping power the Defender V8’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Land Cruiser:

The Defender stops much shorter than the Land Cruiser:

The Defender’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Land Cruiser’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Defender offers optional 22-inch wheels. The Land Cruiser’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For superior ride and handling, the Land Rover Defender has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Toyota Land Cruiser has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Defender offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Land Cruiser’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Defender’s wheelbase is 6.7 inches longer than on the Land Cruiser (118.9 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Defender is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 2.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Land Cruiser.

For better maneuverability, the Defender 90’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Land Cruiser’s (37.1 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Defender 110 has a 2.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Land Cruiser (11.5 vs. 8.9 inches), allowing the Defender to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Land Rover Defender may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 1150 pounds less than the Toyota Land Cruiser.

Unibody construction lowers the Defender’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Land Cruiser uses body-on-frame design instead.

The Defender 110 has 2.3 inches more front headroom, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, 4 inches more rear legroom and 4.9 inches more third row headroom than the Land Cruiser.

Maximum trailer towing in the Toyota Land Cruiser is limited to 8100 pounds. The Defender offers up to a 8200 lbs. towing capacity.

The Defender has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Land Cruiser (1760 vs. 1320 lbs.).

The Defender has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Land Cruiser (1870 vs. 1320 lbs.).

The Defender has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Land Cruiser, the Defender SE/HSE/X/V8 has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster), outside mirror angle and climate settings and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Defender (except Base) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Defender’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Land Cruiser has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The power windows standard on both the Defender and the Land Cruiser have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Defender is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Land Cruiser prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Defender to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Consumer Reports rated the Defender’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Land Cruiser’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Defender’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Land Cruiser’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

The Defender has standard heated front and optional heated second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Toyota doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Land Cruiser.

Optional air conditioned the front and second row seats keep the Defender’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Land Rover Defender comes in two door and four door bodystyles; the Toyota Land Cruiser isn’t available as a two door.

Motor Trend selected the Defender as their 2021 Sport Utility of the Year. The Land Cruiser has never been chosen.

The Land Rover Defender outsold the Toyota Land Cruiser by almost four to one during the 2021 model year.