Compare the2022 Subaru AscentVS 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Ascent 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.

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 Ascent are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Ascent (except Base) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Ascent 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 Ascent and the Land Cruiser have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Ascent its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Land Cruiser has not been tested, yet.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Ascent lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

The Ascent has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Ascent stops much shorter than the Land Cruiser:

The Ascent Onyx/Limited/Touring’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 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 Ascent Onyx/Limited/Touring has standard 20-inch wheels. The Land Cruiser’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Ascent 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.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ascent’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Land Cruiser (113.8 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

The Ascent Touring handles at .80 G’s, while the Land Cruiser pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Ascent Touring executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the Land Cruiser (27.2 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.9 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Ascent’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Land Cruiser’s (38 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

The Subaru Ascent may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1200 to 1300 pounds less than the Toyota Land Cruiser.

Unibody construction lowers the Ascent’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.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Ascent Limited is quieter than the Land Cruiser:

The Ascent has 10.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Land Cruiser (153.5 vs. 143.4).

The Ascent’s cargo area provides more volume than the Land Cruiser.

The Ascent’s cargo area provides more volume than the Land Cruiser Heritage Edition.

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

The Ascent’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Land Cruiser’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

The Ascent has a maintenance free battery for long life without checking the battery’s water level. The Land Cruiser doesn’t have a maintenance free battery, so the water level in the battery’s cells must be checked often to prevent damage.

The Ascent offers a 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.

The Ascent’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.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Ascent’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Ascent Base). The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Ascent’s power window and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Land Cruiser’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Ascent has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Ascent to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Ascent’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 Subaru Ascent outsold the Toyota Land Cruiser by over 12 to one during the 2021 model year.