Compare the2027 Dodge Durango VS 2027 Toyota Land Cruiser

The Durango has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Durango 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 Durango and the Land Cruiser have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, all-wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available crash mitigating brakes and lane departure warning systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Dodge Durango is safer than the Toyota Land Cruiser:

	Durango	Land Cruiser
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	74	205
Neck Injury Risk	34%	38.7%
Neck Stress	236 lbs.	517 lbs.
Neck Compression	11 lbs.	61 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	339/364 lbs.	393/328 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	38.5%
Neck Stress	156 lbs.	277 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	303/32 lbs.	414/404 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Dodge Durango is safer than the Toyota Land Cruiser:

	Durango	Land Cruiser
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	16 inches
HIC	194	332

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Durango is 3.4% to 4.8% less likely to roll over than the Land Cruiser.

There are almost 2 times as many Dodge dealers as there are Toyota dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Durango’s warranty.

The Dodge Durango’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the Land Cruiser’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge above average in initial quality. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

The Durango’s standard 5.7 V8 produces 34 more horsepower (360 vs. 326) than the Land Cruiser’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The Durango R/T 392’s standard 6.4 V8 produces 149 more horsepower (475 vs. 326) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (470 vs. 465) than the Land Cruiser’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Dodge Durango 5.7 V8 is faster than the Toyota Land Cruiser:

	Durango	Land Cruiser
Zero to 60 MPH	6.4 sec	8 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92.9 MPH	86.1 MPH

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Durango’s fuel efficiency. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Durango has 6.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Land Cruiser (24.6 vs. 17.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Durango has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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

	Durango	Durango w/Tow N Go	Land Cruiser
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	15 inches	13.1 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	13.8 inches	13.1 inches

The Durango stops much shorter than the Land Cruiser:

	Durango	Land Cruiser
70 to 0 MPH	175 feet	190 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	155 feet	158 feet	Consumer Reports

For better traction, the Durango has larger standard tires than the Land Cruiser (265/50R20 vs. 245/70R18). The Durango’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Land Cruiser (295/45R20 vs. 265/60R20).

The Durango’s standard 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 1958’s standard 70 series tires. The Durango’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Land Cruiser’s optional 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Durango has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Land Cruiser 1958.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires optional on the Durango can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

For superior ride and handling, the Dodge Durango 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 Durango offers an optional 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.

The Durango offers an optional automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Durango’s wheelbase is 7.6 inches longer than on the Land Cruiser (119.8 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

The Durango R/T 392 handles at .85 G’s, while the Land Cruiser pulls only .69 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Durango R/T 392 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.3 seconds quicker than the Land Cruiser (27.4 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 29.7 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Durango R/T 392 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Land Cruiser (8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Durango to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Unibody construction lowers the Durango’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 doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The Durango offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Durango has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Land Cruiser can only carry 5.

The Durango has 1.6 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more rear headroom and 1.9 inches more rear legroom than the Land Cruiser.

The front step up height for the Durango is 3.3 inches lower than the Land Cruiser (19.7” vs. 23”). The Durango’s rear step up height is 4.8 inches lower than the Land Cruiser’s (19.7” vs. 24.5”).

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

	Durango	Land Cruiser
Second Seat Folded	85.1 cubic feet	82.1 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Durango easier. The Durango’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 31.4 inches, while the Land Cruiser’s liftover is 35.6 inches.

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

	Durango	Land Cruiser
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	20”/50”/83”	n.a./43”/63.6”
Max Width	49”	50”
Min Width	42.5”	43.2”
Height	36”	35.9”

The Durango’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Land Cruiser’s (7200 vs. 6000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Toyota Land Cruiser is only 6000 pounds. The Durango offers up to a 8700 lbs. towing capacity.

The Durango GT can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Durango can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Land Cruiser can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Durango has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Land Cruiser (1450 vs. 1365 lbs.).

The Durango uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Land Cruiser uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Durango’s standard rear view mirror and optional side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Land Cruiser has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Dodge Durango has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Land Cruiser Standard offers wireless charging.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Durango third among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Land Cruiser isn’t in the top three.

The Dodge Durango outsold the Toyota Land Cruiser by 85% during 2025.