Land Rover Discovery vs Toyota Land Cruiser: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Toyota Land Cruiser burns about $3,300 of fuel annually against $3,450 for the Land Rover Discovery. That $150 yearly gap compounds to roughly $750 over five years and $1,200 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City versus highway split: the Toyota Land Cruiser is the stronger commuter at 22 mpg city, while the Land Rover Discovery pulls ahead on the interstate at 26 mpg highway. If most of your driving is stop-and-go traffic the city figure is the one to weigh; for long-distance highway mileage the reverse is true, and the two vehicles effectively swap places depending on how you drive.

Powertrain choice: the Land Rover Discovery is recorded with 3 distinct engine configurations (SIDI, SIDI; Mild Hybrid, 3.0), the Toyota Land Cruiser with 2 (SIDI & PFI; Hybrid, 5.7). Across 34 recorded Land Rover Discovery configurations and 11 for the Toyota Land Cruiser, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Land Rover Discovery is offered with All-Wheel Drive, 4-Wheel Drive, the Toyota Land Cruiser with 4-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD and Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Toyota Land Cruiser emits 379 g/mile of CO2 versus 395 g/mile for the Land Rover Discovery. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.