1958 Owners... Any regrets not getting an LC Trim? (4 Viewers)

[westla4x4]

Anyone with a 1958 regret not going for a Land Cruiser trim? Of course the 1958 is what we say we'd want... Bare bones, stripped down, everything you need and nothing you don't... but it is indeed pretty bare bones relative even to a non-premium pack LC. Honestly, I feel like I'd be most bummed about no disconnectable front sway bar and lack of off-road programs (assuming those even work well?). Coming from Land Rover... longtime listener, first time caller.

 

[LCQ]

Anyone with a 1958 regret not going for a Land Cruiser trim? Of course the 1958 is what we say we'd want... Bare bones, stripped down, everything you need and nothing you don't... but it is indeed pretty bare bones relative even to a non-premium pack LC. Honestly, I feel like I'd be most bummed about no disconnectable front sway bar and lack of off-road programs (assuming those even work well?). Coming from Land Rover... longtime listener, first time caller.

1958 owner here. No regrets (besides swaybar disconnect). Thought it was bare bones when I saw the vin sheet but after having it 3 months I think it’s fancy. Heated steering wheel, heated seats, blind spot monitoring for bikers and even pedestrians at the rear quarter panel, and wireless CarPlay are snazzy to me. I honestly wish the 1958 came with an a la carte option for the sway bar disconnect like the Tacoma does. That’s the only thing I regret/want-to-try-item that comes to mind.

Does that justify the cost to bump up to the next LC LC package? Not to me.

Screen and sound is good. No regrets on 8 inch. The resolution sucks on the backup camera though, not sure if the other ones are better. The driver right knee rest hard plastic trim annoyed me so I replaced it with the padded one from upper trims. The rest of the hard plastic hasn’t bugged me at all.

I’m actually quite disappointed in the crawl control and DAC functions. Not that they are poor design, just thought they’d serve more of a purpose to me. The only thing DAC seems to do is apply brakes, and thanks to the red brake light indicators on the dash you are aware when it’s braking. I don’t know what I thought it would do but it disappointed me. It seems to simply be a cruise control for braking. I had hoped it would be miraculous in downshifting and motor regeneration but mheh, it applies some brakes.

Crawl control is fine, just a little boring. I think my expectations of it were more in line, I’d just rather control throttle myself.

All that ranting to say I thought I might miss not having the MTS systems, but after experiences with DAC and crawl control they seem to be squarely aimed at novices. I’m no expert, but coming from manual transmissions I appreciate telling it what to do off road instead of vice versa.

 

[TrailWhale]

For the reverse case - I decided on LC Trim (non-premium) over 1958.

After a few months here's what I would miss the most if I had gone with a 1958:
1. Color. This is by far the #1 thing, and i know it is superficial and meaningless to many, but the two-tone blue and yellow colors are what really drew me into this. I love the FJ vibes. I ended up with Heritage Blue, but would have also been equally happy with Trail Dust i think.
2. Multi-terrain monitor - I use this all the time for parking, it's awesome. I'm not sure what the camera views are like on the 1958 however. I have also used it while on some pretty tight, kinda gnarly forest service roads and the MTM was a godsend.
3. Bigger screens/displays, improved audio - not a necessity, but you get accustomed to them really quick.
4. Slightly wider stock wheels (7" vs 7.5" i believe?), roof rails, crossbars - these of course can all be addressed on the 1958, but it was convenient to not have to do anything here.

Things I would have preferred in the 1958 edition:
1. Cloth seats. I have softex and the ventilation is nice, but otherwise, I would have been happiest with some nice cloth. I'm a simple man.
2. Manual liftgate. I kinda detest automatic liftgates. Although automatic closing is nice, i guess i'll admit. I would rather only manual opening.
3. No sunroof - optional on LC trim but it wasn't really optional. I was willing to accept it, but would have preferred none. It wasn't a dealbreaker though so I accepted it since the allocation i was offered was otherwise pretty much exactly what I wanted.
4. Round headlights - they just look so cool!

Things on the LC Trim that i thought would matter more but don't
1. Ventilated seats. eh. it's kinda nice, but I can live without it. (and I do live in an area with 100+ degree weather for a month in the summer)
2. Softex/Leather - I thought maybe once I had them they'd grow on me, but they are kinda firm and really collect the sunscreen/lotion stains quickly. Cloth would have been more up my alley.
3. Stabilizer disconnect - I have not used it. I'm not sure when i will use it. I like that i have it, but practically speaking, I don't know when or if I'm going to be in a situation where I'm like "oh wow, glad i had the stabilizer disconnect to get through that!"

 

[westla4x4]

This is all great, thank you both! Coming from my 2013 Land Rover LR4, I know the tech upgrade will feel great regardless. Every time I'd be outside the US I'd see super basic LC Prado's and drool in jealousy... Now time to put my money where my mouth is. Just locked in my LC 1958!

 

[supraphonic]

1958 owner here - zero regrets. I was definitely part of the camp wanting the barebones, Toyota Gibraltar NGO-spec vehicle, and I got quite a bit more. The cloth seats are very comfortable and breathe well, the entertainment screen is entirely serviceable for everything I need, and it just looks badass.

I would have appreciated more cameras, although I'm on the "get out and look and don't guess if you can clear it" team even with cameras, and the idea of a stabilizer bar disconnect sounds nice but in practice the rear axle articulation and locking rear diff have gotten me through everything without breaking a sweat.

All that said, I commute by bike to work every day, and my wife and I share a "nice" EV daily driver for around-town trips, so this got to be my fun weekend car and it's the perfect spec for that. If I were spending an hour-plus in this every day, maybe I would've gone up a trim for nicer speakers and softer seats, but for my purposes the 1958 is spot on.

 

[ryanjl]

This is all great, thank you both! Coming from my 2013 Land Rover LR4, I know the tech upgrade will feel great regardless. Every time I'd be outside the US I'd see super basic LC Prado's and drool in jealousy... Now time to put my money where my mouth is. Just locked in my LC 1958!

I went from a 2012 LR4 to the 1958. I remember you from the landoverworld forum. If I recall correctly, you had the Defender steelies on your LR4 just like I had on mine?

Anyway, the tech difference even in the 1958 is big enough that you won't feel left out. Carplay, the Toyota safety-sense stuff, etc. And the 1958 has the round headlights and full flat-black front, which I personally believe looks best on these.

Fabric interior is cool. I mountain bike a lot, so I ran seat covers in my LR4 and will run them in my Land Cruiser too (once some custom-fit ones become available), so I didn't really car if it doesn't have leather. Stereo is okay, but I'm probably going aftermarket there.

I also have a strong opinion that things like "multi-terrain select" are pure hocus-pocus and no replacement for simply just knowing what you are doing when driving off road.

All told, love my 1958.

 

[westla4x4]

I went from a 2012 LR4 to the 1958. I remember you from the landoverworld forum. If I recall correctly, you had the Defender steelies on your LR4 just like I had on mine?

Anyway, the tech difference even in the 1958 is big enough that you won't feel left out. Carplay, the Toyota safety-sense stuff, etc. And the 1958 has the round headlights and full flat-black front, which I personally believe looks best on these.

Fabric interior is cool. I mountain bike a lot, so I ran seat covers in my LR4 and will run them in my Land Cruiser too (once some custom-fit ones become available), so I didn't really car if it doesn't have leather. Stereo is okay, but I'm probably going aftermarket there.

I also have a strong opinion that things like "multi-terrain select" are pure hocus-pocus and no replacement for simply just knowing what you are doing when driving off road.

All told, love my 1958.

Haha yup... So far I'm very happy with my choice.

 

[graham5david]

I love my 1958. I wish it had the FE rims but honestly these look pretty good once you put better tires on it. I wish it had padded arm rests and padding for my leg on the center console. Not a huge deal. I came from a 2023 4 door bronco with the 2.7. The power feels the same to me. The land cruiser interior is much more comfortable and better looking. I thought I wanted swaybar disconnect and a front locker but I never used the sway bar disconnect on my Bronco or my gladiator rubicon. Front locker is nice but I wheeled an 80 for years with a lunch box locker in the rear and never had an issue. I was a little bummed that it doesn't have MTS but honestly it's just like the bronco goat modes. Never used it. I like to select when to lock the rear myself. But for 60k I was hoping it had mts. I used mts in my 200 regularly and it worked great. However the 200 has no rear locker so it's probably not needed in the 250

All together I think the 1958 is a great value. If I was going to splurge I would get the FE just because I love the round headlight look ant it might be valuable some day.

 

[Corbet]

I bought a premium and also own a fully built 80 so take this for what it’s worth.

I feel they nailed it on the 1958 minus the sway bar disconnect. Those screaming for a barebones LC were largely all driving some old LC. Looking for a new reliable truck to replace a beloved old wheeler that meets all their needs. And missing out on a offroad performance upgrade is frustrating.

Me personally, my 80 will be my primary wheeling truck for a long time to come. I daily drive the 250 for business, and will take it on family trips where the wife’s comfort trumps off-road performance. I’m 3 weeks in and haven’t played with any off the offroad tech. When I do wheel it I’ll probably disconnect the sway bar and lock the rear when needed. Maybe the electronic wizardry will win me over probably not.

 

[supraphonic]

Haha yup... So far I'm very happy with my choice.

Congratulations! Enjoy the gas mileage and ride quality before you join the rest of us in the tire swap camp. Still can't believe they shipped these with Converse All-Stars instead of hiking boots, but CAFE standards spare no automaker.

 

[Valsmere]

58 edition owner for the two weeks. I traded a 13 Taco. This model LC was all that I wanted. It has a lot more tech than I am honestly used to. Overall NO regrets at all, I even like the rims. I will be upgrading the tires, but literally everything else is exactly what I wanted.

 

[ryanjl]

The rims are actually a pretty good design. Functional, too. The valve stem is tucked in pretty well as to protect it from damage off road.

 

[westla4x4]

The rims are actually a pretty good design. Functional, too. The valve stem is tucked in pretty well as to protect it from damage off road.

Definitely, just wish they were 17"

 

[ryanjl]

Definitely, just wish they were 17"

Agreed. I got tired of waiting around for a good 17" wheel option to pop up and just put new tires on my 18" wheels. Maybe by the time I need new tires again in a few years the dust will settle and there will be a good selection of proper offset and hub-bore seventeen-inch wheels on the market.

 

[Corbet]

With the Tacoma and 4R on the same platform moving forward more wheel options are virtually guaranteed.

 

[MaxJr]

Agreed. I got tired of waiting around for a good 17" wheel option to pop up and just put new tires on my 18" wheels. Maybe by the time I need new tires again in a few years the dust will settle and there will be a good selection of proper offset and hub-bore seventeen-inch wheels on the market.

you didn't like the Method choices?

 

[Werlyb23]

1958 is the only way to go……

 

[ryanjl]

you didn't like the Method choices?

No. Incorrect hub bore, and don't like the offset.

 

[MaxJr]

No. Incorrect hub bore, and don't like the offset.

There's actually a variety of offsets, but no convenient way to see the choices without searching through all the wheels. However the are not set up for pizza cutters like the Toyota OEM sizes.

The downside of the 1958 wheel is very limited tire choices in the 7 inch rim. The pennies Toyota saved by not using the 7.5 creates a lot of waste.

 

[westla4x4]

I keep trying to order OEM silver steelies but they're on indefinite back order. Thinking I get a set of SR5 Tacoma alloy takeoffs in the meantime, plentiful, 17" and generally inexpensive. With all the black plastic trim of the 1958, I like the idea of breaking up the black with silver.