Subaru built this three-row hauler for families who prioritize crash protection and winter capability over fuel bills, and the tradeoff is real. The turbo four moves 4,500 pounds with surprising punch, standard AWD handles snow confidently, and the safety structure is legitimately impressive (owners walk away from nasty wrecks). But 17 mpg in mixed driving will hurt every week, and the 2019-2020 models had CVT failures serious enough to warrant full transmission swaps at 40-70k miles. The third row barely fits kids, let alone adults. If you're shopping used, the 2019-2020s are a hard pass, aim for 2023+ when Subaru finally debugged the powertrain. Buy this if you need the safety, the AWD, and can stomach premium gas at SUV-worst efficiency. Skip it if you actually need three usable rows or want a vehicle that won't punish you at the pump, the Honda Pilot does both jobs better.
The Land Cruiser built a bulletproof reputation over forty years, but the 2024 reboot trades the proven V8 for an unproven turbo hybrid that accelerates poorly and handles like a boat on pavement, brake squealing and body roll are expert-confirmed. The $60,000 base trim delivers cloth seats and minimal features, a value proposition that's hard to defend when the legendary durability you're paying for hasn't been proven yet on this generation. Buy it if you need genuine off-road capability and trust the nameplate enough to bet on it; skip it if you want a refined daily driver or need third-row seating.