2020 Toyota Land Cruiser vs. 2021 GMC Yukon XL

The Land Cruiser’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Land Cruiser are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The GMC Yukon XL doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

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

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Land Cruiser. But it costs extra on the Yukon XL.

The Land Cruiser’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Land Cruiser and the Yukon XL have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

The Land Cruiser’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Yukon XL’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Land Cruiser for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. GMC only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Yukon XL.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Land Cruiser has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engines in the Yukon XL.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2019 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, GMC is ranked 12th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2019 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota second in reliability, above the industry average. With 53 more problems per 100 vehicles, GMC is ranked 22nd.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ December 2019 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota third in reliability. GMC is ranked 22nd.

The Land Cruiser’s 5.7 DOHC V8 produces 26 more horsepower (381 vs. 355) and 18 lbs.-ft. more torque (401 vs. 383) than the Yukon XL’s standard 5.3 V8.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Land Cruiser uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Yukon XL Denali requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

For better traction, the Land Cruiser has larger tires than the Yukon XL (285/60R18 vs. 265/65R18). The Land Cruiser’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Yukon XL (285/60R18 vs. 275/65R20).

The Land Cruiser has active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

For better maneuverability, the Land Cruiser’s turning circle is 4.6 feet tighter than the Yukon XL’s (38.7 feet vs. 43.3 feet).

The Land Cruiser is 2 feet, 6.3 inches shorter than the Yukon XL, making the Land Cruiser easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Land Cruiser’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Yukon XL’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Land Cruiser the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Yukon XL can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Land Cruiser has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Land Cruiser has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Yukon XL.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Land Cruiser has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Yukon XL SLT/AT4/Denali offers wireless charging.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Toyota Land Cruiser, based on reliability, safety and performance.