The Toyota Land Cruiser, the first real response to the Jeep, and the first ride out there that showed that someone besides Americans could make decent off road trucks. That was back in the dark ages though, before SUVs were everywhere and soccer moms and flat screens for the kids in back were even a consideration.

And now, here we are, it’s nearly 2010, and Toyota has just released the info on the latest iteration of its venerable Land Cruiser. Premiering at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the all-new 2010 Toyota Land Cruiser, will go on sale in Europe and other international markets before the end of fall 2009. The sixth-generation Land Cruiser, which will also have a Lexus-badged version in North American, gets all new sheetmetal and a completely overhauled interior.

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Toyota’s oldest, burliest nameplate gets a makeover

Toyota may have sold only 3376 Land Cruisers in the United States last year, but the venerable nameplate boasts a longer history on these shores than any other vehicle on the Japanese maker’s roster, with a single unit selling alongside 287 Toyopets in 1958-the year Toyota began selling vehicles in America.

It’s appropriate, then, that the launch of the seventh-generation Land Cruiser accompanies Toyota’s 50th year stateside.

The Land Cruiser trades in its 4.7-liter engine for the Tundra’s meaty 5.7-liter V8, which gives the behemoth an additional 116 hp and 73 lb-ft more torque to drag around its 5690-pound curb weight. Output now peaks at 381 hp and 401 lb-ft.

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