Don’t Mistake the Land Cruiser’s New Intake for a Snorkel

Toyota now offers a factory High Mounted Air Intake on the 2027 Land Cruiser, but the new option isn’t a snorkel and isn’t built to help the SUV wade through deeper water.

The intake is the headline addition in a modest update that also brings available heated and ventilated second-row outboard seats and a new black paint called Inked. The base Land Cruiser 1958 starts at $57,880 before a $1,450 dealer processing and handling fee, and the 2027 models were due at dealers this spring.

Motor1 reported that the raised intake costs $980 and can be ordered on both the 1958 and the better-equipped Land Cruiser grade. A snorkel is sealed so the engine can breathe while the vehicle fords water, and Motor1 noted that Toyota’s intake isn’t watertight, so its job is to draw cleaner air from higher up rather than to raise the safe wading depth. Carscoops likened it to the high-mount intake on the 4Runner Trailhunter.

Nothing changes mechanically. According to Toyota’s 2027 release, both grades use the turbocharged i-FORCE MAX hybrid, rated at 326 horsepower, 465 lb-ft of torque and 23 mpg combined, with full-time four-wheel drive and standard locking center and rear differentials. A front Stabilizer Disconnect Mechanism is available, and towing capacity remains 6,000 pounds.

The new second-row comfort comes through the Premium Package on the Land Cruiser grade, which now pairs leather-trimmed heated and ventilated power front seats with heated and ventilated outboard rear seats, along with driver memory, a 14-speaker JBL system, a digital rearview mirror, a head-up display and a power moonroof. Motor1 put the package at $4,905, a $550 increase over last year.

Inked brings the color lineup to seven: Ice Cap, Wind Chill Pearl, Underground, Inked, Meteor Shower, Trail Dust and Heritage Blue. The two-tone Trail Dust and Heritage Blue trucks get a Grayscape roof.

Toyota’s release confirms only the 1958’s price. Outlets have published differing figures for the Land Cruiser grade, and Carscoops reported that it fell $950 for 2027 to $62,725.

The Toyota Report Take

A $980 raised intake is a sensible option for a vehicle that gets driven on dusty trails, and it costs a fraction of the Premium Package. Toyota should be careful how it’s sold, though, because an intake mounted that high looks like a snorkel, and an owner who treats it like one in a river crossing will learn the difference the expensive way.