‘No way was I willing to spend more than 60k on a Toyota’: Woman buys Toyota Land Cruiser. Then she figures out how to keep that new car smell ‘forever’
A woman who wondered how to keep the new car smell going in her new Toyota Land Cruiser unexpectedly got the answer—and it's something you could acquire as well.
Creator Mikaela Hess (@mikaelayhess) got more than 1.6 million views as of Friday morning to a video put up on Wednesday. She used it to show off a new, clean, shiny Toyota Land Cruiser in her driveway, with the on-screen caption, "How do you keep the new car smell forever ... asking for a friend."
Soundtracked by Travis Scott's "sdp interlude," Hess shows several different interior angles of the car.
At one point in the video, it shows her manicured nails drumming against the steering wheel, but most of the video consists of quick cuts showing Apple Play, unblemished floor mats, and a back seat unsullied with dust or crumbs.
Then, in the comments section, she gets an answer to her question.
But first, about the Land Cruiser
According to Car and Driver, the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser, earning a 9.5/10 rating, "has been reworked and modernized inside and out, packing the latest Toyota infotainment tech and plenty of driver aids, while retaining a serious four-wheel-drive system and plenty of nods to LC history, including the base model's round headlights."
The review notes, "Unlike the previous-generation Land Cruiser, this new one is strictly a two-row, five-seat SUV. Toyota has downsized the Cruiser's body this time around, putting it into contention with mid-size rivals such as the Ford Bronco and the Jeep Wrangler, rather than full-size SUVs such as the Chevrolet Tahoe and the Ford Expedition."
Despite it being a hybrid, "The Land Cruiser's EPA ratings sit at 23 mpg combined, 22 mpg city, and 25 mpg highway. Those numbers are significantly better than what the previous-generation V-8 model offered. In our real-world 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, the Land Cruiser First Edition underperformed, achieving 21 mpg."
How to get that new car smell
A commenter revealed the secret, evoking an "OMG" in response from the creator.
"I work at a dealership," began that commenter. "Whenever you clean your car, spray the Chemical Guys New Car Smell spray."
According to that company's site, "Just one spray makes your car smell like it just rolled off the showroom floor." To make it work, the site instructs the buyer to set the car's air conditioning on its maximum setting, shake the bottle well, and spray it into the passenger footwell.
Viewers shared their own tips and tricks
Though that seemed like practical advice, that didn't stop others from offering their own takes.
"Get a new car every time the smell goes away," one said.
"Never keep the windows open. Don’t eat in it," another counseled.
"No fast food or kids," said another.
One did notice something about the car that stood out: "You should get after market leather seats. That’s wild that nice of a car has fabric seats."
That prompted the creator to remark, "Ugh no you’re so right but in no way was I willing to spend more than 60k on a Toyota to upgrade the interior hahahahaha."
@mikaelayhess that new car smell >>> #car #newcar #landcruiser #toyota #fyp ♬ son original - Jackk
The Daily Dot has reached out to Toyota via email and to the creator via TikTok direct message and email.
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