Land Cruiser update - change of face for change of pace

Is this the new look for Toyota’s off-road giant, the so-called 300-Series expected to be here soon?

IMAGES fully revealing the styling alterations arriving with the 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser support conjecture that the mechanical change coming with the ‘300 Series’ treatment will be more headline-making.

These photos have been unearthed by a specialist Australian off-roading web publication, Unsealed 4x4, and purport to show the updated vehicle awaiting shipment from a port in Japan.

Handily, the vehicle is parked alongside an example of the current 200-Series, which makes identifying the external design changes – to the front, at least - all the easier. If they’re not immediately apparent, the new car has a new grille, updated headlights and new front bumper that’s significantly deeper than the current model. It also scores new alloy wheels.

Exactly when Kiwis will be able to see the refresh in the metal for themselves is not clear. Toyota New Zealand has several product launches to enact this year, but anything for Land Cruiser has not been specifically mentioned. So far, the talk has been all about Yaris and updated Hilux.

However, it’s an open secret that significant change is coming for the long-running wagon and that the big development will be the introduction of a twin turbo V6 petrol mild hybrid powertrain. Whether this unit will sit alongside, or completely replace, the current 4.5 litre V8 turbodiesel is still subject to much discussion. Toyota is remaining quiet.

The model that media imagine will be called ‘300 Series’ has been a long-time coming. It’s strongly claimed Toyota had 300-Series prototypes in Australia being tested as long ago as 2015. The 200 has been around for an astoundingly long period: 2020 is its 13th year of production. The preceding ‘passenger’ Land Cruiser models were in build for eight (80 Series) and nine (100 Series) years respectively.

Why drop the V8? Mainly, it seems, because of a wider brand policy. For sure, the current engine struggles to meet economy and the latest emissions standards enforced in some big passenger markets – but whether that really matters to land Cruiser is moot. The biggest markets for this model are the Middle East, where fuel is cheap and no one gives a jot about exhaust counts, and Australia; another country where the car is comfortably accepted in its current form. To be fair, NZ also doesn’t have any regulations that the vehicle would trip over.

However, Toyota Japan has itself committed to offering a fully electric or electric hybrid version of every model in its range by 2025, so conceivably that in itself is enough to do it for Land Cruiser. Also, the developments it gets are likely to be applied to vehicles like the Prado, the Fortuner and the Hiluix. Indeed, a hybrid Hilux has been mentioned repeatedly as a future product. 

While its specs have remained closely guarded secret, the ‘300’s’ engine is expected to be based on a large-capacity six-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, potentially a version of the 3.6-litre used by Lexus product, augmented with an electric motor and a battery pack. Outputs estimated in the region of 260kW and 490Nm. When news if this drivetrain first broke – via a Japanese car publication, ‘Best Car’ – it was suggested the engine would drive through a constantly variable transmission.

The Lexus version of this powertrain is not turbocharged and goes into the LS large sedan and LC flagship coupe. In those vehicles it produces 220kW at 6600rpm and 348Nm at 4900rpm, and the electric hybrid system produces 132kW and 300Nm, for a combined power output of 264kW (with an estimated combined torque of 500Nm). In the LS, it makes 310kW and 600Nm, a torque output that is closer to that from the current 200-Series engine, which packs a claimed 650Nm at 1600-2800rpm and 200kW at 3600rpm.

The powertrain demands a stepped CVT in place of the current edition’s six-speed traditional automatic, to improve fuel consumption to around 9.4 litres per 100km and reduce emissions.

Toyota is the pioneer of hybrids, having launched the first mass-produced production hybrid car, the Prius, back in 1997, and its hybrid integration and much higher now.

The LC200’s stocks have fallen in recent years as the market migrates away from full-sized, old-school ladder frame genuinely tough all-terrain models and toward softer, more street-wise sports utilities.

Even so, there has been enough of a core following to sustain a four variant local lineup, starting with a $115,900 VX and topping with a $129,990 VX Limited, and convincing the traditional buyer set that this is a better alternate to the current offering could be a challenge.

Land Cruiser 200-Series maintains especially high residuals on strength of its toughness and as a good choice for towing super-sized caravans and boats; the fan base will be eager to know if that talent remains intact. It also has a very comprehensive off-roading technology pack. It’s hard to imagine this being eroded though surely having a CVT in the package will raise some interesting challenges.

There has been talk about the vehicle going to a new platform; the vehicle in the images apparently having the same dimension (and, aside from the nose, body shape) as the 200-Series suggests that is not the case. But, for the record, overseas’ chat has been about it taking a body-on-frame version of the TNGA (for Toyota New Global Architecture) underpinning, known as TNGA-CV.

The interior is said to be in for a huge revamp, with leather, comfort and luxury levels that were previously the preserve of a Lexus.

Best Car said it has a larger, up-to-date 8.0-inch infotainment system, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and additions to Toyota Safety Sense, which will come with a full suite of driving assists such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, day and night-time pedestrian detection and more.