The Land Cruiser is indestructible. Not only the model name is legendary, the car itself has been so regarded for years. After 14 years, Toyota comes with a completely new generation Land Cruiser, a luxurious off-road executioner of which the brand also presents a GR version.
After 14 years, the curtain falls for the J200 generation of the Toyota Land Cruiser presented in 2007. In this case we are talking about the full-fledged Land Crusier, a model that has been discontinued in the Netherlands for a while and is separate from the Land Cruiser Prado, which in the Netherlands is simply called Land Cruiser. The Land Cruiser model line is 70 years old this year, so the all-new Toyota Land Cruiser (J300) comes at a perfect time.
Toyota Land Cruiser
The new Toyota Land Cruiser may look a lot more modern than its predecessor, but the Japanese still looks robust. The Land Cruiser seems to have inherited some of the angularity of its J60 and J80 predecessors. The new Land Cruiser has a high, bony nose with a huge four-blade grille. On either side are simply designed rectangular LED headlights. Any frivolity can hardly be found in the design, unless we can count the window line towards the D-pillar, which was added compared to the previous Land Cruiser. The new Toyota Land Cruiser should radiate what it should be good at: conquer almost any terrain. The interior is completely in line with that. The dashboard is designed without too much fuss, but is filled with things like 9- or 12-inch large infotainment displays.
Toyota Land Cruiser
Under the carriage of the new Toyota Land Cruiser is the GA-F platform, a basis that has been developed according to Toyota’s TNGA philosophy and has so far only been given a place under this new Land Cruiser. The new Land Cruiser is about 200 pounds lighter than its predecessor, but there’s more to prove that the J300 generation is a next-generation off-road executioner. The car cannot escape downsizing and so it is done with the 5.7-liter V8 that Toyota supplies in the outgoing model. The new Land Cruiser will be available with a 3.5-litre V6, a machine that produces 415 hp and 650 Nm. This power plant produces about 30 hp more than the V8 in the outgoing model. With its new heart, the Land Cruiser has a speed of 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds.
Toyota Land Cruiser
The twin-turbo petrol engine is accompanied by a 3.3 diesel, also equipped with two turbos, a 309 hp and 700 Nm strong V6, which, like the petrol engine, is linked to a ten-speed automatic transmission. Toyota indicates that turbo-less V6s will also be available in some markets. , blocks linked to a six-speed automatic. All Land Cruisers, of course, have four-wheel drive.
The new Toyota Land Cruiser benefits from, among other things, Multi Terrain Monitor, a system that shows what is happening under and in front of the car on screen. In addition, Toyota’s largest off-road vehicle will receive Multi Terrain Select, a system that automatically selects the correct driving mode based on the surface. Striking: Toyota says that the dimensions and wheelbase, as well as the approach and departure angles, are identical to those of the previous model. This means that the new Land Cruiser is close to 5 meters long and has 2.85 meters between its front and rear axle.
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota also brings Safety Sense to the J300, a package of safety systems that in the case of the Land Cruiser includes parking assistance, various emergency braking systems, a lane assistant and automatic high beam. In the photos we also see a GR Sport version, although Toyota does not yet release any information about that version with an extensive collection of black exterior finishes.
Toyota’s Land Cruiser adventure started in 1951 with the BJ (photo 44), although Toyota had no doubt at the time that the off-roader would grow into the automotive celebrity it is today. Since the launch of the BJ in 1951, Toyota has sold 10.4 million Land Cruisers worldwide. The new Land Cruiser has cars like the Nissan Patrol as a competitor. Lexus sells its own version of the outgoing Land Cruiser in the form of the LX 570. Whether that car will also get a successor, remains to be seen. We do not expect the new Toyota Land Cruiser on the market in the Netherlands.