It’s no secret that the current 200 Series is getting a touch long in the tooth. Looking back at previous LandCruisers, most models have been updated to a new model every 10 or so years (some as few as eight, others as long as 13). Recently a Japanese website (https://bestcarweb.jp) gave us some artists impressions and details which shows the new 300 Series LandCruiser getting closer.
There’s certainly no confirmation from Toyota of what exactly the new 300 Series will look like, however Toyota Australia has confirmed that the new LandCruiser is under development, and that early prototypers have already done some testing in Australia. This was most likely completed at the Australian Automotive Research Centre (AARC) in Victoria.
We’ve not heard anything firm on powertrain at this stage for the LandCruiser either. That said, internationally Toyota has been slowly backing away from diesel power, and rumours are rife that there may only be a V6 petrol powered option, alongside an electric version. Despite what you may think, an electric version is going to happen, especially as Toyota have confirmed they will have an electric version of every model by 2025; just six years away. Any new model of LandCruiser will need to be covered in that scope – same as the HiLux will be offered as an electric vehicle within five years.
Insofar as styling and size is concerned, we are expecting to see the 300 Series retain the typical full-size wagon features that has been synonymous with the name since the first ‘comfort’ based model, the 50 Series was released way back in 1967.
So as always, rumours abound, but, let us know in the comments if you think these ‘artists impressions’ of a 300 Series LandCruiser getting closer, strike your fancy. Or if you think these are way off the mark – let us know.
51 comments
If that is close to the new 300 styling then count me out.
Ok. No worries.
No v8 diesel, no deal…
What? No diesel!! I’d like to see a leckie cruser tow a 3.0t van across to Oondanatta.
Does not look tough like a land cruiser should though!
Toyota without a Diesel engine is not tough enough. Toyota is renowned for its tough reliable gutsy diesel. Don’t get rid of the best thing ever! No diesel no Toyota. Also if that’s what it may look like they are way of the mark. It looks more like a kluger, or prado. It needs to look more beefy not pussy. Come on Toyota you’re going to lose this one, unless you keep the top car going up not down ????
I would hope for a twin turbo diesel with electric hybrid power, both driving all four wheels, with some ridiculous range per both tanks as well as 50% higher payload
Is that you oscar?
Fingers crossed Toyota keep the beloved 1VD-FTV twin turbo v8 diesel going alongside a v6 petrol hybrid. Going by those pics i think the current lc200 styling will still look good even with the newer lc300 on the road. We shall wait and see, i dont think Toyota will stuff it up!
I also think 200 series landcruiser
Will always be king of the road .
Don’t bet it electronics in the bush
No way . where are you going to recharge.
Best you guys get last of the best now while we still have them.
Toyota probably need to consider a diesel hybrid for Australia at least. Far more practical here than a solely electric version & we all know that Petrol Landcruisers only sell in very small numbers. Whether Toyota Australia can convince Toyota’s HQ to go that way might be a different issue
I spoke to a Toyota Dealer this week as my current 200 series is due to be replaced. He advised to hold off as he didn’t want to sell me a new 200 series and then the 300 series come out. He didn’t give a time frame, but suggested an appearance at theTokyo Motor Show later this year. He indicated that the current diesel would carry over, the current v8 petrol is gone with a 3.5l v6 from Lexus coming onboard but didn’t know whether this would be hybrid or solely petrol.
The 105 was the last real landcruiser…
Toyota will do what’s best for Toyot’s reputation, it’s business and image worldwide . The thought of going into another decade or two on a planet with 8 billion people living in a warming climate may convince them to go electric. The writing is on the wall I fear so I might order two V8 diesel 200s now and pack one in cotton wool and get it out in 2035 . I wonder if by then I will still be able or afford to buy petrochemical products . I might have to do what the local hippy poacher does and run his old HJ45 Troopy on fish and chip shop oil .
Sadly, the V8 diesel will go the way of the Dodo. It will be a V8 petrol, same as Patrol 🙁 Development of a hybrid electric model will be very expensive and have lower towing capacity. Their towing market is doomed.
Toyota will be the king of the road untill they stop advertising it. If you are big enough it is much cheaper to invest in marketing then development and Toyota is perfect example.
They are planning a Hybrid, not solely electric vehicle at this stage. Nothing wrong with a petrol/hybrid platform either.
Toyota should consider a more adaptable body style for the 300 s that can be bought as a wagon , duel cab ute e.g .(instead of so many people having to buy a hit rear ended 200 s ,cutting the rear off and putting a ute tray on ),so they can have a comfortable , reliable off and on roader that can do the same as the current 70 s but without the ruggedness and be able to have a Twin Turbo AUTOMATIC V8 Diesel with a Large Towing Capacity. A PLUGIN HYBRID Twin Turbo V8 Diesel should also be an option with a Large Towing Capacity . A six speed Manual (maybe a close ratio 5 speed with overdrive as 6th gear) so there is no big jump between 2nd and 3rd gears. A basic model to keep the price down for the not wealthy but can afford a model in the range to accomadate the after market ad on’s later.
If people want full luxury they can get it in the LEXUS models.What will happen to the vunrable 70 s .
If the first and third photos are close to reality then Toyota will still have the best selling Ugliest brick around.
Mind you that middle Artist impression looks quite schmick – even a bit VW like. Would consider one if it looked like that. Interesting that they might move away from that truck like Diesel V8, bound to happen eventually lets hope they come up with something decent – Electric Hybrid one would assume as the Torque from a pure petrol wouldnt cut it in the towing stakes game.
The resource sector, a major market for Toyota, only supplies diesel onsite, no diesel would be a massive oversight by Toyota.
We will need a generator to recharge it in the bush!.
Artist Impression, it will look nothing like this picture.
As usual this Cruiser will take the market by storm. The only thing to carry big loads and tow a big caravan safely.
As for diesel / petrolV6, I drive an FJ Cruiser with the V6 200KW motor. It is such a delight to drive that the only that I would consider selling it would be for what I paid for it in 2013 (probably + 10%). Hybrid is the motor of the future hence the choice of a V6 as a V8 with hybrid would probably get too heavy and bulky. We have a CT200 Lexus hybrid and it is also a delight to drive and to run as it hates going to servos.
Do it Toyota!
Missed the mark again. Quad turbo electric V12 is the only way forward.
A bit like Nissan with the Patrol.
All they’re doing here is making sure the second hand price of the 200 series stays ridiculously high!
There’s I believe 2 electric 70 series utes here at Olympic dam mine
Looks good as a prototype, but why not hydrogen fuel instead of electric?
Everyone is leaning towards electric crossover but hydrogen is more environmentally friendly?
The diesel is the king of towing because of the torque at low revs and the reasonable fuel consumption while towing. There is no way a petrol or hybrid petrol can do the same job.
Diesel is also king in the bush because of the range and ability to refuel from jerry cans. I don’t like the idea of carrying a lot of petrol in jerry cans or refueling with petrol because it is so volatile. It’s a real fire and explosion risk.
I agree Brett, that a more adaptable rear design would be great. For travelling distance in comfort the 200 is terrific, less so in the troupy, but would rather a Ute tray or open cargo for off road catering.
Who cares. Some don’t have access to neg’ gearing, f ‘credits, family trusts, etc.
There’s generally only one 200 series on any mine site and it belongs to the mine manager… The rest of us drive Hiluxes, 79’s or Prado’s.
do any toyota executives ever come to Australia to get feedback on what type of 4WD vehicles would be popular and practical in Australia? The fact that the 78’s/79’s have different wheel track widths from front to rear says something. If they stop producing the diesel motor i can’t see many people who travel remote/off road and towing anything would buy their vehicles. As for the 300 series I’m not that concerned. Keep the V8 diesel dual cabs and troopies coming but with the correct wheel tracking width please
omg the worst thing Nissan did was go to a petrol engine in the patrol , I can’t believe Toyota are thinking of doing the same thing , diesel all the way.
Oh poor David he’s so bitter, maybe you should just work a bit harder to get what you want like the rest of us who also don’t have access to neg gearing, family trusts, etc.
If there is no Diesel I won’t be getting one. I won’t take an electric in the outback.
When you need to cover the width and depth of the Australian Outback, and the other wide open spaces in the world like Eurasia, South America, Africa and beyond, the diesel mileage and reliability is the only way to successfully complete the task. Hybrid is for the future and the metropolitan and surrounding areas but for beyond the horizon diesel will still be the choice.
Jcee, electric cars can either be powered by electricity from batteries or electricity produced in a fuel cell when hydrogen is combined with oxygen (from air) to produce electricity. Hydrogen powered cars are lighter (no batteries) and 15Kgs of hydrogen gives a car a range of 800Kms. A major problem to-date has been the distribution on Hydrogen to our service station network. The CSIOR have developed a process to mix the hydrogen with ammonia allowing this stable liquid to be transported in road tankers and a process using a metal membrane at the service station to convert it back to hydrogen at the service station. Japan (and specifically Toyota) and South Korea were involved in this development and both will employ it for distribution of hydrogen in their countries. So an electric powered Landcruiser using a fuel cell with hydrogen available at existing service station could be on the way.
Hopefully Toyota have researched their Australian customer tastes and requirements and they don’t go the way of Nissan Patrol which was a volume seller as a diesel and now they only sell a couple of Patrols a year since going petrol only. If you look at some of the current designs coming out of Japan it would appear Tonka toys appear to be their design criteria, not real customer taste. The Japanese car industry have lost their mojo since Fukushima, either that or their boards are made up of geriatrics. The new Landcruiser will need to have Australian focus groups drawn from current and historic owners if Toyota wish to maintain their sales position. Not very hopeful however, following the closure of their Australian manufacturing facility.
Something that can tow more than three and a half tonnes would be nice to alleviate having to pay for costly conversions and water crossings would become a bit more interesting if you start adding more things electrical.
Agreed
Old school just keeps looking better and better
I saw Omron the wager hwyin camo a couple of months ago it had a rounded front as per pictures simalar rear lights to Current one not quit the same appeared to be diesel had roof rack and rear ladder to help discoed it
Please Toyota up the gvm to 4.2 tonne and the gcm to 7.5tonne
Hopefully they’ll bring in the Tundra to fill that requirement. All the other yankie tow rigs are making their way down-under. Tundra seems inevitable.
Typical over rated grossly overpriced guzzler. Im sure the usual sheep toyota faithful will gladly drain their bank accounts to get one…
Much more better priced equal capability 4wds available for those with a bit more brains….
Andy,
I have owned many a Toyota, without a break for over 40 years and I must therefore fall into your sheep category. But guess what? I have never had a bad experience with a Toyota, never had a mechanical failure in any of them and have never been stranded in a remote location. I currently have a Land Cruiser 80 series which is 22 years young and just went past 416,000 kms on the odometer. Still running as well as the day I purchased it over 20 years ago. I am happy to pay more to have the peace of mind knowing that my Cruiser will not let me down on or off road and if I do have a problem it will be fixed quickly in almost any location. They may or may not use a little extra fuel than some others but I doubt it. If they are over priced (which I also doubt) it’s a premium worth paying for the peace of mind. The market tells the story. If they are so overpriced then why is it that so many people buy them?
I currently own a 2017 200 series the v8 diesel is a beautiful engine massive to torque on tap…
If Petrol or electric it will be the last crusier I will buy!!
Like you, I have a factory turbo Jan 1992 diesel 80 series. Built like a truck and I take it out for all my outback trips. I keep it fully maintained all the time so it is a bit of a hole in the pocket as I work on the theory, “if in doubt, throw it out”. I would rather have a potential problem solved before I head out than take a chance. It is not my every day drive and has been set up for outback trips and is well kitted out. I also have a BJ42 Toyota LX 3.4 diesel that we bought from new in 1984 (plated 1983) and it looks like new to this day. Has only done a genuine 140,000km. I don’t drive it much and it is just mainly garaged. It is too sentimental to sell as it was my late husband’s. Has power steering and is fun to drive.
I agree Toyotas are very reliable. Not always with the best features but definitely reliable. I have had Toyotas for years and my daily drive is a Toyota Corolla.
With the new 300 series potentially being petrol (no diesel) I suspect in Australia not having a diesel may be an issue for those of us who go out bush covering long distances in remote areas. You don’t want to carry petrol inside the vehicle cabin.
Name one? Enlighten us sheep…
I spent a couple of days in Abu Abu Dhabi two years ago, and the number of the current Patrols on the road was mind buggeling. I don’t think Toyota or Nissan base their new model development much on the small Australian marked. I didn’t see many Landcruisers in comparison, except for when doing the desert safari. So if Nissan sell heaps of petrol Patrols elsewhere, maybe Toyota are going the same way. But 100% agree that diesel is more suited for the Australian marked.