First Drive Review: Toyota Land Cruiser LC300

Friday, 11 June 2021

• TOYOTA LAND CRUISER LC300

• Price range: TBA.

• Powertrains: 3.3-litre turbo diesel V6 with 225kW/700Nm, 8.9L/100km, 10-speed automatic transmission, 4WD.

• Body style: Five-door SUV.

• On sale: Now.

The Land Cruiser has been a stalwart of the Toyota range for a remarkable 70 years, while the biggest of them all – the 200 series – has evolved into a luxurious vehicle that also happens to be stupidly capable off-road. But the time has come for the 200 to sail off into the sunset and be replaced by a more modern, greener vehicle…

Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?

The first thing you need to know is that you probably should just calm down and take a deep breath, because that last sentence was probably a bit of a shock to some hardcore diesel V8-lovin’ 200 series enthusiasts.

**READ MORE:

* First drive review: Toyota Highlander

* Sunday drive: Toyota C-HR GR Sport

* Next-gen Toyota Land Cruiser 200 going hybrid

* Five big-selling SUVs that have more than five seats

**

Yes, the all-new LC300 is more modern and, yes, it is much cleaner, but don’t take those things to mean ‘soft’, because the 300 packs an even bigger punch than the 200.

While the biggest change is the fact that Toyota has dumped the 4.5-litre twin-turbo diesel V8 that was much beloved in the 200 in favour of a new 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel V6 for the 300, that doesn’t mean less in any way (other than cylinder count), as the 300’s V6 pumps out 225kW of power and 700Nm of torque, which is an increase of 25kW and 50Nm over the old V8.

That big stump-pulling torque is channelled to all four wheels through an all-new 10-speed automatic transmission as well, while it will still happily haul a 3,500kg braked trailer with ease as well.

A 700mm wading depth, 235mm of ground clearance and approach and departure angles of 32 degrees and 25 degrees respectively ensure it will remain as capable off the sealed stuff.

The LC300 lands in New Zealand in two expected guises and one not-so-expected one; the expected VX and VX Limited will now be joined by a Gazoo Racing-fettled GR Sport model.

The 300 range all feature alloy wheels (18s on the VX and GR Sport, 20s on the VX Limited), a head-up display, a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system complete with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and a CD player (remember those kids? No, of course you don’t…), six USB charging ports (two in the front and four in the rear), keyless entry and push button start, a leather steering wheel and gear knob.

Also standard across the entire range is Toyota’s Safety Sense system that features a pre-collision system with autonomous emergency braking, emergency steer assist, lane departure warning, lane centring, automatic high beams, road sign recognition, vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist detection, intersection turn assist and active cruise control with automatic curve speed reduction.

While the VX gets black synthetic leather upholstery, the VX Limited gets a choice of either black or sandstone accented leather upholstery and the GR Sport gets either black or red and black.

The GR Sport is the most off-road capable of the bunch and ditches the third row of seats to save weight after the addition of a new electronic KDSS suspension system and adaptive variable suspension. It also gains a different grille (complete with bold TOYOTA script) and front bumper, black exterior trim, matt grey 18-inch alloy wheels and all-terrain tyres, four drive modes and lockable front and rear differentials.

While Toyota NZ is taking orders for the 300 series now, prices are yet to be finalised. While it will definitely be more than the outgoing model, Toyota NZ’s new vehicle manager Steve Prangnell says he is hopeful of keeping the increase to less than $10,000 over the last of the 200 Series, which started at $115,000 for the VX. The GR Sport will top the range, but by how much in terms of money is unknown at this stage.

Where did you drive it?

It was a top-secret Toyota launch, so we went to Palmerston North, of course.

While the roads surrounding Toyota’s NZ HQ aren’t exactly dynamically inspiring, heading up into the surrounding hills put us on some twisty back roads and a bit of gravel to try the 300 out on a variety of surfaces.

While the LC300 may be literally all-new, a 200 series owner won’t suffer a massive shock to the system when they drive it – it still feels very much like a Land Cruiser. Just a Land Cruiser that is a bit better in every way.

While Toyota considered switching the Land Cruiser to a monocoque platform, it was decided that wouldn’t be tough enough for the kind of treatment buyers expect a Land Cruiser to deal with, so a new TNGA-F ladder chassis was developed for the LC300 and other upcoming ‘heavy duty’ vehicles. You could read Hilux into that if you wanted to, but Toyota is remaining tight-lipped bout that.

As a result, the LC300 still feels very much like a big, heavy (it’s 110kg lighter than the 200, but still a big lad at 2630kg) ladder chassis SUV through the winding stuff. A very impressively composed one, mind you, but the further back in it you sit, the more you feel the body roll.

The LC300’s interior is a massive improvement over the 200’s (which was pretty good anyway), with high quality materials throughout and a nicely ergonomically sensible layout (something that the Land Cruiser hasn’t exactly excelled at previously). The front seats have thicker side bolsters and are more comfortable than before, while th

The V6 turbo diesel may lack a bit of the V8’s aural appeal (but it still sounds decently rumbly and truck-like) it easily out-punches it in performance, with brisk acceleration and strong responses. The 10-speed auto is a fantastically slick and smooth thing that keeps the V6 nicely in the meat of its fat torque curve.

While being both punchier and more powerful than the old V8, the V6 powertrain is also more frugal, with Toyota claiming an average fuel consumption of 8.9L/100km for the 300.

It also pumps out less nasty stuff, with CO2 emissions of 235g/km. While this is an improvement over the V8 and pretty impressive for a huge seven-seat SUV, it’s still not exactly the shining star in Toyota’s otherwise increasingly eco-friendly line up. A petrol hybrid version of the LC300 is said to be in development, but whether or not we would ever see it here is uncertain.

What’s the pick of the range?

Impossible to say at this stage because Toyota literally only has one car in the country – a pre-production VX Limited.

But given the differences between the VX and VX Limited are largely just spec, it’s reasonable to expect little will differ in the driving experience, even given the Limited’s larger wheels.

The GR Sport, on the other hand, is the greater unknown and one we are truly looking forward to getting our hands on at some stage…

Why would I buy it?

Because you have always bought a Land Cruiser and you will always buy a Land Cruiser, end of story. But… maybe you have previously bought more luxury-oriented SUVs from European brands (or even the Land Cruiser’s cousin in a tux, the Lexus LX) and the sheer level of quality, tech and ability the 300 Series displays is tempting to you.

In short, anyone who wants a seriously capable and seriously comfortable large seven-seat SUV should at least check out the LC300.

Why wouldn’t I buy it?

Because despite the fact the LC300 is still the cleanest, eco-friendliest Land Cruiser ever, it’s still a long way from actually being eco-friendly, and as such, the idea of a huge, twin-turbo diesel V6 SUV fills you with horror and revulsion.

Or you can’t shake yourself from your big Euro SUVs.