Toyota Reveals Next-Generation Land Cruiser With Turbo Power

Few vehicles are as important, durable, and off-road native as the Toyota Land Cruiser. Once a rough-and-tough Jeep competitor, each subsequent generation of Land Cruiser has become more of a luxury cruiser. But even with increasing creature comforts, it never abandoned its roots. Given its prominence, the debut of a new Land Cruiser is a major event. With the departure of the venerable 200 Series, Toyota has pulled the cover back on the updated, modernized LC300 generation.

Behind the all-new, albeit familiar, styling lies a trove of new technology. Toyota’s beefy-but-thirsty 5.7L V-8 has departed, replaced by a choice of twin-turbo V-6s. The 3.5L gasoline engine makes 409 hp and 479 pound-feet and the 3.3L diesel pumps out 305 hp and 479 pound-feet. Both use a 10-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive. The new GA-F platform saves 440 pounds over the LC200, so the LC300 should be quicker and more efficient. The new architecture also allows for more suspension travel.

There has also been a technological makeover. Toyota’s Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System is now electronic and will be the first application of E-KDSS. The new LC also gets Multi-Terrain Monitor, which shows the driver where obstacles are located. There is also Toyota’s Multi-Terrain Select, or “off-road cruise control.”

Sadly, after 60 years in the United States, Toyota is pulling the plug on the Land Cruiser in our market. The SUV by which all others are measured, the Land Cruiser has sold 10.4 million units in 170 countries around the globe. Although we won’t get a Toyota-badged LC300 here, expect Lexus to drop a new rig that rides on the LC300 platform. Until then, we admire from afar.