Cruiser debut for Sydney

Toyota's long-awaited, all-new 200 series LandCruiser will debut at next month's Australian International Motor Show at Darling Harbour. The Sydney date will be the world premiere for the big four-wheel drive wagon.

Offering V8 petrol and turbodiesel engines, the big Toyo will go on sale in Australia in November as the replacement for long-serving 100 series. Toyota claims the 200's new powerplants will offer "considerably more power than their predecessors while the turbodiesel engine offers a dramatic increase in torque".

Aussies received their first dose of the new V8 turbodiesel's 'oomph' in the recently released 70 series LandCruiser Troopy and Tray Back (more here). In the 200 series, the engine gets another turbo for an outputs that are expected to be over 200kW and around 650Nm.

According to Toyota Australia boss, David Buttner, the Sydney show got the nod over last week's Frankfurt show thanks to Australia's long-term relationship with the landmark offroader.

"This is a real coup for Australia," Buttner said. "It reflects the vital role Australia has played in the development of LandCruiser over almost 50 years."

LandCruiser celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2008.

Toyota is still holding most details on the 200 series close to its chest but has revealed the new eight-seater wagon is 60mm longer, 30mm wider and 15mm higher than the outgoing model. The best indication of the car's other features to date is the LX570 which debuted in the USA in April (more here).

In the case of the 200 series, the traditional ladder frame chassis has also been retained, but there have been wholesale suspension changes. Up front a new double-wishbone coil set-up replaces the old 100 series (and at times fragile) torsion bar configuration. And in a first for LandCruiser and Australia, the 200 will be offered with optional Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) hydraulic suspension.

The KDSS system was originally developed by Western Australian company, Kinetic, for use in rally and offroad racing. A semi-active hydraulic system, it also allows greater wheel travel offroad without compromising onroad performance via a mechanism which engages and disengages the front and rear stabiliser (anti-roll) bars.

The petrol 200 models boast what Toyota claims is the world's first "crawl control" system.

Dubbed CRAWL (we kid you not!) the system automatically regulates engine power and brakes to maintain "very low speeds with minimal spinning or locking of the wheels". Like a super-slow cruise control system, Toyota says CRAWL allows the driver to perform "delicate speed adjustments" between 1-5km/h via a three-position dial control.

Toyota says the 200 gets up to 10 airbags -- front, side and knee airbags for the driver and front passenger, side airbags for the outboard second-row seats and curtain shield airbags for all three rows -- and the vehicle also offers stability control and a refined crash structure. The 200's antilock braking system has also been optimised for all types of road and surface conditions, claims Toyota.

You can also expect a whole new level of optional equipment to be available on the 200 too as Toyota goes gunning for the high ground in the serious offroad market. This will include satnav, elaborate entertainment systems and more.

The Australian International Motor Show opens at Darling Harbour on October 11. Look out for the Carsales Network's comprehensive coverage online from midday.

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