Toyota and Lexus will officially unveil the new LandCruiser 200 Series and Lexus LX570 in Japan during August.
But unofficially the large, economy-size SUVs are already in the public domain. We first reported the new look for the LandCruiser 200 just two days ago, and now both vehicles have been outed in Japanese enthusiast publication, Best Car.
The LX570 had already migrated to a variation on the corporate grille used by every Lexus model, but this facelifted model will get an even stronger dose of the brand's 'spindle grille' spice – with a dominating grille that fills the nose section from the bonnet all the way down to the bottom of the front bumper. This could well be the biggest – proportionally – grille we have ever seen on a production 4WD.
While the LC200 and the LX570 share the same platform, the two SUVs run different drivetrains, which are expected to carry over without major change.
It's rumoured that the LandCruiser, which is due here in October, will introduce autonomous emergency braking. Labelled "Toyota Safety Sense P", the new system employs a combination of milli-wave radar and high resolution camera to monitor the road ahead. It can engage the brakes automatically at any speed between 10 and 180 km/h; it can also avoid a collision with a car cruising ahead at closing speeds of up to 40km/h; and at speeds up to 30km/h it can brake to avoid pedestrians.
At the very least it's a strong chance this feature will be standard for the Lexus. The big question remaining is whether the Aussie-spec LandCruiser will offer it too.
Image: Best Car