New LandCruiser makes a run for it

The things you see when you haven't got a gun...Cruising through that hive of automotive activity, Woodend in country Victoria, yesterday we spotted a heavily disguised Toyota LandCruiser.

Obviously the drivers had pulled over to pick up some country-style croissants and didn't expect a convoy of motoring journalists comfortably cocooned in the latest Mercedes-Benz to cross their path.

Hopefully, they didn't suffer third-degree burns from the soy latte spilled in their laps as they raced away. And don't feel bad, anybody can walk into a tree when they're in a hurry, guys…

The images don't give away much about the new 200 Series Cruiser, but in our view, it's styled to look a little less imposing than the current 100 Series. It also looks like it will feature frontal styling in keeping with the new Kluger, which is due for local release next month (more here).

Our guess is that Toyota and Lexus have distanced the LX570 (more here) from the lower cost LandCruiser in this generation and the frontal styling will be a point of difference. Overseas leaked pics (more here) seem to support this opinion.

Interestingly too, though the Woodend cars were clearly diesel -- the 'clatter' as they launched away indicated that -- they had little of the V8 rumble we expected. Could Toyota be testing a humbler engined version?

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