New Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series could downsize to four cylinders
But Aussies will be only be offered six-cylinder engines from launch next yearWhen the 2021 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series arrives in Australia next year, it will be six-cylinder only.
That’s the good news for Aussie buyers. The bad news? It’s increasingly likely the new LandCruiser will roll into local Toyota dealerships without a diesel engine from launch.
Recent reports from Japan claim the new Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series will be offered with a big new 3.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel – not a V6 turbo-diesel of the same capacity, which was widely expected to debut in Toyota’s new 4WD flagship.
Sources with knowledge of the new the 300 Series told carsales they wouldn’t rule out a four-cylinder engine being fitted under the big bonnet – but that it wouldn’t come to Australia.
“The local market will be six-cylinder only, but I can’t categorically say there won’t be a four-cylinder elsewhere on the planet,” said our source.
Unsurprisingly, it seems the chasm between the current LC200’s 4.5-litre twin-turbo diesel V8 (200kW/650Nm) and a four-cylinder diesel engine would be too great for many customers to cross.
A bigger engine with more than four cylinders is also one of the most significant elements that separates the LandCruiser from its smaller sibling, the Prado.
Earlier this year there were reports that Toyota’s new LC300 would even get the four-pot 2.8-litre turbo-diesel that was recently upgraded for the Prado, HiLux and Fortuner, but even if that did happened it would likely never be offered in Australia.
Toyota is yet to officially confirm any particulars of the new LandCruiser 300 Series, but it will be more expensive and insiders have said petrol and diesel V6 engines will be forthcoming initially, with a hybrid model to arrive no later than 2025.
It’s not clear where the four-cylinder intel contained in Japanese website Best Car’s report came from, but if its sources are on the money there’s every chance the all-new 2021 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series will launch in Australia without any diesel engine option.
Toyota is widely expected to offer a version of the Lexus-developed 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 (310kW/600Nm) in its next LandCruiser, alongside an all-new turbo-diesel V6 that’s understood to displace between 3.3 and 3.6 litres.
It’s these V6 engines that will be the focus of intense discussion, as Toyota Australia’s sales and marketing boss Sean Hanley has consistently said that the next LandCruiser will offer the same if not greater towing, off-roading and overall capability than the current model.
“I know it’s probably not the answer the audience wants to hear, but it’s the best I can give right now… as we’ve said all along, the next LandCruiser you can be sure will as capable, if not more so, than the current one,” said Hanley.
“We have one of the largest markets right here in Australia for LandCruiser in the world. Our parent company understands this and has also been working very closely with us to make this model as good as it can be.”
Lexus also offers a 3.5-litre V6 petrol-electric hybrid powertrain that has a respectable power output (264kW) but not enough torque (350Nm) to match the current model’s 3.5-tonne towing capacity, which is a major drawcard for many LandCruiser buyers.
As we’ve previously reported, a top-end Toyota LandCruiser GR variant of the new 300 Series could bring the return of a petrol V8, namely the upcoming 4.0-litre twin-turbo bruiser also being developed by Lexus.
In the next Lexus LX, it’s expected to sing a tune close to 450kW and 750Nm, which would certainly give Toyota’s flagship 4x4 more performance across a several measures.
Whatever engines the new LandCruiser 300 Series comes with, one thing is certain – there won’t be a turbo-diesel V8 anymore.
The long-running 1VD-FTV engine will be retired once the current LandCruiser 200 Series is pensioned off in the first half of 2021 – and Aussie buyers are seemingly more aware of this than ever.
Latest sales figures show a surge in interest for the V8 diesel LC200, which not only matches the towing capacity of Australia’s most popular dual-cab 4x4 utes but offers a fuel range of well over 1000km.
According to the latest VFACTS national sales data, sales of the Toyota LandCruiser more than doubled last month, from 916 vehicles in November 2019 to a whopping 1981 in November 2020.
In a sub-$100,000 upper large SUV market segment (even if the outgoing LC200 is priced between $81,000 and $125,000 plus ORCs) in which the LandCruiser accounts for 84 per cent of sales, it’s on track to find almost 14,000 Aussie homes again this year.
With so many customers signing up for the last-ever turbo-diesel V8-powered LandCruiser, it begs the question: how warmly will they embrace the new all-V6 LandCruiser?
Stay tuned for more details.
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