Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series line-up revealed

Toyota Australia has received official homologation approval for the new-generation 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, confirming that five variants of the Japanese car-maker's all-new flagship SUV are ready to be offered from its local launch late this year.

The regulatory federal government documents also list key technical details for the certified models such as weights and dimensions.

No variant names are attached to the certification, but these are expected to carry over as GX, GXL, VX and Sahara, with the fifth one likely to represent the new GR Sport grade that was seen testing locally last month.

The documents show that three model grades – believed to be the base GX, GR Sport and Sahara – will offer seating for five occupants, leaving a seven-seat capacity for the volume-selling GXL and VX variants (or their new equivalents).

As reported, there will no longer be an eight-seat option, and core specs based on the international launch of the LandCruiser 300 Series hold firm for the Australian-market models.

Chief among these is a new 227kW/700Nm 3.3-litre (3346cc) twin-turbo diesel V6 mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission, and maximum braked towing capacity that remains at 3500kg (750kg unbraked).

But there are some finer details here that are worth sinking your teeth into.

Australian-spec LandCruiser models rest on a 2850mm wheelbase, measure 1950mm high and also 1980mm wide for all variants except the more aggressively styled GR Sport, which is 1990mm.

Length varies from 4980mm through to 4995mm on the GR Sport and 5015mm for what’s believed to be the top-spec Sahara.

Compared to the previous LandCruiser 200 Series, in volume-selling mid-spec (GXL) guise this sees the new LC300 resting on the same-length wheelbase, but it’s not quite as tall with a 20mm lower height, and while width is the same there’s a slight reduction in overall length (-10mm).

Ground clearance is 245mm across the LC300 range, compared to a lower 230mm in the LC200.

At the entry level, the new LandCruiser will come standard with 17-inch wheels with 245/75 R17 tyres, while most other models are fitted with 18-inch rims and 265/65 R18 rubber.

Certification has also been granted for 20-inch wheels, most likely for the flagship Sahara, which are wrapped in 265/55 R20 rubber.

Gross vehicle mass (GVM) is 3280kg across the LandCruiser 300 Series range, compared to 3350kg on the LC200 (-70kg), while tare mass ranges from 2410kg to 2545kg.

Taking what looks to be the new GXL model as a reference, the LC300’s tare mass of 2495kg – which doesn’t include the weight of fuel or any fitted accessories such as a tow bar – is 135kg lower than the LC200 GXL (2630kg).

That equates to a 65kg increase in favour of the new model when you compare GVM minus tare mass (785kg for LC300 versus 720kg), so count on payload improving by a similar margin from the 610kg on the previous GXL.