Toyota ups prices for 2016 LandCruiser

Toyota Australia has announcing pricing and specifications for the upgraded 2016 LandCruiser 200 Series, headlined by an "all-seeing" Sahara flagship that now costs almost $120,000 in diesel form.

Priced at $113,500 for the petrol (up $2900) and $118,500 in diesel form (up $4900 – both before on-road costs), the top-shelf LC200 Sahara now offers a panoramic view via four cameras mounted at the front, rear and side mirrors to make parking and off-road manoeuvres easier.

Toyota says the front camera now rotates to maintain a level horizon on the larger dash monitor, illustrating the tilt angle of the vehicle, while a new under-floor view displays images taken about three metres ahead of the vehicle, allows drivers to see an image that indicates where the front wheels are placed.

For 2016, Sahara models also gain advanced driver aids including pre-collision system, dynamic radar cruise control, lane-departure alert and blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert.

This is an addition to standard range-wide safety features including seven airbags, traction/stability control, multi-terrain anti-skid brakes, hill-start assist control, trailer sway control and emergency brake signal.

All models also come with upgraded Euro 5 emissions-compliant V8 4.5-litre twin-turbo diesel and 4.6-litre petrol engines. The diesel's power increases by 5kW to 200kW due to new injectors and revised mapping, while torque remains at 650Nm.

The diesel V8's fuel consumption is down by 0.5L/100km or 7.7 per cent to 9.5L/100km and, thanks to a particulate filter, CO2 emissions fall to 250g/km.

The Euro 5-compliant petrol V8's outputs remain unchanged at 227kW and 439Nm, but consumption falls from 13.6 to 13.4L/100km and CO2 emissions improves to 309g/km, thanks to the adoption of secondary air induction through the exhaust ports for faster catalyst warm-up from a cold start.

The cheapest LC200 – the base diesel-only GX – rises in price by $2900 to $76,500, while the GXL diesel is up $3400 and the VX diesel is up $3900.

On the petrol side, the cheapest GXL is up $1400 to $82,000 and the VX is up $1900 to $92,500. That means diesel models now carry a hefty $5000 premium over equivalent petrol models.

Beyond the safety and powertrain upgrades, all models are distinguished by a new grille, headlights, front bumper, bonnet and front quarter guards, plus restyled LED tail-lights.

Inside, GX models score soft padding around the centre console, while two new colours -- Copper Brown and Onyx Blue -- are available on all grades except GX, bringing the total number of colours to 10.

The LandCruiser line-up continues to include GXL, VX and Sahara variants with petrol and diesel power, matched with a six-speed automatic transmission.

GX trim is grey fabric, while GXLs come with grey or beige and VX and Sahara models offer the choice of black or beige leather-accented upholstery. The GX is a five-seater, while diesel VX and Sahara models have seven seats and all other grades offer eight seats.

Headlights are halogen on GX, projector on GXL with LED low and halogen high-beams with static auto-levelling; and dusk-sensing bi-LED for VX and Sahara with dynamic auto-levelling. The two higher grades also feature LED front fog lamps.

As the workhorse of the range, the GX gains a 12-volt accessory socket to go with its 17-inch steel wheels, snorkel, side-hinged rear barn door and vinyl floor covering.

New GXL features include roof rails, LED clearance lamps, leather-accented steering wheel and gear-shift knob, a revised analogue instrument cluster and variable intermittent wipers.

Carry-over GXL features include 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone front climate-control air-conditioning, a rear cooler, rear spoiler, aluminium side steps, a second 12-volt connector and a 220-volt rear connector, horizontal-split tailgate, smart entry and start, reversing camera, satellite navigation, privacy glass and body-coloured mirrors.

New VX features include side airbags for the outboard second-row seats, LED daytime running lamps, redesigned Optitron instruments with a 4.2-inch colour multi-information display and a 9.0-inch touch-screen display (up from 8.0).

Carry-over VX features include leather-accented seat trim, 18-inch alloys, rain-sensing wipers, the Australian-developed Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System, front/rear parking sensors, power-retractable exterior mirrors, moon roof, black side steps and woodgrain-look interior highlights.

On top of this, Sahara models gain a wireless smartphone charger and revised rear-seat entertainment with front seatback-mounted screens.

Carry-over Sahara features include a power tailgate, heated electric side mirrors, multi-terrain monitor, cool box, heated front and second-row seats, ventilated front seats with active head restraints and three-position driver's seat, steering wheel and mirror memory.

The LC200 continues to dominate the upper-large mainstream SUV segment, of which it commands 82 per cent with more than 6700 sales so far this year.

2016 LandCruiser 200 pricing (plus ORCs):
GX Diesel – $76,500 (previously $73,600)
GXL Diesel – $87,000 ($83,600)
VX Diesel – $97,500 ($93,600)
Sahara Diesel – $118,500 ($113,600)
GXL Petrol – $82,000 ($80,600)
VX Petrol – $92,500 ($90,600)
Sahara Petrol – $113,500 ($110,600)

Options:
Premium paint: $550
KDSS (GXL diesel): $3,250
Snorkel (GXL, VX and Sahara diesel): $500