All-New Toyota Land Cruiser LC300 Revealed: Gets New Engine Options & Advanced Electronics

The all-new Toyota Land Cruiser has been revealed. Codenamed J300, the legendary SUV was unveiled on the occasion of Toyota's 70th Anniversary. It has improved from the previous-generation in every measurable way, gets a brand new design, a long list of features and a new powertrain as well.

The Toyota Land Cruiser was first introduced in 1951, since then the SUV has undergone various transformations and even spawned new models to cater to the needs of off-road enthusiasts around the globe.

Over the years, the Land Cruiser has not only carved out a reputation as one of the best off-road SUVs but it has also been widely accepted as the most reliable among the SUVs.

However, with changing times, the requirements of buyers also changed.

The current-generation Land Cruiser LC200 was quickly becoming outdated as it was introduced way back in 2007. This meant that the LC200's global sales declined significantly over the years despite the SUV further strengthening the family's core reputation.

Another reason for the decline in sales is the competition as competitors strengthened themselves with modern technology - which was the biggest weakness of the Land Cruiser LC200 during the recent years due to lack of significant upgrades.

Toyota understood this and started to work on the next generation of Land Cruiser. One of the biggest challenges Toyota faced while developing the new J300 was to overcome the benchmarks set by the LC200 (Codename J200) itself.

To achieve this feat, Toyota took a different route from its rivals by opting to build the new J300 on a ladder-chassis platform. However, Toyota has thoroughly developed the new body-on-frame platform to set new off-road and on-road benchmarks without sacrificing any of its strengths.

Visually, the new J300 Land Cruiser will not be mistaken for anything other than a Land Cruiser as it still retains the same boxy silhouette from the J200. Apparently, this is the only similarity with its predecessor.

The front is dominated by a huge 4-slat grille which in turn is surrounded by a U-shaped air intake and flanked by two slim LED headlights on either side. On the sides, the squared-off wheel arches grab your attention immediately.

It also gets door-mounted rear-view mirrors and functional roof rails. The rear also looks neat with a pair of smart-looking four-piece tail lights. It is on the Inside that the new Toyota Land Cruiser J300 feels like a huge step-up from the J200 Land Cruiser.

The whole interior feels few notches more expensive with the use of top-shelf materials. This interior wouldn't look out of place even if it carried a Lexus badge on the steering wheel. Toyota has opted to swim against the tide of large-dominating touchscreens and touch-based controls, in favour of a far more traditional layout with buttons and knobs.

However, underneath this traditionally laid out interior lies a sophisticated SUV capable of doing millions of calculations per second. The new J300 Land Cruiser comes with features such as adaptive cruise control, lane support, multiple drive modes, wireless phone charger, start/stop button with fingerprint scanner among many more features.

The latter not only ensures an added layer of safety, but the system identifies the user and sets the user's preferred car settings. The next big change comes under the hood. Gone are the large V8 diesel and petrol engines, and in comes a new range of more efficient and more powerful engines.

The petrol motor is a 3.5-litre turbocharged V6 that puts out 409bhp and 650Nm, while the diesel motor is a smaller 3.3-litre turbocharged V6 with 304bhp and 700Nm. Both engines will be paired with a highly efficient 10-speed torque converter automatic gearbox as standard.

Unlike a few of its rivals, the Toyota Land Cruiser will still be offered with a proper low-range transfer case. According to sources, the new Land Cruiser will be sold in India as a completely-built unit and it is expected to go on sale later this year.

Thoughts On The All-New Toyota Land Cruiser LC300 Being Revealed

The Toyota Land Cruiser is an important vehicle. It is the pinnacle of automotive reliability. The United Nations peacekeeping forces use these vehicles and run them for lakhs of kilometres without any breakdowns, and that is just one example of the Land Cruiser's reliability. We sure hope that the addition of these advanced electronics wouldn't interfere with this legendary reliability.

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Read more on: #toyota
Article Published On: Friday, June 11, 2021, 12:05 [IST]
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