Final: Toyota Land Cruiser 300 officially bowing on 9 June
Replacement for the Land Cruiser 200 will reportedly become available in South Africa from July.
Confirmation of the launch date has not deterred spy shots of the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 continuing to leak on social media. Picture: landcruiserupdates on Instagram.
Speculative reports of almost three years and a barrage of spy images on social media will come to an end next week with the eagerly awaited reveal of the all-new Toyota Land Cruiser 300.
Replacing the 200 that ended production in March after 14 years, one of the longest in the Land Cruiser’s 70 year history, Toyota, via its Middle East YouTube channel, has released a six second teaser clip named “Teaser 1” confirming 9 June as the date of unveiling.
As alluded to by the designation, more hints are poised to be disclosed before the date with the biggest likely to be glimpses of the interior.
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Already set in stone though is the use of a new body-on-frame platform called TNGA-F that will be used by the next generation Tundra in the US, the forthcoming new Hilux, Fortuner and Land Cruiser Prado, retention of the low range transfer case and a ground clearance of 230 mm.
It’s dimensions already revealed, what is also known is the 300 will become the first Land Cruiser since the 80-series not to have the option of a V8 engine despite previous reports of a market specific bent-eight in the form of the on and off Lexus developed 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 slated to feature under the bonnet of the Tundra.
With a Land Cruiser first hybrid powertrain on the cards for inclusion next year, the initial engine line-up will comprise a single petrol and diesel engine, both V6s, connected to an all-new ten-speed automatic gearbox, a 305kW/650Nm version of the Lexus LS 500’s 3.5-litre badged 3.4-litre twin-turbo petrol and the brand-new 225kW/700Nm 3.3-litre turbodiesel that replaces the 4.5 D-4D V8 which lives on in the Land Cruiser 76/79.
RELATED: Clearer picture(s) emerge of all-new Toyota Land Cruiser 300
In addition to the standard trim levels; GX-R and the new ZX that replaces the previous range-topping VX.R, a GR Sport will slot-in between the pair mainly with Gazoo Racing attire inside and out, but without any gain in performance.
Inside, the main highlight will be the new 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system from the Venza and Harrier on the GR Sport and ZX, as well as a 14-speaker JBL sound system plus a suite of new safety and driver assistance systems.
Once revealed, and in accordance with a leaked document posted on social media last month reportedly from Toyota South Africa, the Land Cruiser 300 will touch down on local shores next month with the diesel and GR Sport arriving in September.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8Kz1RKSO9w
Additional reporting: motor1.com
