Only six: Toyota Land Cruiser 300 won’t be offered anywhere with a V8

With all set to be revealed in April, a new report from the United States has claimed that the incoming Toyota Land Cruiser 300 will indeed come with a choice of only six-cylinder engines.

Despite it being claimed by Japan’s Best Car towards the end of last year that the eagerly awaited 3.3-litre turbodiesel would be a four-cylinder unit instead of a V6, a claim that first broke in March alleging the oil-burner would be an electrified version of the now upgraded 2.8 GD-6 in the Hilux, Fortuner and Prado, Autoweek reports that the V8, supposedly earmarked only for the States and the Middle East and therefore fuelled by petrol as opposed to the 4.5 D-4D turbodiesel that will continue in the 76/79, won’t be happening and that the 300 will be a V6 only model with no bent-eight option for first time since the 80-series bowed out in 1997.

Along with the diesel, reportedly set to produce 200kW/650Nm and earmarked for the GR Hilux, the rest of the line-up will comprise two versions of the 3.5-litre badged 3.4-litre V6 used in the Lexus LS 500; a twin-turbocharged unit and later on, a hybrid. Also rumoured is a performance GR model with the only transmission, aside from the hybrid, being a six-speed automatic.

As before, the 300 will use a body-on-frame platform, which in this case will be a dedicated version of the TNGA architecture known as TNGA-F set to underpin the all-new North American market Tundra pick-up. Based on reports last year, the 300 will measure 4 950 mm in overall length and have a wheelbase of 2 900 mm, height of 1 880 mm and width of 1 985 mm. A full-time four-wheel-drive system will be standard along with the low-range gearbox.

With production set to end in March after 14 years, expect more details, some likely to be final, and first images to emerge over the coming weeks.

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