300 Series Toyota Land Cruiser Leaked in Japan
Leaked images have been circulating online of a new Toyota Land Cruiser that is obviously the upcoming 300 Series that will eventually supplant the now fourteen-year-old J200. Those with a penchant for boxy utility vehicles should be pleased, as Toyota’s longest-running model has not had its shape changed by much. There’s none of that fastback-inspired nonsense you’ll find on crossovers, the rear hatch appears to be at an almost 90-degree angle from the pavement and the front is almost as flat.
But it has received some overtly modern updates, giving a more contemporary style than the outgoing Land Cruiser despite its many facelifts. Unfortunately, we can only guess about its specifications or whether it will have a place on our market or leave the segment to the Lexus LX.
With the Land Cruiser having packed its bags for 2021, the Lexus’ luxury version of the J200 is likely all we’ll be getting for a while. The same is likely to be true with the 300 Series. Unless Toyota thinks it can make a fresh case for the original in North America, once other markets have had their fill, we’ll probably be limited to its Lexus equivalent — which is likely to sell better.
The spy shots — courtesy of CocheSpias.net — should give us a decent idea of what that car will look like, too. Just imagine it with a whopper of a grille and trick headlamps and you’re halfway there. You can also assume obligatory four-wheel drive and a bunch of features designed to cater to those who might actually take their vehicles off-road. Everything else would just be a guess. But we’re relatively certain that the 300 will come with a twin-turbo, 3.5-liter V6, and some form of hybrid that’s likely to be introduced later in its lifespan.
[Image: Toyota]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Looks like styling that could translate as a Lexus LX almost unchanged. Mostly the 200 series is about overengineered mechanicals, not styling, and the thing I want to know most about the 300 series is whether it continues that tradition.
I understand some of the appeal especially the classic versions (I guess this sort of is a classic version at this point) but hard to justify the price me thinks.