It’s finally coming.
After over 13 years, there’s a new generation of Toyota LandCruiser imminent.
BestCarWeb reports Toyota has notified its Japanese dealers that the LandCruiser 300 Series will reach them in April 2021.
The only slightly newer LandCruiser Prado, which dates back to 2009, will also be replaced in 2022 during our spring.
The big daddy 300 Series will use a new body-on-frame TNGA architecture including new suspension and a new four-wheel drive system.
Toyota is also expected to say sayonara to its V8 engines, with the 300 Series instead to offer a choice of two petrol engines and one diesel.
The petrol engines will consist of a 3.5-litre V6 engine in both hybrid and turbocharged variants, while the diesel will be a new 3.3-litre turbo-diesel V6.
A report earlier this year, however, suggested the V8 isn’t entirely dead and that the 300 Series will be the first LandCruiser to feature a high-performance GR model, which could potentially use a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine.
The LandCruiser’s new TNGA architecture – possibly called TNGA-F – is expected to be shared with the next Lexus LX and the US-built Tundra pickup and Sequoia SUV.
It’s also expected to be used by the 4Runner, currently a relative of the Prado, as well as the Tacoma pickup. That suggests the Prado will also use this architecture, as well as its more luxurious Lexus GX cousin sold in other markets.
Iconic 70 Series aside, LandCruiser generations have typically lasted a decade or less, making the 200 Series somewhat of an anomaly.
The last LandCruiser generation to have such a lengthy run was the 55 Series, manufactured from 1967 until 1980 in Japan.
Technically, the 80 Series has it beat but with a caveat: while it was manufactured in Japan for only seven years, it was produced in Venezuela for a whopping 16 years. There, production ended in 2008.
The Prado has also seen its lifecycle blow out. Though it used to be redesigned every six years or so, the current car has been on sale since 2009. Toyota has, however, updated it along the way, including introducing a more powerful turbo-diesel engine this year.
