Toyota Land Cruiser 300

Land Cruiser 300 at a glance

The 300 Series is listed in the Toyota catalogue next to its predecessor, the Land Cruiser 200.

Seventy years of the Land Cruiser name

Toyota dates the Land Cruiser line to the BJ, which went on sale in August 1951. By the 300 Series launch in 2021, its 70th anniversary year, about 10.4 million Land Cruisers had been sold in 170 countries and regions, and annual sales exceeded 300,000 vehicles. The family now includes the large station wagon, the smaller 250 Series and the long-running 70 Series work vehicles.

For the 300 Series Toyota named two development goals: to keep the reliability, durability and off-road ability the name is known for, and to make long drives on any road less tiring. Test drivers included Toyota's own staff and participants of the Dakar Rally.

A new frame under a familiar shape

The 300 Series uses the GA-F platform, Toyota's body-on-frame version of its TNGA architecture, with a new, stiffer ladder frame. Toyota says the vehicle lost about 200 kg compared with its predecessor; the South African site Cars.co.za reported up to 200 kg for petrol models and about 100 kg for diesels. To lower the centre of gravity, the engine was moved 28 mm down and 70 mm towards the rear.

Toyota kept the length, width, wheelbase and the approach and departure angles of the 200 Series, so the 300 has the same footprint. Toyota Australia's specification sheet gives these figures:

Our size comparison tool puts these figures next to a European SUV or a garage.

Engines and gearbox

The V8 engines of the 200 Series were replaced by twin-turbo V6s. Both main engines drive through the new Direct Shift-10AT 10-speed automatic and a transfer case with low range.

Toyota estimated that the new engines cut annual CO2 emissions of its global Land Cruiser fleet by about 10 % compared with the previous model. Wikipedia calls the petrol engine a 3.4-litre, while Toyota names it a 3.5. The naturally aspirated 4.0-litre V6 with a six-speed automatic was carried over from the previous model for some markets.

The hybrid version

The hybrid first appeared in the United Arab Emirates with a redesigned front bumper and grille. It combines the twin-turbo petrol V6 with an electric motor and is marketed in Australia as i-FORCE MAX. Toyota Australia quotes 341 kW and 790 Nm for the Sahara ZX and GR Sport grades, 36 kW more than the petrol V6 alone. The other Australian grades keep the diesel, which is rated to tow 3,500 kg braked.

Off-road hardware and GR Sport

The 300 Series keeps a separate frame and four-wheel drive with a low-range transfer case. Cars.co.za and Wikipedia give an approach angle of 32 degrees, a departure angle of 26.5 degrees and 230 mm of ground clearance. Multi-Terrain Select and a camera-based Multi-Terrain Monitor are part of the off-road equipment.

E-KDSS, Toyota's electronic kinetic dynamic suspension system, can disconnect the anti-roll bars off-road to increase wheel articulation. The GR Sport is 5 mm shorter than the standard car and adds front and rear differential locks, while the standard models have a lockable centre differential.

Equipment and safety systems

Toyota fitted the latest version of Toyota Safety Sense. Its pre-collision system detects pedestrians by day and by night and cyclists by day, and a Parking Support Brake is new. On South African launch models every version had stability and traction control, hill-start assist, trailer sway control, Downhill Assist Control, Crawl Control and LED headlights; the ZX added a 12.3-inch screen, a 14-speaker JBL system, heated and ventilated front and second-row seats and a panoramic camera.

No crash-test rating from Euro NCAP or ANCAP was available for this article. Toyota does not sell the 300 Series in the United States and Canada; there, the Lexus LX remains the large Toyota-group SUV, and the smaller Land Cruiser 250 took over part of the role from 2024.

Prices at launch

Dated launch prices are available from South Africa, one of the first markets. Cars.co.za published these prices in July 2021:

All versions came with a three-year or 100,000 km warranty and a service plan for nine services or 90,000 km.

Land Cruiser 300 vs Land Cruiser 200

The 200 Series of 2007–2021 used V8 engines, among them a 4.5-litre twin-turbo diesel with 200 kW. The 300 keeps the exterior size and the separate frame but adds about 27 kW and 50 Nm in its diesel version, a 10-speed automatic, a lower engine position and the GR Sport off-road version. 1cars also covered the Heritage Edition of the Land Cruiser 200, and the Lexus LX is the luxury model that Toyota sells in North America instead of the 300.

Photo gallery