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Next generation LandCruiser 300 Series expected to have V6 diesel and V6 petrol power – and eventually a hybrid – but no V8.
| THE INDEPENDENT | The iconic Toyota LandCruiser V8 is nearing the end of the road, with well-placed sources claiming the next generation 300 Series will have a choice of V6 turbo-diesel and V6 turbo petrol power when it goes on sale in late 2021 – before eventually being joined by a V6 hybrid a few years later.
Toyota says it’s too early to discuss technical details of what will be the first completely new LandCruiser in 14 years, however the current 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel and 4.6-litre V8 petrol will be phased out due to tougher global emissions standards.
While diehard LandCruiser fans will mourn the loss of the effortless towing ability and the lusty sound of a V8, it appears Toyota is unable to avoid the car industry’s push to downsized engines that produce the same or more power from smaller capacities.
“You would see most brands are shifting down from V8s whether it be petrol or diesel configurations. It’s generally in the pursuit of greater efficiencies and to reduce CO2 emissions, so that’s the global trend,” a Toyota official said.
While there has been much speculation about a hybrid LandCruiser, that variant will arrive a few years after the 300 Series goes on sale, after it initially launches with V6 diesel and V6 petrol power. Toyota is clearly a leader in hybrid technology.
Although a shift to V6 power – and eventually hybrid technology – is apparently inevitable, Toyota insists the LandCruiser won’t lose any of its off-road or towing capability. Toyota has previously claimed it will offer a hybrid variant in every model range by 2025.
“By around 2025, every model in the Toyota and Lexus line-up around the world will be available as either a dedicated electrified model or have an electrified option,” it said in a statement.
For now, however, it’s unclear if Toyota will introduce a diesel hybrid or a petrol hybrid LandCruiser. To date, Toyota has not produced a diesel hybrid variant of any vehicle.
While Toyota is yet to announce timing of the next generation LandCruiser, it has confirmed that development work is well progressed, including local testing.
In the meantime, if the LandCruiser V8 is to be phased out, industry insiders are predicting a stampede on showrooms to buy the runout model, given traditional buyers prefer larger capacity engines and the V8 has proven so popular.
If the V8 LandCruiser is axed and hybrid power becomes an option, it won’t be the end of the road as many fans might fear.
Based on what we know is available today, Toyota could adapt the 3.5-litre hybrid petrol V6 engine used in the Lexus LS500h sedan, which is mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and produces a combined 294kW of power and 650Nm of torque – that’s 94kW more power and the same torque output as the current twin turbo 4.5-litre V8 diesel.
Even a non-hybrid turbo V6 could be a tantalising proposition to replace the V8 petrol LandCruiser.
Toyota currently has at its disposal a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 that produces 310kW of power and 600Nm of torque, which eclipses the current 4.6-litre V8 petrol’s modest output of 227kW of power and 439Nm of torque.
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