2022 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series GR Sport: New mid-range variant coming
The new generation Toyota LandCruiser will have the option of a model with a more sporting flavour.
Toyota’s GR performance badge will be fitted to the LandCruiser for the first time, however it will initially have an off-road focus rather than delivering more power.
The 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series GR Sport was one of the surprise reveals of the new model range overnight, showing off a sporty appearance and smaller alloy wheels with taller profile tyres, presumably for better off-road ability.
Few details have emerged on the LandCruiser GR Sport but CarAdvice understands it will be introduced in Australian showrooms about the same time or soon after the rest of the line-up in the last three months of 2021.
A new electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (e-KDSS) – which is claimed to improve off-road performance via a larger suspension stroke “achieved by effectively disabling the front and rear stabiliser bars” – is expected to be available on the new Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport.
Photos released overnight show the new-generation Toyota LandCruiser will adopt a broader model range, heading upmarket to take on the likes of Range Rover and Mercedes-Benz while the GR Sport edition is intended to appeal to off-road enthusiasts and priced somewhere near the middle of the range.
As we reported here, the first new Toyota LandCruiser in 14 years – one of the longest stretches between new models in the 70-year history of the nameplate – has been confirmed with twin turbo diesel V6 and twin turbo petrol V6 power (for international markets that favour petrol) instead of a V8.
There was no mention of a hybrid, however that option is likely due in 2025 alongside or close to the arrival of the LandCruiser-based Lexus LX, as development continues.
The twin turbo diesel V6 in the 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series is an all-new design, with a capacity of 3.3-litres (227kW and 700Nm) versus the outgoing turbo diesel V8 (200kW and 650Nm).
The new engine will be backed by a 10-speed automatic rather than the six-speed in the 200 Series, designed to boost acceleration and improve open road fuel economy.
For more details on the 2022 Toyota LandCruiser read our main story here.
And here’s a story on how Toyota was able to keep the LandCruiser 300 Series a secret during development.
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