Australians could find themselves waiting until long after the new Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series launches globally before getting their hands on the V6 diesel variant, according to reports of leaked dealer documents out of South Africa.
Instagram account Land.Cruiser.300 has been publishing a series of leaked documents over the past few weeks, with the site having already confirmed - for the South African market at least - new specification and trim level detail regarding the GR Sport variant of the new LC300, as well as the vehicle's towing capacity, off-road specs and GVM.
But digging a little deeper into the documents - which are stamped confidential and appear to be backgrounders for Toyota dealers in South Africa - also reveal that, while the petrol-powered LC300 will be available from July, diesel fans will need to wait a little longer.
How much longer? About another three months, with diesel deliveries - at least in South Africa - pushed back to some time in September, along with the GR-S petrol model.
While Australian timings are yet to be confirmed (in fact, Toyota in Australia has kept mostly quiet on the entire LC300 project), in a market as diesel-focused as our own it's entirely possible that Toyota in Australia will wait until diesel is available before launching the LC300 at all.
And if South Africa's timings are based on global production and availability of the diesel powertrain, it means our LandCruiser fans could be waiting until at least September.
The good news, though, is that it promises to be worth the wait. Toyota's take in the dealer documents is that the new model will outshine the old one across the board.
"As Toyota's flagship SUV, the LC300 will be engineered on an entirely new TNGA-F platform, with fundamental enhancements across the entire vehicle," the document reads.
"The Toyota will deliver outstanding on-road performance beyond all expectations for a 4WD, with no compromise to off-road performance.
"Its superior off-road performance will be complemented by new exterior and interior styling, together with advanced safety features.
"With the first model...planned in July, the new LC300 will meet customers' needs, and continue to maintain it flagship SUV leadership role."
As earlier reported, the new documents also show Toyota's twin-turbo 3.3-litre V6 diesel's towing capacity will match that of the 3.5-litre turbo-petrol, with a braked towing rating of 3500kg, and an unbraked figure of 750kg. The LC300's ground clearance, approach and departure angles will match those of the outgoing LC200 model, to "inherit its off-road drive-ability".
The documents have also revealed the power outputs for both engines, with the twin-turbo-diesel 3.3-litre V6 to deliver a whopping 225kW at 4000rpm, and 700Nm from as low as 1600rpm.
The site also lists the outputs for the new turbocharged V6 petrol unit, and it too is a beast, reportedly producing 305kW at 5200rpm, and 650Nm at 2000rpm.