The LC300 you'll never own! New America-only off-road beast to get iconic LandCruiser badge - reports

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The Toyota LandCruiser you'll never own! (image credit: Kolesa.ru)
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
25 Jan 2022
2 min read

Toyota in America is poised to rip the covers off its latest off-road beast, with the new-generation Sequoia now tipped to get a LandCruiser badge.

But this is no LC300. Instead, America's answer to the LandCruiser 300 Series is based on the Tundra pick-up truck (which does share its key underpinnings with our LC300), and will be reserved exclusively for the American market.

Under the bonnet, then, is no diesel. The American Sequoia instead gets a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 delivering some 290kW and 649Nm, and the i-Force Max engine debuted in the Tundra which adds an electric motor for combined outputs of 326kW and 790Nm.

That's a lot of grunt, with the ladder-frame SUV delivering the kind of petrol-powered performance outputs that sports cars would envy.

But there's a whole lot more weight to move, too. The outgoing Sequoia was 5.2m long, and the smart money is on this model being even bigger again.

According to US outlet Road and Track, there's growing evidence the new Sequoia will wear the LandCruiser badge somewhere in its name, given the LC300 is not being offered in the USA.

This model, though, will share the LC300's important bits, including its off-road prowess, making its something of a straight sway for Toyota's most iconic model.

The countdown is now on to the model's offical unveiling in the USA, which is now only hours away, and will answer all our technical questions.

For now, though, a question – if you had the choice between this beast or our LC300, which would you choose?

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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