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

The Toyota LandCruiser you'll never own! (image credit: Kolesa.ru)

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?