Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series launch date, pricing and V6 diesel engine revealed - reports

More details of the Land Cruiser 300 Series have been revealed in Japan.

The Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series will be around $7000 more expensive when it debuts in September 2021, as the Japanese giant recoups development costs for the new TNGA platform, new V6 diesel engine and new safety equipment, according to fresh reports in Japanese media.

According to the local press, the LC 300 was expected to debut in September 2020, but development slowed to a standstill amidst the pandemic. Instead, the first new LandCruiser in around 14 years will appear in September 2021.

We know already it will ride on a new ladder-frame TNGA platform, and will be fitted with a trio of engines, but the first to arrive in Australia should be a new 3.3-litre V6 diesel, which Toyota locally has promised will outperform the now-defunct V8 on both power and torque. The new reports also point to the possibility of electrification joining that engine in the future, with Toyota reportedly working on a diesel hybrid. There is also a brace of turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 petrol engines - one hybrid, the other not - but neither have been confirmed for our market.

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All that new tech development isn't cheap, of course, and the Japanese press is reporting the base price of the LC 300 will increase by around 500,000 yen, or close to $7k AUD. How those figures relate to Australian pricing is yet to be determined, but a straight conversion would see the base price climb to around $88,000.

The new LC 300 will reportedly be bigger in almost every key dimension than the vehicle it replaces, stretching some 4970mm in length, 1985mm in width and 1870mm in height, and it will ride on a 2900mm wheelbase. Inside, there will be a choice of five or eight-seat configurations, over two or three rows. Inside, there will be a 12.3-inch multimedia screen, and Toyota's Safety Sense package will add active safety kit.

The reports are yet to be confirmed by Toyota, but one thing is certain - we are edging closer to the official reveal of a new off-road icon.