2021 Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series to get hardcore GR Sport model! Off-road icon getting a performance makeover - report

The new Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series will welcome a sportier GR Sport variant for the first time, according to fresh reports out of Japan.

New reports have surfaces that Toyota is readying a GR Sport-branded LandCruiser for 2021, with the iconic off-roader to get a more tarmac-friendly trim for the first time.

Rather than focus on delivering more power, the brand will reportedly instead work on re-tuning the suspension for more dynamic handing, and leave the engines alone.

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The changes should also impact ride height, exterior and interior design, and alloy wheel selection.

What's not known yet, though, is what engine variant the GR version will focus on, but the smart money is on it including the new 3.3-litre V6 engine, given it should be first to arrive, with the petrol and hybrid powertrains still reportedly some way off.

CarsGuide understands the diesel engine, which will be a new offering from Toyota, will out-punch the 200 Series on both power and torque, which should mean outputs in excess of 200kW and 650Nm.

We do know that Toyota in Australia is interested in a GR-branded LandCruiser, suggesting its local (Port Melbourne) development facility could complete the work.

"We’ve never ruled out any model having a GR model if it makes sense," a spokesperson has told CarsGuide.

"We have an assembly facility here, and there’s no reason we couldn’t do something."

The brand has also said that Rugged X and Rogue special editions aren't ruled out, either. Again, executives have suggested Australia could handle the development duties.

"These kinds of activities are never ruled out. There are things we continue to look at and study, and we never rule out these possibilities," Toyota's sales and marketing chief, Sean Hanley, has said.

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To give you an idea of possible upgrades, the Rugged X upped the HiLux tough-stuff cred by adding a heavy-duty steel front bar, bash plate, LED lightbar and driving lights and a new-look grille, along with a snorkel, side rock rails, front and rear recovery points and a new steel rear bar.

The program could possibly form a part of Toyota's recent promise that the new 300 Series will out-punch the 200 Series in every conceivable way, with the brand promising a new-gen car will continue the LandCruiser's legacy of improving power, torque, towing and capability with each new model.

According to Japanese media, the LC300 will touch down locally around April next year, with a new Prado to follow suit in 2022. Those timings would put the LC300 in Australia by the middle of next year.