When you think of a Toyota hybrid, you likely think of a fuel-sipping Camry, RAV4 or Corolla. However, the Japanese carmaker is soon bucking this trend with the full-fat LandCruiser 300 Series Performance Hybrid.
Set to be offered in top-spec GR Sport and Sahara ZX guises, the petrol-electric hybrid versions of this iconic four-wheel drive are launching in Australia in the first half of 2026 and will sit alongside the existing turbo-diesel trims.
You’ll note I’ve called this car a ‘Performance Hybrid’ as Toyota is intentionally sitting this aside from its existing ‘Efficiency Hybrid’ options. It says the LandCruiser’s hybrid engine is not entirely about saving fuel and reducing emissions but also adding oomph with electrification.
.png)
-
Toyota’s Tesla Model S rival revealed overseas: 2026 Toyota bZ7 electric sedan gets Huawei, Xiaomi and self-driving tech for China
-
Toyota Prado shock! New Toyota three-row electric Kluger and Prado SUVs confirmed for US production to rival the Rivian R1S, Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Kia EV9: report
-
New Toyota LandCruiser detailed! 2026 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series Hybrid detailed for Australia as a high-performance alternative to the V8-powered Nissan Patrol and GMC Yukon
Under the bonnet is a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine with a single electric motor-generator. This is the same set-up as the Tundra pick-up, which is built on the same 'TNGA-F' platform.
This is mated to a 10-speed torque-converter automatic with drive sent through a full-time four-wheel drive system.
Toyota hasn’t confirmed Australian total system outputs, fuel consumption, towing capacity, payload and pricing for this car as it’s still being homologated.
In the meantime, however, CarsGuide has been allowed to take a very brief spin of a pre-production LandCruiser GR Sport Performance Hybrid at Toyota Australia’s test track in Altona, Victoria.
When you first start up the car it usually starts in EV mode. Under 30km/h in certain situations it’s also capable of keeping the engine off and tootling around on pure-electric power. This is so bizarre in such a large vehicle.
In practice, however, it feels like you only need to breathe on the accelerator to fire up the petrol engine. It’ll only switch off when coasting to a stop and when stationary, provided there’s enough battery charge.
It’s clear the combustion engine is the primary source of power with the electric motor in a supplementary role.
This isn’t to call the petrol engine bad by any means. It features in the Lexus GX and LX sans electrification and is quite a cracker with a characterful note that’s fun to listen to.
With the combination of the fiery petrol engine and the electric motor, the LC300 Performance Hybrid is far from a slouch. It gets up and grooving in no time at all, even with four passengers onboard. We’ll have to wait for more thorough testing to see what this means for heavy hauling.
What’s nice is it appears all the LandCruiser’s off-road capabilities have been retained with the hybrid powertrain. It still has the full-time four-wheel drive system with the off-road drive modes and ‘Crawl’ off-road cruise control function. There are even three diff locks in the GR Sport, as per the turbo-diesel version.
Despite our short time behind the wheel you can tell this is such an effortless off-road beast. It feels like you can conquer anything without the car breaking a sweat. You can’t say the same for every hybridised off-road machine.
Inside there’s no obvious way to tell this is a hybrid. There’s no EV mode button as with other Toyota hybrids and no large hybrid badging.
The only difference I noted is in the digital instrument cluster there’s a graphic showing how much charge the battery pack has and how much electric power is being sent to the wheels.
One thing to note about Toyota strategically only offering the hybrid powertrain in the Sahara ZX and GR Sport trims is it’s only going to be offered with five seats. This is disappointing for those who are looking for a seven-seater.
If you’re after a hybrid seven-seater it’s best to look at alternatives like the Kluger Hybrid, or the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid or Kia Sorento Hybrid.
Verdict
Diesel is firmly the pick for Australians looking to buy big four-wheel drives but it’ll be interesting to see whether they give petrol-power another chance with the added boost electrification brings to the table.
There are still so many details we don’t know about the LandCruiser Performance Hybrid but it’ll likely make more power than the diesel, but could theoretically also be more expensive and use more fuel.
Watch this space!
Pricing Guides
.png)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
