Toyota Land Cruiser 2023 News

It’s a lively campfire debate – nay a blood feud – as old as time itself: which company makes the best four-wheel drive – Nissan or Toyota? It’s a rivalry even more bitter than that of Ford vs Holden.

At the reveal of Toyota’s new plan to explore running its traditional combustion engines on hydrogen in Australia, where a HiAce bus was shown off as the test bed for the technology, a Toyota executive said another model is also being developed.

Disappointed you won't be able to buy a Prado 250 next year with a hybrid petrol engine?

Two new Toyota models expected to be revealed imminently are firming up in terms of details, with Japanese media now confident enough to be rendering visuals and divulging expected technical details.

Talk of Toyota’s mini LandCruiser is gathering steam, with the name “Land Hopper” now registered by the automotive giant, and all signs pointing to a possible reveal, at least in prototype form, at the Tokyo Auto Show later this month.But in even more exciting news, new reports point to the model being the cheapest model in the LandCruiser family, and by some margin, with media calling out a 3.8m yen(approx $40,000) price for the game-changing off-roader.That would undercut the LandCruiser 300 Series and the Prado, of course, but it would also put models like the Jeep Wrangler and even the Suzuki Jimny on notice. Those numbers come courtesy of Japan’s Best Car Web, with the site suggesting the model’s pricing could even start at 3m yen, which would be more like $31k AUD.All of which is very exciting, as are the new details beginning to emerge. It’s thought the new off-roader will ride on a ladder-frame off-road platform, but that its dimensions will largely mirror the Toyota Corolla Cross, which stretches 4460mm in length and 1825mm in width. For reference, the new Prado is 4925mm in length and 1980mm in width, making the Land Hopper very much the little brother of the LC family.That would also make it longer and wider than the three-door Suzuki Jimny (3480mm and 1645mm), and longer even than the 3985mm five-door Jimny, too.According to the site, diesel is off the table for now, with the model to launch with the Corolla Cross’s petrol-hybrid engine family, with top-spec models to possibly borrow from the RAV4 Hybrid family to unlock more power. Eventually, though, the Land Hopper will be fully electrified.Toyota is yet to officially comment on the new model, or on the trademark filings. It's also not known whether the name Land Hopper will be for its domestic market, while international markets adopt a more familiar moniker, like FJ Cruiser. All should be revealed soon enough, with the new model expected to be revealed this year ahead of an on-sale in 2024.

Toyota wil seemingly have yet another off-road weapon in its arsenal from next year, with credible reports the brand will launch a LandCruiser mini in 2024 to slot below its 300 Series and Prado SUVs.The reports first surfaced on Japanese site Best Car Web last month, with the site quoting "company sources" who said a smaller model was coming. But those reports have now been doubled-down on by fellow Japanese site Mag X, which reports that not only is the mini LandCruiser coming, but that it will launch in 2024, which is sooner than most anticipated.The site goes on to say that production slated for Thailand - which is where Australia gets its utes supply - meaning the ladder-frame SUV will likely be equipped with the 2.8-litre turbodiesel currently used in the HiLux,In HiLux GR Sport guise, that engine makes 165kW at 3000rpm and 550Nm at 2800rpm. Another option would be to fit the new SUV with the same 48-volt mild-hybrid system that will begin appearing in select HiLux models soon.While it was thought the mini LandCruiser could present as a crossover SUV, the latest reports point to the model being a proper ladder-frame off-roader, making it a competitor to models like the Suzuki Jimny.In fact, reports now point to the mini off-roader riding on Toyota’s TNGA-F chassis - the same as the one that underpins the 300 Series and Prado.The bad news? Toyota is yet to officially confirm the new model. But with the Tokyo Auto Show fast approaching, watch this space.

There are quite a few great off-roaders available as standard that could handle a rough bush trip even if you were to drive them directly out of the showroom and into the bush after purchase – think the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, the Land Rover Defender or even something as fun and as impractical as the Suzuki Jimny.

The “glitch” that shut down Toyota’s Japanese production facilities last week has been found, and it is a more common problem than you might think.

Toyota vs Nissan is an age-old rivalry as fiery and bitter as that of Ford vs Holden, and it's been the foundation of many a campfire argument through the years.

Toyota Australia has raised prices for most of its models by as much as $1890 as it passes on the increasing costs of raw materials, labour and manufacturing onto the consumer.