Toyota Land Cruiser 2024 News

This is the list that's most fun to write but it’s sometimes hard to pick winners when you review as many cars as I do!This year has proven (once again) that the market is ruled by SUVs and Australia’s love affair with them isn’t slowing down any time soon. So, you may be surprised that only a few of them made the cut.Out of all of the cars I’ve been cruising in this year, these were my favourites (in no particular order).The LandCruiser got me good. There are enough old-school elements mixed in with premium tech and features to satisfy everyone (it has a CD/DVD player!). Rear passengers enjoy the same luxurious comforts as front rowers and you get one of the most practical shaped boots I’ve sampled. For adventuring families, it has great off-road and towing capabilities with effortless power and grunt. It also drives like a dream and is a comfortable road tripper. I love it and miss it.Station wagons are my favourite type of family-hauler. Technically this sits in the same category as a Toyota Prado (ahem) but it looks and behaves like a wagon. This is one of the smoothest driving experiences you can have. It has AWD and the old-school elements are seamlessly blended with easy-to-use tech. High comfort for longer journeys and its only downside was being a bit thirsty.It hurt my soul to hand the keys back. The driving experience is finely tuned with great power delivery and on-road comfort. The sedan/wagon hybrid style took a little while to get used to, but the practicality was a big win for my little family of three. It could fit the hubby’s golf clubs, do a big grocery haul and carry all the junk my eight-year-old seems to accumulate over a week. The boosted sound experience on the engine is one you simply have to hear once in your life.The Touareg is a great looking family SUV that caters to everyone with comfort and tech. It’s smooth to drive with power that is promptly delivered. The on-road experience is also a lesson in refinement, which a few other European brands can take notes on. Efficiency and ongoing costs are also good – what’s not to like?It made the list last year and the updated model won my heart again. Just a solid all-rounder that delivers great on-road comfort, steers well, has decent power and good features for a base model. The hybrid efficiency is hard to question and it’s a smart-looking sedan thanks to the substantial facelift. Annoyingly, it is heavily associated with ride-share and taxis but I’d have one in a heartbeat.It’s only fair to include my eight-year-old's top-five cars, as he tests them with me and is very loud with his opinions on them.He loves the ambient lighting in Mercs and whooped with joy whenever I had to get up to speed. The engine sounded cool and there were enough comforts in the rear.He loved all of the features in the second and third rows, including cupholders that are well-positioned on the doors.He loves a good ute and the manly internal styling won him (and my husband) over. The tray was the winning feature and acted as a cubby house.His nickname for it was the Batmobile. That really sums up how much he liked it.

Toyota has updated its 4WD king for model year 2025 with a host of spec tweaks. 

Everyone has an idea of what LandCruiser means to them, but it’s a nameplate that’s gone through monumental changes since its introduction. 

The 2025 Toyota Prado launched in Australia with a mildly-electrified 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder, but questions of a Prado hybrid are coming thick and fast. In the United States, the 250 Series Prado (where it’s known simply as LandCruiser) can be had with an i-Force Max petrol-electric hybrid that Toyota execs refer to as a ‘one motor’ system. Surely it can’t be far from reaching Australia, right?Toyota’s near-50 per cent hybrid sales mix suggests a Prado hybrid would be the right fit but Global Chief Engineer Keita Moritsu is not convinced the technology is up to snuff. “I recognise that carbon neutrality is very important but, as the chief engineer, I cannot compromise on the capability of the LandCruiser. At the moment, I believe that 48-volt is suitable for this market,” Moritsu-san told Australian media. “There is a hybrid variant available in the US, which we’re continuing to investigate. We wouldn’t rule it out. We certainly have no confirmation of that vehicle, or its suitability for Australia, but we won’t rule it out entirely,” clarified local Vice President Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley. CarsGuide pressed Hanley on the matter, with Toyota finally launching Tundra locally. The US-sized ‘big’ pick-up becomes Toyota’s first one-motor hybrid sold in Australia after a gruelling evaluation process to ensure the ute’s local right-hand drive conversion is up to par. Designed with ultimate grunt in mind rather than efficiency, the Tundra’s twin-turbo V6 based powertrain turns out impressive outputs of 325kW/790Nm, allowing a braked tow rating of 4500kg, when equipped with a heavy-duty hitch. The Lexus LX — the LandCruiser 300 Series’ uptown cousin — is confirmed to score a version of the twin-turbo V6 engine in Australia shortly, adding further fuel to the fire that Toyota could soon sell a hybrid LandCruiser product in Australia. “Anything’s possible,” said Hanley, “while I don't have any confirmation of the hybrid moving beyond where it is today, the realities are that through this platform we have options and flexibilities, and depending on the needs of each individual market, we can adjust if we need to.”Hanley clarified that it isn’t the hybrid drawing buyers to the new Tundra, though, “primarily, they just love the idea of a big ute!“I think that one-motor hybrid works for the car. It does work. I'm not sure it's the driving force behind someone buying one. I think it's more about the lifestyle — the towing, what it can do — before it comes down to the motor. “What they want in Tundra is capability. The one-motor hybrid delivers that capability; it gives everything they want,” explained Hanley. The snag comes from the LandCruiser 250 Series hybrid’s credentials in the United States. Despite the 250 Series’ i-Force Max engine punching out 243kW and 630Nm — far more than the 150kW/500Nm from the V-Active boosted diesel — the braked towing rating 2700kg, a way off the 3500kg Australian customers see as the standard. CarsGuide understands that the 250 Series’ hybrid powertrain is yet to undergo the rigorous evaluation the V-Active diesel engine was subjected to, much of which takes place in Australia. A version of the powertrain could still arrive, however."Toyota's multi-pathway approach is already helping customers reduce their carbon footprint. Everything from the fully-electric bZ4X and Mirai, to hybrids and 48-volt technology. But, having said that, we also know that we need to do more,” said Hanley.“We need to evolve our model portfolio to accelerate the opportunity for all customers to reduce their carbon footprint. For the next few years, I can tell you, we are well placed with our electrification of passenger cars and SUVs. “But we still, as we stand here today, have a big challenge ahead of us with heavier vehicles,” admitted Hanley before qualifying that HiLux and LandCruiser nameplates are here to stay. Don’t expect a Prado hybrid before the end of 2025, however. 

A twist could be emerging in the Toyota LandCruiser FJ story, with new reports suggesting the brand could be working on several versions of its cut-price off-roader. The first, which is expected to go into production in November ahead of an on-sale in 2025

Toyota in Australia appears poised to make what could be its first LandCruiser mistake, with the brand showing little interest in the reported LandCruiser FJ, and suggesting it doesn't appear in any Australian model plans.

Multiple makers from all over the world are sharpening their tools behind closed doors to solve some of the biggest issues afflicting the emerging technology: from slow charging, high costs and short driving ranges.

The Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series is approaching its first update since launching in mid-2021, according to reports. Typically reliable industry source BestCar has listed a host of very minor changes (far from a facelift) that are due to be announced officially in December.Most of the tweaks are said to satisfy tighter regulations on exhaust gases and safety. CarsGuide has contacted Toyota Australia for additional information and local timing. The 300 Series is almost certain to be visually unchanged, with only the Sahara ZX’s rear-seat entertainment system set for a change inside: dropping the CD and DVD player in favour of a simple HDMI port. The Nissan Patrol rival’s main updates will be applied to the safety systems, with the LC300 upgrading to Toyota’s third-generation driver aids. This should mean improvements to the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system with added cyclist detection, enhanced forward collision warning, speed sign detection and driver-attention warning to line up with global regulations.Another mandate-driven move is understood to be an update to the emissions control systems, particularly for the 227kW/700Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel V6 we get in Australia.The new standard set by the United Nations Real Driving Emissions (RDE) testing stipulates less than 34 per cent particulate matter in emissions. Cyber security protection is also said to be improved. Pricing is likely to increase slightly, too. A running update is nothing new for a Toyota LandCruiser. The 300 Series’ predecessor sold from 2007 through to 2021 and had myriad updates and facelifts, the first (a new engine option) coming just two years after release. Don’t expect to see a major overhaul of the LandCruiser 300 until at least 2027, when it’s possible that more electrification, interior and technology updates may be rolled out. The latest update to the LandCruiser range comes after Toyota Australia announced the discontinuation of the 70 Series V8, citing community expectations for environmentally friendly vehicles.

The next-gen Nissan Patrol SUV’s engine specifications have been revealed, to some extent, as Infiniti has confirmed outputs and some details for the same drivetrain in the Patrol’s QX80 cousin.

Toyota has confirmed production and shipments of diesel engines and vehicles with them will resume over the next few days after the Japanese government cleared the suspension it had placed on the world’s largest car manufacturer.