Toyota Land Cruiser vs Lexus LX

What's the difference?

The Toyota LandCruiser has joined the ranks of the new wave of hybrid vehicles with a powertrain that combines a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine and an electric motor.

The 'i-Force Max' hybrid set-up, borrowed from the USA’s big ol’ Tundra, is aimed at improving the LandCruiser’s performance on- and off-road, rather than achieving greater fuel efficiency.

And with substantial increases in power (up 114kW to 341kW combined peak output) and torque (up 90Nm to 790Nm combined peak output) off-road enthusiasts are justifiably interested in how this unit’s on-paper impressiveness transfers into real-world efficacy.

The Cruiser has always been renowned for its prowess in the dirty stuff so will this hybrid powertrain make the classic off-road tourer a whole lot better?

Read on.

The march away from diesel power and towards a petrol-hybrid future in off-roaders continues. Okay, so it’s a full-sized Lexus we’re talking about, but the off-road credentials of the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series-based Lexus LX have never been in question, have they?

The full-sized, super-lux Lexus LX might never see the Simpson Desert or the Old Telegraph Track, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t tackle either with a fair degree of ease. So there’s no way Lexus would allow a new hybrid driveline to compromise any of that. Besides, this is the same driveline that will take the LandCruiser on its next step, so you better believe it’s the real deal.

Of course, the Lexus badge and somewhat frightening price tag also infer a high degree of plush and tech, and, let’s be honest, those elements are more likely to get a leading role in the LX’s day-to-day strut, as opposed to the walk-on part played by the off-road stuff.

So does all this make the LX one huge, high-tech mash up of conflicting priorities, then? That probably depends on how pragmatically you view motor vehicles generally, but one thing’s for sure, if the hybrid LX is paving the way for the next generation of LandCruiser powerplants and drivelines, then we’re all ears.