Toyota Land Cruiser fans rejoice! Our sources have reported to us that the sixth-generation Toyota Land Cruiser is going to be launched in India very soon! The J300 Land Cruiser will launch in January 2023 instead of September 2023 as we previously reported. It will come to India as a CBU in its 'Sahara' trim and only with the option of a diesel engine. Here’s what you need to know about it
Compared to its predecessor, the sixth-generation Land Cruiser features a much more prominent grille, new lighting at the front and back and a refreshed tailgate. The frontal area continues to sport a massive grille, which is dripping in chrome, while the headlights have become sleeker and they get L-shaped LED DRLs. There are no changes to the Land Cruiser’s dimensions though and nobody can mistake it to be anything else. The India-bound 'Sahara' trim will sport 18-inch alloys and nine colour options.
For the inside of the new Land Cruiser, Toyota has gone for a sleeker and more minimalist look with the new driver’s cockpit screen and dashboard. Biggest changes include an optional 12.3-inch infotainment screen (standard measures 9-inches) with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There's also a wireless charging pad and more goodies include a 360-degree camera, head-up display, electrically adjustable steering wheel, air ionizer, and even a fingerprint authentication system.
On the safety front, the new Land Cruiser gets six airbags, ten airbags and Toyota’s latest Safety Sense package which includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, pedestrian detection, pre-collision braking and steering and adaptive high beam headlights.
The 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser continues to be a good ol' body on frame sport ute. It is now underpinned by an all-new GA-F platform which is derived from the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture). This new frame is 200kg lighter and more rigid than before.
To improve its off-road performance, the LC300 gets a new E-KDSS (Electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System). It uses electronically controlled hydraulics within the suspension that constantly monitors the terrain and adjusts the suspension to keep the LC300 stable. It can even disconnect the anti-roll bar on its own if it senses the need for extra wheel articulation.
The LC300 carries over the approach angle of 32 degrees from its predecessor, but it now gets a higher departure angle of 26.5 degrees, while ground clearance measures 230mm. It goes without saying the Land Cruiser comes as standard with four-wheel-drive complete with three differential locks.
Our sources suggest that the India-bound Toyota Land Cruiser will only get the option of a diesel engine under its hood. It's a 3.3-litre turbocharged unit that puts out 304bhp and 700Nm torque, which also is 40bhp and 50Nm more than the old 4.5-litre diesel mill. The engine comes paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission as standard. With more power, downsizing doesn't seem so bad after all!
Rs 2.1 crore, ex-showroom – that is what our sources suggest will be the starting price for the 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser in India upon launch. The marque already started taking bookings for it back in January, but had to temporarily stop them because of the extremely low supply and availability of the SUV, partly caused by the chip shortage crisis. Upon arrival, the new Land Cruiser will rival the likes of the Range Rover, BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS.