The latest Toyota Land Cruiser boasts sharp styling, a plush interior, and the allure of twin-turbocharged power. If you live in the U.S., however, you can’t have one.
Toyota finally debuted the 300-Series Land Cruiser online, but the automaker’s U.S. division has no plans to sell it here. The SUV’s styling is somewhat evolutionary, albeit with a sharp, distinctive front end that looks a lot more modern than the frumpy outgoing model.
The latest Land Cruiser retains a separate ladder frame for off-road durability. A new version of the trick Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System — which uses beefy sway bars that can be disconnected automatically for off-road articulation — returns, and the SUV now includes a host of off-road traction control modes like the smaller 4Runner.
Underhood, last year’s V8 has been jettisoned in favor of a more powerful 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 rated at around 409 horsepower when converted from a measurement used globally to that favored in the U.S. A 3.3-liter twin-turbocharged diesel V6 is optional.
The new Land Cruiser goes on sale globally this summer, and Toyota admits that it was largely designed for buyers in the Middle East. Here in the U.S., we’ll have to wait for the next version of the Lexus LX, which is expected to share the Land Cruiser’s underpinnings and much of its basic design — albeit with a far dressier interior. Find a Toyota Land Cruiser for sale
