The next-gen Toyota LandCruiser is set to go hybrid electric with a twin-turbo V6, TNGA platform underneath, and new styling and tech.

IN BIG NEWS for fans of Toyota’s iconic LandCruiser the next-generation four-wheel drive is reportedly due to be unveiled in August this year, touting a petrol hybrid engine on an all-new platform.

Now in its thirteenth year of service since going on sale in 2007, the current-generation LandCruiser’s time is about to come to an end… as it will for the V8 engine.

According to a report out of Japan by Best Car magazine with sources at Toyota HQ, the next-generation LandCruiser 300 Series is set to make an appearance in August this year.

Styling will be familiar, though the front will adopt a larger trapezoidal grille and slated bumper design. It is expected to come with both five and eight-seat options. The wheelbase could be 50mm longer, and exterior dimensions are to be about the same. Wheel options will be 17, 18 and 20-inch alloys over a four-variant lineup.

Underneath the metal, the new 2020 LandCruiser 300 Series will ride on a body-on-frame version of the new Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform known as TNGA-CV.

But the most interesting news is that along with the petrol V8 engine which retired in August 2019, the 4.5-litre diesel twin-turbo will be shelved in favour of a twin-turbo petrol hybrid motor mated to a CVT transmission.

Based on the 3.5-litre ‘8GR-FXS’ V6 petrol hybrid found in the Lexus LC500, the engine has been revised and force-fed via two turbos to increase output and performance. In the LC500h, the naturally-aspirated hybrid version of the engine produces 220kW at 6600rpm and 348Nm at 4900rpm, and the electric hybrid system produces 132kW and 300Nm, for a combined power output of 264kW. Combined torque is not provided but estimated as 500Nm at 3000rpm.

The 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 (non-hybrid) available in the LS500 produces 310kW and 600Nm.

By way of benchmark for the new twin-turbo hybrid which should increase both outputs, the V8 diesel twin-turbo on sale in Australia currently produces 200kW and 650Nm. The six-speed transmission mated to the diesel V8 will also make way for a CVT transmission, though there are no further details on the driveline.

There is no mention of a diesel hybrid for the 300 Series, though that doesn’t rule out a diesel hybrid drivetrain being available for Australia, Toyota’s vice president of sales and marketing telling Practical Motoring last month that the local arm is having plenty of input on what the 300 Series should deliver Down Under.

Other changes reported by Best Car include a larger, up-to-date 8.0-inch infotainment system, likely similar to the unit used in the latest Toyota models with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and additions to Toyota Safety Sense, which will come with a full suite of driving assists such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, day and nighttime pedestrian detection and more.

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