It seems like we’ve been waiting for it forever, but the new J300-generation Toyota Land Cruiser should arrive later this year. Leaked documents and camouflaged images have given us a good picture of what the finished SUV will look like; now, Australian website CarsGuide is citing Japanese reports that claim to offer the new Land Cruiser’s engine outputs. And despite the Land Cruiser reverting from V8s back to six-cylinder engines, it will apparently become even more potent and capable.
As per the report, the gas engine will be a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 putting out 420 horsepower and 434 lb-ft of torque —a substantial upgrade over the current 381 hp and 401 lb-ft from the V8. But the best engine for off-roading may be the 3.3-liter V6 turbodiesel, which will allegedly offer 308 hp and 501 lb-ft of torque — a full 100 lb-ft more than the gas V8.
Torque, of course, is helpful for off-roading, as it’s the primary accelerative force that helps you drive over obstacles at low speeds. For perspective, that purported new Land Cruiser plant would have 48 more horsepower and 59 more lb-ft of torque than the diesel Jeep buyers can get with the Wrangler and Gladiator.
We’re still not clear whether the new Land Cruiser will come to the U.S. So far, Toyota has only noted there will be no 2022 model. That could mean the Land Cruiser will come back intact, but in 2023 — there was a recent sales uptick, after all. Or, Americans could receive the 300-Series only in Lexus form; or, we may get another off-roader entirely in the States. (Toyota has basically said to stay tuned, though, so something should be happening.)
What Americans almost certainly will not get, sadly, is that 3.3-liter diesel engine, which Toyota probably won’t bother trying to homologate for the American market. That said, an eventual hybrid version of the 3.5-liter V6 gasoline motor could come close to (or even exceed) that turbodiesel torque figure.