2021 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series

By Alex Forrest

From as far back as seven years ago when Toyota started developing the 300 Series, it was clear that the flagship off roader needed to address several competing priorities.

It needed to be more fuel efficient and yet more powerful. It also had to be safer, yet lighter.

Improved handling was important, but it couldn’t sacrifice the Landcruiser’s legendary off-road ability.

As the wearer of the Toyota LandCruiser badges, it needed to be reliable and robust, but it also had to be technologically advanced – just as customers expect of any new vehicle in 2022.

Most of these boxes have been ticked by the new 300 Series. Its reliability and robustness will be confirmed further down the beaten track, though Toyota has done a fair bit of that already in developing the 300.

The 300 Series’ predecessor, the 200 Series, is a particularly tough act to follow despite its basic design being 14 years old by the time the last one was built in March 2021.

While the technical improvements make the 300 better in many ways, the 200 carries with it a freight train worth of other momentum that makes it different from when a new Corolla is launched.

The giant aftermarket parts businesses based around the 200 Series and the huge enthusiast following it developed over almost a decade and a half, make the arrival of its replacement a significant event.

But the 300 Series does have the pulling power to bring many new owners over the line.

The twin-turbo V8 is gone from the LandCruiser, but so is that engine’s associated thirst, weight and vibration.

The 300 is slightly lighter overall, it has a much more up-to-date interior and it does handle better.

Being the first new LandCruiser since the global financial crisis, the 300 was the most hotly anticipated new vehicle released in 2021. By a long, long shot.

We experienced this firsthand when putting the 300 through its paces along the Mundaring powerlines track, where we joined a group of other four-wheel drive enthusiasts – arguably the most concentrated target demographic possible.

Their response to seeing a 300 Series out in the wild was enthusiastic and curious, with questions asked all in a row and in the same breath:

“Is that the new 300, mate? “How’d you get your hands on that?” “What’s the V6 like – is it as good as the V8?” “What’s the wait on it?”

The same questions were asked all over again when we parked a 300 Series amongst a similarly keen crowd at the Hillarys boat ramps on a busy Sunday.

It’s fair to say the response to the 300 Series from members of the public has been spirited.

Driving

Among the true showpiece features on the 300 Series is its electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (e-KDSS).

In both the 200 and 300 Series LandCruisers, KDSS enables the vehicles to unlock their anti-roll bars as required, which provides the dual benefits of good wheel articulation when off road, while being able to resecure the anti-roll bars to retain acceptable roll control when on sealed roads.

A simpler, hydraulic version of KDSS was introduced on the 200 Series when it was launched in 2007.

Now, in the 300 Series GR Sport, the system is electronically controlled, and can automatically and independently unlock the front and rear anti-roll bars.

According to Toyota, this enables a combined 715mm of wheel articulation - 46mm more than the outgoing 200 Series when equipped with the previous generation hydraulic KDSS.

On very rough off-road tracks, the system makes for a surprisingly smooth ride, especially when you get out and look at what the vehicle has been traversing.

The 300’s handling is flatter and sharper than the 200’s, but it’s still a large four-wheel drive, nearly two metres tall and weighing 2.6 tonnes with high sidewall tyres.

It’s no sports car, but it handles markedly less like a tall ship in a storm than the 200.

Interior

There’s been a major revamp of the interior for the 300, especially in the way the driver interacts with the controls.

A large, high-mounted touch screen is central to the experience, but we were pleased to see the screen operations were supported by several actual buttons for audio volume, sat nav, main menu and to switch between audio sources.

We would have liked to see a volume knob rather than buttons though, like you get in the Hilux.

Fit and finish is excellent though, and on the Sahara ZX range-topper we tried (after also sampling the GR Sport and VX), the ZX-specific finishes on the centre console, steering wheel and door trims really push it into premium luxury four-wheel drive territory – as you’d expect at $151,000 drive away.

While features like a heated steering wheel, rear footwell illuminated entry lighting and power folding third row seats are interesting and even humorous, their true value in real world everyday use might be questioned by some.

It’s for that reason that the VX seemed like the best value, at least from an interior point of view. At $26,000 less than the Sahara ZX, the VX still comes with eight-way adjustable electric front seats, seven seats overall and some premium interior trim additions.

Safety

ANCAP was yet to issue a safety rating for the 300 Series at the time of writing, however it does have an advanced autonomous emergency braking system available in all variants, which is part of Toyota’s Safety Sense driver assist system.

As well as detecting other vehicles, the technology can detect pedestrians during the day and night and cyclists during the day.

The system also includes lane departure alert with brake to steer (which we found over-sensitive at times), active cruise control, auto high beam and road sign recognition.

From the GXL upwards, you get rear cross traffic alert, a blind spot monitor and front and rear parking sensors. 

Under the bonnet

The 300 Series’ new 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel is its other significant point of interest, debate and controversy.

While we are yet to see how the V6 will last in the hands of thousands of owners over several years, the engine makes some important progress over the old 4.5-litre V8 diesel.

The V6 is more efficient (by 6.3 per cent, using the ADR test figures) and more powerful than the old V8.

With 227kW at 4000rpm and 700Nm between 1600and 2600rpm, the V6 has 13.5 per cent more power and 7.7 per cent more torque.

On the road, the 300’s fuel consumption translated to an average of 11.2L/100km in the Sahara ZX, which was driven mostly in urban areas. We needed about 12.5L/100km when we took the GR Sport off road.

Accentuating the new engine’s extra grunt is the lower first gear in the 300’s new 10-speed transmission, compared to the slightly taller first gear in the 200’s six-speed.

It’s a quick-changing transmission, and the software managing it is clearly configured to optimise performance, keeping the engine in its sweet spot of revs, rather than deferring to a higher gear to keep revs down.

We like that someone at Toyota has deemed it essential that if the 300 is not going to have a V8, then it’s important that the V6 sounds a little like one.

The V6 in the 300 Series is powerful, smooth and incredibly light on fuel. It’s the right engine for this vehicle and the world it’s entering, and the appropriate precursor to the next generation of large four-wheel drives which will no doubt be powered by some form of electrification. 

Towing

Right from when the first 300 Series prototype arrived in Australia for the vehicle’s early development work in 2015, there was no question that Australians wanted 3500kg braked towing capacity at the very least.

The limit for towing a trailer without brakes is 750kg. Both these limits match the 200 Series.

Australia was used extensively for the development of the 300 Series because we have 80 per cent of the world’s harsh on- and off-road driving conditions, but there were other reasons, too.

According to Toyota’s vehicle evaluation manager Ray Munday, Australia also has the “right people who use the LandCruiser for exactly it intended purpose”.

A big part of that is towing over long distances, and this will be the forte of the 300 Series. We towed a light trailer and the extra load on the vehicle was barely noticeable.

It has more torque (700Nm) than the old V8 over the same rev range (1600-2600rpm) where the V8’s peak torque was produced. The 10-speed transmission helps keep it in that range better than the old six-speeder could.

Payload capacity is up slightly, so you can carry a little more in the vehicle, though you’ll still need to ensure the gross combination mass (the total mass of the vehicle and trailer fully loaded with people, fuel and gear) isn’t exceeded. In the 300 Series, GCM is 6850kg across all variants.

Maximum down weight on the tow ball is 350kg. So in the GXL, VX and Sahara variants, with tow ball down weight counting as part of the vehicle’s payload and with 350kg being exerted by a big trailer, that’ll leave only 260kg of payload capacity in the vehicle.

The entry-level GX model has a higher payload capacity because it’s not already weighed down with fancy extras like carpets, side steps and a third row of seats.

So, it could be of benefit to choose a lighter trailer with a lighter down weight so you get some more payload capacity back, especially if you’ve added accessories like a bull bar and winch, which could be chipping into your useable payload capacity. 

Design

Being based on a completely new platform which Toyota calls TNGA, the 300 is claimed to have 20 per cent higher structural rigidity compared to the 200, which contributes to improved handling and off-road ability.

The 300’s engine is mounted 70mm further back and 28mm lower than the V8 in the 200 Series, helping the 300 change direction a little more readily on sealed roads.

Helping keep weight down is the use of aluminium for the tailgate, roof, doors and bonnet. A notable change from the 200 Series is the shift away from the two-piece split tailgate to the more conventionally designed single-piece tailgate.

Toyota said this was to save weight, both with reduced complication and the aluminium construction.

In the seven-seater versions, the third row now folds into the floor – a welcome change from previous LandCruisers where the third row was either clipped up against the rear windows, or more often, removed altogether by owners.

Externally, the GR Sport is the attention-grabber with that chunky Toyota lettering across the grille, which harks back to LandCruisers of days gone by. Other variants are slightly less confronting, but there’s no doubting the road presence of all variants. 

Owning and operating

As with the 200 Series, the 300 Series needs to be serviced every six months or 10,000km, whichever comes first. Most owners would prefer 12-month service intervals given that broadly, that’s the standard across the industry.

Service pricing is capped for the first 10 services at $375 each, or $750 per year in the first five years of ownership.

The warranty has improved though, with coverage for the 300 Series now bumped up to five years and 100,000km, from three years and 60,000km.

Toyota says the warranty on the engine and driveline can be extended out to seven years provided the vehicle is “properly serviced and maintained per its warranty and service book”.

While Toyota doesn’t require that the vehicle be serviced at a Toyota dealer, it does require appropriate quality parts and suitably trained technicians to carry out the work. “Properly” would also include the requirement to stick to the servicing time frames outlined in the service book.

Toyota should be commended for clearly stating in their service information that in some circumstances, owners’ rights under the Australian Consumer Law may be greater than their rights under this extended driveline warranty or any other applicable Toyota warranty.

If that’s the case, Toyota said they will always honour consumer rights under the Australian Consumer Law statutory consumer guarantees.

While the new V6 diesel is more efficient, it’s still important to note that the 300 has a smaller fuel tank capacity of 110 litres, compared to the 200’s capacity of 138 litres.

Using the ADR test figures, this translates to a fuel range in the 300 Series of 1236km, compared to a fuel range in the 200 Series of 1453km.  

Verdict

There was never any doubt the 300 would be any less capable off road than its predecessor. But where the 300 really impresses is in the refinement it offers while it is traversing very rough ground.

With wheels extending and compressing across their full ranges of articulation over bash plate-scraping ground, with its e-KDSS system in action, the 300 demonstrated impressive levels of both capability and refinement.

It traverses this sort of terrain like it’s been looking forward to the opportunity to show off.

Yet it’s also able to be driven quietly around town, with your phone on the wireless charging pad and the ventilated seats keeping you cool.

But there’s no getting away from the 300’s heft and size, even with parking sensors, the rear camera, rear cross traffic alert and other parking aids.

Though much better to drive than its predecessor, the 300 isn’t nimble. But buyers will know that going in, and it won’t bother them one bit.

What might annoy some prospective buyers is the significantly higher purchase price, but even so, we reckon Toyota will sell as many 300s as they can make for quite some time after production gets back on track.