TOKYO: Toyota’s off-road assault this year won’t be limited to the new HiLux utility, Fortuner SUV and updated Prado, with the evergreen LandCruiser 200 Series set to get a makeover this October with a new face, more safety gear and more power.
The front gets new sheet metal, bumper and a bolder upper grille that stretches into the headlamp clusters, while out back there’s a new upper tailgate design and rear bumper.
Side mouldings and door handles are also changed for the 2016 model year.
Inside the cabin, the updated LandCruiser gets a new instrument panel plus a revised centre stack and centre console layout. VX and Sahara models also gain a huge nine-inch colour touchscreen nav display.
There’s greater use of soft-touch materials throughout, and the button layout has been tweaked to improve cabin ergonomics.
The base model LandCruiser GX is trimmed with grey fabric and the mid-grade GXL gets the choice of grey or beige fabric. The upper-spec VX and Sahara offer the choice of black or beige for their leather-accented interiors.
Safety upgrades are confined to the range-topping Sahara with a forward-facing radar and camera bringing a collision warning system, lane departure alert, radar cruise control and auto high beam.
The GX remains a five-seater, with diesel VX and Sahara variants boasting a 7-seat configuration. All GXL models have eight seats, while the VX and Sahara petrol models also have room for eight.
Powertrain changes are limited to new injectors, revised mapping and a diesel particulate filter for the 4.5 litre twin-turbo diesel V8, which sees power rise 5kW to 200kW and torque remain at 650Nm.
Bigger gains have been made with fuel efficiency, with the twin-turbo diesel now eight percent more efficient on the combined cycle with an official claim of 9.5 litres/100km. The diesel also becomes Euro 5 compliant.
The 4.8 litre petrol V8 retains its 227kW and 439Nm outputs, but while Toyota claims fuel consumption is improved no numbers are quoted as yet. Both engines are hooked up to a six-speed automatic and dual-range 4WD.
Full specifications including pricing will be released at the 2016 LandCruiser’s local launch in the latter half of October.
