Recently, reports have suggested that the next-generation LC300 Toyota Land Cruiser (including its potential badass Ford Raptor-style off-roading version) might not not coming to the United States — meaning the current 2021 model year SUV would be the last example sold in America. A report from the Australian website CarsGuide that cites Japanese automotive publication BestCar offers some insight into why Toyota might be considering that.
CarsGuide says the new Land Cruiser, now reportedly expected to launch in September 2021, will have a range of engine options. Australians will get a 3.3-liter V6 turbodiesel; here will also be a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 gas engine. Toyota also plans to offer hybrid versions of both.
According to the report, the redesign and multiple engine options mean the next Land Cruiser will, incredibly, be more expensive than the modern version. The report says the Japanese price will jump by 500,000 yen, which converts to a little under $5,000 U.S. The base price for the current Land Cruiser in America is $85,515; a corresponding price increase would see the price jump above $90,000.
Sure, that additional cost is not a massive outlay for the sort of person in the market for an expensive SUV. But $90,000 for a Toyota would a major conceptual leap for many Americans. After all, so is paying $80,000 for a Toyota — and that's one of the reasons that, despite the enthusiast reputation and storied nameplate, the Land Cruiser doesn’t sell in large volumes, despite three-row luxury SUVs being tremendously popular.
While Americans may not get a “Land Cruiser,” yhat does not mean the 300 Series won’t make it Stateside in another guise. A plush 400-plus horsepower three-row luxury SUV powered by a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6, hybrid or not, is something Toyota could undoubtedly sell in the U.S — but it would make far more sense to Americans as a Lexus. After all the current LX570, despite being a bit more expensive, outsells its Toyota twin by 34 percent.
