End of the diesel V8 LandCruiser?

The next-generation Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series will be offered with a V6 petrol-electric hybrid powertrain that could spell the end of its diesel V8.

In 2017, Japan's biggest car brand confirmed that every model in its range will be packing a hybrid powertrain option by 2025, and now Japanese website Best Car reports the new Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series will debut in August 2020 with a 3.5-litre petrol V6 paired with an electric motor.

The exact type of hybrid system, its battery capacity and which wheels the electric motor will drive are unknown at this stage, and further details on the new model are sketchy.

However, the Japanese media report claims the V6 powertrain will deliver 220kW of power and 356Nm of torque, and that weight reduction and the addition of an electric motor will compensate for the downsized engine's outputs compared to the current LC200's diesel and petrol V8s, both of which are still available in other markets.

Indeed it would be inconceivable that the new LandCruiser would deliver only 356Nm of torque, especially when the current model's 4.5-litre twin-turbo diesel V8 -- the only engine remaining in the LC200 in Australia -- generates almost double that torque figure (650Nm), along with 200kW of power.

So we expect the hybrid powertrain to be similar to the 650-volt Multi Stage 3.5-litre V6 petrol-electric set-up in the Lexus LC 500h limousine and LC 500h coupe, in which the naturally aspirated engine is rated at 220kW/348Nm and total power output is listed at 264kW. Toyota/Lexus does not state total torque outputs of its hybrid powertrains but the V6 system in the LS/LC 500h is estimated to produce 500Nm.

If it is based around the Lexus LS 500h limo's new 3.4-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, which alone produces a healthy 310kW/600Nm, the LC300 hybrid's outputs could exceed those of the LC200. If not, it could mean the vehicle's towing ability will be drastically reduced from the current model's 3500kg, breaking Toyota Australia's promise that the new LandCruiser will be 'fit for purpose'.

"Whatever we bring out will be capable and I think our loyal owner base will be very pleased," said Toyota Australia vice-president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley in late 2019 when asked about the next LandCruiser.

"I can tell you whatever we bring out in future will be exciting and capable," he said.

In what could be good news for some, there are likely to be at least a couple of conventional engine options available alongside the hybrid LC300, including turbo petrol and diesel V6s -- and perhaps even the all-new twin-turbo petrol V8 being readied by Lexus for its LC F.

Whether that engine is offered in Australia, where V8 petrol versions of the LC 200 were axed last year because sales were almost non-existent, remains to be seen. Its only direct rival, the Nissan Patrol, is powered exclusively by a petrol V8 and accounts for just 12 per cent of full-size SUV sales.

The new LandCruiser 300 Series will allegedly be underpinned by a new ladder-frame chassis and if the new report is to be believed, the vehicle will be slightly shorter and lower than the current model but the same width, measuring 4950mm long (-40mm), 1980mm wide and 1870mm high (-100mm).

As is the case with the 200 Series, which has been on sale since 2007 and was facelifted in 2016, the availability of up to eight seats is all but guaranteed and the interior will be more luxurious than the current model's. Expect plenty of advanced safety tech to make the grade as well.

Development of the next LandCruiser is well underway and early prototypes are already understood to have undergone testing – including in Australia, which was Toyota's first export destination and a key market for the model.

Sources close to Toyota have previously said the new LC300 is likely to be a 2021 proposition for Australia but there's no word on pricing, which currently opens above $80,000. Once again Toyota's 4x4 flagship will spawn a Lexus LX spin-off, from around 2022.

Also read: Why you should buy a petrol tow vehicle?