Toyota Land Cruiser 300 goes hybrid
The Land Cruiser 300 has never been the sort of vehicle you’d associate with hybrid technology. It’s big, heavy, hugely capable and built to take on just about anything you can throw at it.
And yet, here we are. Toyota South Africa has added hybrid power to the LC 300 range without messing too much with the formula that made it so popular in the first place.
Available in ZX and adventure-focused GR-S guise, the LC 300 HEV pairs its 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 with a compact hybrid system and a single motor-generator positioned between the engine and 10-speed automatic transmission.
Power is rated at 341kW and 790Nm, making it the most powerful Land Cruiser to ever land on local soil. Toyota claims the integration of the hybrid system has improved the throttle response by 40% compared to the 3.3-litre variants.
About the hybrid technology, it’s not only there to make the LC 300 a bit friendlier at the pumps. It also fills in torque where the V6 needs it most, giving the behemoth SUV better response, particularly from low speeds.
There’s another neat party trick, too. Beneath the centre console sits a waterproof AC inverter capable of supplying up to 1,500 watts externally. Think of it as a bit like an EV’s vehicle-to-load function, allowing you to power various devices or even use the LC 300 as an emergency power source. For a vehicle designed to venture well beyond the closest Eskom plug socket, that makes a lot of sense.
Toyota has also made a few subtle changes to help distinguish the HEV from the regular LC 300. There are two new exterior colour options, Magnetite Black and Classic White, while Toyota has also tweaked the interior trim combinations to give the cabin a slightly more premium feel.
As for the price, the ZX HEV commands R2,287,700, while the GR-S HEV is priced at R2,343,800. That is serious money by any definition, but then again, the LC 300 has never really been about offering a cheap entry into big SUV territory. For Toyota to introduce hybrid technology in a vehicle like this feels like a logical next step to future-proof the product.
