Toyota Moving On From Diesel As Land Cruiser LC300 Gets A Powerful Petrol Hybrid?

Big SUVs work best with diesel engines but with the onset of electrification, the diesel SUV could switch to hybrids as seen here with the huge LC300 having a new petrol hybrid powertrain. In Australia, the flagship LC300 Land Cruiser now has a 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 engine paired with a powerful electric motor generator in a parallel hybrid system. With 457hp in a combined form and with 790Nm torque, the LC300 hybrid makes more power and torque over the existing 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel engine.

Standard is a 10-speed automatic and Toyota says that this powertrain has been tested extensively while being developed with off-road ability in mind. This is the most powerful Land Cruiser and shows how this SUV can also be a hybrid yet still maintain its off-road credentials. The hybrid system can switch from petrol to electric while the SUV has a four-wheel drive with a low-range transfer case. 0-100 for something so big is a claimed 6.4 seconds and that is fast. Mileage for this Land Cruiser hybrid is also improved with more than 10 kmpl claimed.

We think the LC300 petrol hybrid will come to India and sit along with the diesel model here although the price could be higher than the diesel model. There are some small changes in terms of styling too for the hybrid and the interiors are pretty plush with features like a 12.3-inch screen, 4-zone climate control and ADAS features. Expect the hybrid model to come next year although the car has not been confirmed for our market yet. 

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