Toyota Land Cruiser Australia: More Powerful Than Ever

• The 300-Series Toyota Land Cruiser is not sold here in the United States.
• With its new hybrid powertrain, the Land Cruiser GR Sport and Sahara ZX deliver 457 hp and 582 lb-ft of torque.
• Pricing for both models starts just over $156,000 in Australian dollars.

The Australian market has a pair of fresh new Toyota Land Cruiser trims, and both feature hybrid powertrains. With 457 horsepower and 582 pound-feet of torque on tap, the Land Cruiser GR Sport and Sahara ZX are the most powerful Land Cruisers ever built.

Seeing as these are the 300-Series trucks, we can only enjoy their existence from afar—sadly. Neither one will be sold here in the States, of course. Don’t fret too much, however, as this is the same powertrain already on offer in the Lexus LX700h—and we do get that one.

Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport

Photo by: Toyota

Toyota of Australia now shoves the i-Force Max powertrain under the hood of its Land Cruiser. This allows the new GR Sport and Sahara ZX trims to run alongside the 3.3-liter V6 turbodiesel version already on offer.

Stepping up to the hybrid reveals a massive power increase over the oil burner. In fact, the gap is 153 hp and 66 lb-ft more power on tap for these top-tier trims.

Further upgrades include electronic power steering, a 200V/1500W rear power socket, and a slew of on and off-road upgrades. Sahara ZX buyers get a Torsen limited-slip rear differential, while the GR Sport features front and rear lockers along with the impressive E-KDSS suspension system.

Pricing in Dollarydoos sits at $156,060 for the GR Sport and $156,810 for the Sahara ZX. That Sahara ZX offers a few more interior amenities, which explains the slightly higher starting price. But both come extremely well equipped.

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Motor1’s Take: The high starting price point certainly helps make the $120k ask for a Lexus LX700h Overtrail seem like a great deal, even if it’s missing some of the off-road hardware from its 300-Series Land Cruiser sibling.

Still, all this talk of price and features just further solidifies the smaller GX550 Overtrail as the real star of the lineup if you want to go on an adventure, while also providing a great daily-driver experience.

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