Toyota Land Cruiser 300 could offer a new V6 turbocharged diesel engine in place of the V8, matching the latter’s performance
Speculations surround the new Toyota Land Cruiser have been rife and a recent report emerged from Australia indicates that it will be offered with a V6 powertrain as opposed to the alleged four-cylinder unit at any stage of its lifespan. It has been said that a four-pot engine would have to be turned up and possibly stressed for accommodating in the off-roading.
It must be noted that a Japanese report went on to explain about the possibility of a single oil-burner recently. Best Car said it would be the updated version of the existing 2.8-litre GD6 unit that can also be seen on the Fortuner, HiluX and Prado. If this report comes true, the Land Cruiser 300 will use a four-cylinder engine for the first time since 1997 when the production of the 80 series culminated.
In contrary, citing sources having knowledge about the on going project, carsales.com.au has told that the Land Cruiser 300 will be equipped with a V6 petrol engine and hybrid units with a turbocharged six-cylinder being part of the equation to replace the existing 4.5-litre D-4D V8 and thus the bent eight-cylinder engine will be discontinued.
The existence of a V6 would logically improve mileage over the V8 and it stands in confirmation with Toyota Argentina’s President Daniel Herrero acknowledging the V6 diesel for the forthcoming Hilux back in 2018. The report further said the six-pot motor will develop close to what the outgoing V8 (261.5 hp and 620 Nm) has been churning out or it may even match it.
A four-cylinder engine would only cause stress to the powerplant as it would be turned up to tackle the additional weight of the Land Cruiser 300. The chances of the six-cylinder engine being arranged inline or V configuration are very high and some sort of hybridisation could result in power boost and improved fuel efficiency in the upcoming version of the popular SUV.
The Toyota Land Cruiser 300 will make its global debut in 2021 and it will be underpinned by the body-on-frame version of the modular TNGA architecture that is extensively used across the global portfolio. It is expected to be the TNGA-F as the 300 will likely have several commonalities with the next-gen Tundra. The seating layouts will accommodate passengers between five and eight.