Would have like to see it go off-road like you’ve done with other vehicles. And I guess having buttons makes a difference, we remember when you took the Defender without reading the manual and struggled in the sand a bit
We bought our LC 200 VX in December 2019, I guess the things I'd like to have are the usb ports at the back, apple play and bigger console display. I don't mind the 6 speed. In our country, the Philippines, all highways has a maximum speed of 100 kph, so the 10 speed of the LC 300 makes a small difference. Didn't wait for the new series, other than that our LC 200 is just fine. Thanks for the good off-road review.
Put my deposit down almost 5 months ago for a 300 VX, will be my first 4wd. Can't wait to get out exploring. Only wish it came with lockers and had better roof capacity, but I can live with it as it is. No arguing the price has gone up, but the flip side of that coin is they're not depreciating second hand, they're selling for more currently! So worst case scenario even if I don't like it I'm sure it won't be difficult to offload
Great review guys. I have a black GR Sport with every option and loving it’s looks, interior and off-road capability. It has a powered tailgate so no problems closing. Bonnet does flap which is only small complaint. I think it would be an amazing tourer. Putting a black line Airtop Autohome on the roof will be my first mod. Sexy looking vehicle that turns heads. Very nice to drive. Lots of power/torque. Could be the best stock off-road vehicle on the planet. The missus even loves it which is a first. Doesn’t squeak.
To respond to your questions at the end, I did buy a 200 series when they announced the end of production and have no regrets. I love the split tailgate but hate the gearbox but the killer feature is the V8 sound (once the exhaust is changed). No doubt the new V6 is more powerful and more economical, but the V8 note on the 200 series just gets me on an emotional level.
Great video... again. Yes, I bought another 200 a few weeks ago to replace my previous 200. The new one had 40k on the clock, two years old and had no mods at all. I took advantage of the current market in that although I paid more for the 200 than it came out new, I also got more for my old 200 than I thought I ever would. My thoughts were also that the 200 was such a great 4WD all rounder and will probably retain better value over time as it's the last of the V8's. Similar to the last of the 4.2 Patrol engine. Time will tell on that. I also think that with the price rise of the 300 series, the aftermarket products will also be raised. I would personally never buy the latest model as there will always be a few things that need ironing out. The 200 had the excess oil burning issue. Let's see what comes out in the 300.
I have had LC100 & LC200. Great cars. This is better. Just did nearly 4000km through rural victoria. The motor just wants to go and the transmission is really smooth. I love the way is backs down when you go down hills and when you tap the brakes it starts dropping down gears. Complicated, but it works. Super confortable. The tail gate is crap and android auto is usless. Glad I have it.
The bonnet flapping was the first thing i noticed when i drove one. Good car. I say 'car' because it can feel more like a Kluger than a 4be sometimes. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if you're after a big rowdy engine in a heavy/stupid body this isn't for you. It's pretty damn awesome on everything Aus can throw at it (i've done slop, loose rocky scree climbs, Vic high country, etc) but then again it should be for the price.
Good review, I think it is a great car. In Toyota Saudi the GX Turbo Diesel cost around 87K AUD (including VAT) and it comes with front and rear diffs.
I'm in heaven in my 2008 Hilux D4D manual ute; No buttons to press No screens to read But it does have this amazing interface with my human brain It let's me select any gear I want I have absolute control over all breaking needs It even lets me control my own cruising speed And best of all it gives me any 4WD mode I want All just by thinking about it in my own mind . And oh yes; It came with an amazing cargo area in stock form (I was so surprised, who would have thought).
The prices are keeping getting crazier and crazier with every model of land cruisers anyway a great touring car with alot of capabillities and if you think this is powerful wait until you try the 3.5 twin turbo gas version which has crazy power
As others have said a great review, good to hear the good and bad, hopefully they will gets the panel fit ups fixed by the time we get our 300 VX, hopefully this month.
But is it worth the $55k extra on top of the equivalent Prado? It tows an extra 500 kilos, big deal. 🙄 That’s an extra $110 / kilo of extra tow capacity. It’s got 2 more cylinders. The 150 Prado has 150 Killer Wasps & 500 Neutron bombs. The 300 series has 227 Killer Wasps & 700 Neutron Bombs. So my extra $55K buys me an extra 77 killer wasps & 200 Neutron bombs. That’s $714 / Killer Wasp & $275/ Neutron Bomb. Do you really need it at those costs and how much extra fuel used to achieve that? Also how much less engine life with twin turbos wringing the neck of that V6 to get those figures? I’m not sold on the 300 series yet myself. That said in fairness I haven’t driven one, maybe if it sucks my ass crack back between the seat and backrest under acceleration and puts a wide eyed stupid grin on my face I might feel different maybe. Toyota honestly needs to come up with something to compete against the big yank tanks for hauling big boys toys over 3.5 tonne in my opinion. Cruisers just aren’t going to cut it. I sold my 1HD-T 4.2 TD 80 series to tow my 3.5 tonne boat because the boat pushed the cruiser all over the road due to wind age on the hull and cabin. West coast sea breezes are pretty savage, just look at the trees in Greenough south of Geraldton that grow flat along the ground due to the wind. I ended up buying a 7.3 Powerstroke F250 and towing the boat was chalk and cheese. Making the 300 series lighter with alloy body panels etc to gain extra payload just means it’s even less capable of the 3.5 tonne towing duties in stiff winds here in the west. Last thing you want is the tail wagging the dog. If you want to tow the full 3.5 tonne (or more) then for cruiser money you can buy a 4WD dual can tray back truck & have a big chunk of change left over for modifications and accessories. Cruiser 300 just isn’t going to cut it long term for what most guys want in terms of towing duties, at least here in WA anyway. Yes they will get chassis chopped and lengthened and full sized trays added - but then your talking about ~ $250k + for which you can buy a couple Hino trucks ffs. The sooner bogans just start saying “no” to the Toyota dealers and start buying real trucks the better - because we are talking half the cost of a house in WA. Look at Justin & Bec (Trip in a Van), with their custom 200 series dual cab ute at around $240 k - ish and their caravan at $150k. There’s your house cost! Ones a depreciating asset that costs a small fortune you will never get back. The house appreciates - you can rent it out ‘ negative gear it. The rent will buy you the Hino truck.
They've gone up 10 grand already. Whichcar on 30th January stated GX $89,990 - $138,790 for GR Sport. This must be covid tax or price gouging. No wonder the Y62 is outselling the LC 300 last month. Idk.
Cost of new vehicles is crazy. However it’s not the manufactures fault. Top of range 300 is 150k driveaway. This includes Luxury car tax = 26k, GST = 9k add dealer cost, stamp duty, third party insurance and registration. Take that off and the 300 is value for money. Gotta love our government
It is an amazing car, no doubt! $150 plus accessories = Patrol plus 1 year earlier retirement = Second hand 200 new crate angine plus 1.5 yrs earlier retirement. It appears to be designed for the dunes for sure (biggest Toyota market is in the middle east) but what's gonna happen in the VHC with all that aluminum? It is the best car in the world for towing a caravan on bitumen and on unsealed road. Time will tell the pros and cons and I'm sure there will be more pros than cons, but I'd rather go driving my 200 than sit the in the office chair earning the money to pay for the car I like to drive.🤔
Add 40k in tax to any of those models in Norway if you want it with backseats. I have backseats for my Hilux, but they are stored away, cause the state demands 30k to put them in, just in tax.
nice you are lucky to get LC300, diesels and 70 series LC ,all we get in the US are indpendent rear axle , 3 row ,leather, sunroof, luxury wagons . id pay $73k US$ for a basic base model GX LC 300 ,,over a defender or new bronco ,gr sport is $111k us $ which we cant have
Its funny all reviews are all positive...biased and ripping out of Australians. Not at all value for money and clearly incapable offroad ( sand is not all offroad) when compared to 200 if you go deep onto mods prices compared. Didnt expect this from the great Ronny #withrespect
Thank you for this very detailed (and practical review). Apart from the tailgate (which I already suspected wasn't going to be anywhere near as practical and user friendly as previous generation LC split gates, there aren't a lot of obvious downsides to the new LC300s (apart from cost). Looking forward to the GXL fleet delivery for the business towards the end of this year, or early next year.
One advantage of the 300's hatch over the 200's tailgate is that you can get closer to load floor and don't have to lean over to try to pull heavy items out of the vehicle. That said, I like split tailgate -- the top opening gives me some shelter when fishing in the rain and the lower tailgate prevents items from rolling out of the back when I'm parked on a hill. At least it isn't a side-opening barn door -- I hate those.
Would love to see the chop after its done. I feel like the LC300 from factory cannot be tuned or worked to give more power and torque against the LC200 with the V8 that has so much more potential with a tune.
Speaking as a grey Nomad planning to do another big lap towing a heavy off road caravan I'm seriously thinking about trading in my 200 series on a RAM2500. The price of a 300 series plus a GVM upgrade makes the RAM a serious consideration plus I can tow more with the RAM.
Excellent review mate. If I was still in the market for a new one, I'd probably be very happy with the 300 (GXL or VX). I bought a LC 200 VX new in 2020 (first new car ever for me). Love it!!! Recently did Stockyard point in Byfield Qld. It ate it up, no worries at all, on stock suspension and tires at about 20 PSI.
So far both Landcruiser 300 review by Ronny & 4WD247 seems non KDSS LAnd Cruiser 300s. Wonder if Ausi don't like KDSS? Any reason? Reliability? Lift issues? Chop & Extending limitations on conversions?
I see why the 62 is out selling the 300s not a fan at all the design prefer the 200 by a long shot seemed more beefy interior is nice no lockers is pretty average at this price point.
Guys…….I suggest you probably need to slam the door to get good closure on the rubber seals…….e.g seals are new and need a little compression which would be essential for keeping dust and moisture out. That’s my theory……..once again a good honest story. Would love to see a project 300 mod series similar to project Luxy. Cheers
I bought a 200 2021 GXL new at list price. Very happy with it now I've modified It. Even after fixing the stuff that Toyota should have (lockers, big screen radio with Android/Apple, trans tune and lockup TC etc) I think it's a better value and better overall fit for me. The new one is lighter, which is good. Has it improved the load capacity or do you still need to do a GVM upgrade? Hopefully they got the motor reliability right first up, the V8 diesel had some issues to start with. Toyota usually do good gearboxes but how is the 10 speed with heat under load? Does it hunt through the ratios or flare? Does it get to top gear before 100kmh, the old 6 speed needed a trans tune to fix that.
You guys have more money and time than sense, pay $100k for a brand new vehicle then literally chop it in half and turn it into a different vehicle. Sorry, that is ridiculous.
I think manufacturers are doing it deliberately now. Used to be that technology was used to do things that couldn't be done before. Now they use technology for the sake of it, which makes DIY repairs and maintenance impossible and ties you to a dealer until the warranty runs out and then, basically, makes the vehicle into a financial timebomb. You could have bought a 70 series in 1985, serviced and repaired it yourself and it'd still be just as reliable today. Does anybody seriously think that'll be possible with a 300 series? Let's face it, this is a disposable product, just like 15 year old Range Rovers and BMW X5s etc.
My mate just bought to last 200 instead of the 300. I’ve got the new Defender. Trying not to be biased, but the main thing that is better in the 200 is the bigger space. Boot area is noticeably bigger, which is important for touring. Other massive pro with the 200 is the fuel capacity. My Defender only has 89l capacity, and I can’t see any space for adding an extra fuel tank. But in every other way, my Defender is far superior to the 200. I’ve seen another review with the 300 and Defender and the latter one comes out tops on that one. But I do think the 300 would be better on sand.
No doubt the defender in essence is a better car. But as is always the case with euro cars, there are few aftermarket accessories, no options for gvm upgrades and once you are away from the major cities no dealerships or places that can repair them. There are Toyota dealerships in Broome, Kununurra, Longreach, Broken Hill etc. I live in the outback, and we only see land rovers passing through
Hi Grant, Interesting observations, I love everything about the defender except the fact its made by LR. After being stranded 1000kms from home and having a holiday ruined in my meticulously maintained D3 I will never buy another LR. Even though I think you would be right regarding the features etc I don't know how you could ever trust it remotely. Also the deprecation is eye watering if you buy new.
Good point about the dealership availability. I live in South Africa and haven’t noticed that here yet. But planning trips to Mozambique and Namibia and I do expect Toyota to have better representation there. As for depreciation, both the LR and Toyota come with significant premiums these days, unless you are prepared to wait for a year, like me. But even a 2nd hand Defender with 50,000kms on the clock is going for about 8% above the new price, because of demand. I have a pretty unique spec, and could probably sell it right now for 70% more than the current listing price (it’s 1 month old).
I'm going to wish you well with the Defender because I think you will need it. We did a wet & muddy 4WD trip with one late last year with about 20 vehicles, old and new. The newest was a 110 where the owner had swapped the OEM 22" rims for 20" rims and better rubber to come on the trip. How ridiculous are standard 22" rims on a 4WD? Anyway, it went very well on the trip, but the day after it got back home it wouldn't start and got flatbedded to the dealer, so maybe some water/mud in the electrics or something. This is what you have to get used to with a Defender. I've had 7 or 8 of the old (classic) Defenders, but I won't be going near the new model. Way too complicated and fragile. So now LR don't have a working vehicle in their range, just a shed load of luxury models. Sad.
Interesting, a lot of the Toyota's I'm familiar with over in the states have black-ish interiors. Now I can't speak for everything, just a few rigs I've poked my head into recently. On a practical note, my Tacoma's roof lining/sun visors/door panels/dash etc overall is black with dark gray seats.
I've got a 2020 200VX which has a GCM of 6850 kgs. I tow a caravan and I need every one of the kgs to tow it. To see that the 300 only has a 6750 GCM is disappointing. Also, a deal breaker for me would be that there is no drop down tailgate in the 300. Other than that, its looks pretty good.
The 300VX is 90kg lighter unladen but the GVM is 50kg less. Giving you a total load of 40kg more than a 200 of the same trim. Split tailgates are pretty bad stock for dust sealing and reaching over to get into the back of a car.
Is it the Sequoia that you guys have? In 2023 I am pretty sure it will be on virtually the same global undercarriage platform as the LC. I also believe in 2023 it will have petrol hybrid V6. That is the future. Diesels are on the way out. Plus, you can have it in ute form with the Tundra. You guys have so much more choice.
@@garrygraham7901 Yes, we do get the Sequoia. Yes, the Tundra, Sequoia, and Land Cruiser frames are related, but no, the Sequoia isn't a suitable substitute for the Land Cruiser. The Sequoia is much larger then the Land Cruiser, with a much longer wheelbase. As a result, its turning circle and breakover angle is horrid. Its approach and departure angles are worse as well. It doesn't have the wonderful Land Cruiser KDSS system nor does it have the lockable Torsen center differential. The Land Cruiser is already a bit bigger than I need. I take my 200 off-road on trails that the Sequoia simply wouldn't be able to make without damage.
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD The LX grille is completely hideous and ruins the approach angle. The built-in side steps would be destroyed off-road and it is harder to remove them in a way that looks good than to remove the 200 side steps and replace with rock sliders (as I've done on my 200). In addition, the Land Cruiser will always have more options for off-road bumpers than the Land Cruiser.
Seems like a good unit, be interesting to see how they go once people start loading them ala.. front and rear bars,winches,rooftop tents,long range tanks..etc..etc.
The payload for this large 4wd wagon is piss poor. Not a good selling point. Once you fit a steel bar(s), winch, 2nd battery, load the roof up, tow something strongly built on the towball you’re not left with much.
I like Toyota 4wds. I liked the 100 & 200 series. I haven’t driven the 300, but based purely on looks alone, I don’t like it that for $100k you get a black grille, black driving light surround & black bottom half on the mirrors. I know there’s no points for buying the first cab off the rank models because you’ll get crap black external plastic which will be improved upon in facelifts later on with chrome, but for $100k you’d expect the bells and whistles. I can’t stand the look of the rear end and the wheel arches. I bet there was divide over that in the boardroom in Japan. They appear to be very obvious flaws to me, but fingers crossed may be corrected in a facelift in nearly a decade’s time or something. It’s a car shape that’ll definitely look dated by the time manufacturing it runs its course in 12-15yrs. The engine appears good, but no V8 option for a $100-$150k 4wd that’s had them for so long now = fail (a bit of a fail in my opinion for this market). Right now I’m going to decide that I don’t like it and will see if the facelifts grow on me in a few years time. I definitely prefer the 200 series compared to the 300. The Landcruiser sales were so strong compared to the current Patrol & American Ute imports. I can see a swing in sales & more potential Landcruiser buyers than ever before steer towards the Dodge Ram, Chev Silverado & Ford F-150 (Raptor version incl).
This is actually one of the slowest 0-100 I've seen for the 3.3 V6 diesel. The fastest time I've seen is 0-100 in 7.26 seconds. You will need to brake torque it hard though. GR diesel dyno + 0-100 and 0-400m run: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Uhbpf-4tNhc.html
you forget about the oil >they made it like Unimog > when you go up Mountains and hills The temperature always rises because the oil does not reach some cylinders .It was designed to address this problem
Great vid Ronny, I rather enjoy these type of new vehicle tests, whilst the vehicles are not always something I may select unless my powerball numbers come up....then I will need a massive bloody shed to house the car collection, the unbiased opinion of said vehicle is interesting viewing. The extra insight of Luke was a great touch too, cheers
Keen to see the chop aka UTE version. I have a 200 and have driven the 300. I still prefer the 200 because I am biased 😄. Kidding aside, I'd pick the 300 if I'm doing mostly city/tarmac. For touring, I prefer the 200 - it has more of that planted & bulletproof feel + V8 engine sound is sweeter and more effortless than the V6. Also, 300 engine bay has no space for a 2nd battery?
Hey ronny love your videos man, keep up the good work, ronny could you do a video on SWB vs LwB in off road conditions pros and cons of each can't seem to find a vi's in the subject.
The price is high and I'm still waiting for the 285 tires. I don't understand why there is no rear door to the sides like the LC105. Everything else can be.
Hi Ronny I have had my vx 300 for about a month now love the car but I’m hearing what you said about the rear door not shutting on the first go 😂it’s a pain in the butt what I do is ave my hand on the Toyota badge an shut it firmly does the trick but apart from that the car is awesome the power is insane diesel engines certainly have come along way safe travels mate love your channel .cheers Bob
Regarding the tailgate, try opening up a car window, then try closing the tailgate again. Is it still a problem ? As the car is well sealed to keep dust and water out, it might be the back pressure that causes the tailgate issue as the tailgate closes. Opening the window will eliminate any back pressure to prove or cancel that theory.
Hi Ronny one thing I noticed when you say about shutting the back door even on the Fortuner that's only because of the amount of air getting trapped making the sealing of the car very good. If you open a front door or window it allows air to escape.
Overall I'm not that impressed with the 300, the engine has plenty of power, but the interior is missing the mark. Its getting further away from being a four-wheel drive and more to a soccer mom's car. Personally, I'm looking forward to the Grenadier. Been in the prototype and was more impressed with that over the 300.
Great review R. I was looking at a GXL but was very disappointed to find out there is no GPS in that spec! You need to go to VX for another $18k. All other GXL spec Toyota 4WD’s get GPS how can it not be on their hero model???
G’day I went 4 wheeling yesterday with a mate in his new 300 Sahara we drove some reasonably steep Highcountry Tks . The 300 handle them all without a problem but we did notice when ascending a steep low range Tk , when the vehicle was in manual mode it still changed up gears , which seems strange the stick was definitely knocked across into manual and showing what gear it was in on the dash , is this a feature of the 10 speed in the 300 , just doesn’t make sense and no we weren’t boring the piss into it , just climbing steadily.
lc100 2006gx1st owner lc200vx2020new lc200vx2021new all petrol i m happy with lc200 because lc300 less one chair at 3rd row and tight on driver seat , also engine vs 5.7 price also jumped 4350$ on same configuration 5.7 is remarkable on pavement & off-road
So you don’t recommend any other LC300, if off-roading, than the GR Sport?? I must admit the GR is ugly at the front compared to the other LC300. But obviously performance off road is immensely more?
You have to wonder why stretch a suv to a Ute? Especially these new expensive land cruisers it just costs mental money and is it really worth it? I can understand an old rig that’s got a broken body and chopping it gives it a new life but I’m not sure about these others
@@repentfromsinfollowjesus2953 yeah I get that, it just seems crazy to me spending thousands on a luxury suv then chopping half of it off spending many thousands in the process when you could just buy a Ute
Props to Ronny in these latest videos. His confidence is coming though now and they are a pleasure to listen to now. He has always known his stuff and is very honest but you could tell he wasn't so confident in front of a camera but the change in this is great and shows what people can do if we all keep at it and do things we love.
I think only time will tell the 200s been around a while and its had all the R&D and parts availability to modify is extensive. My worry with the 300 is that alloy body especially say after 5 years or 200,000 kms what's it going to be like?. Would love to see the chop. But as I said this is just the new shiny toy of the moment I feel like the 200 like the 80 series will be the iconic 4x4 everyone wants in 20 years time to
But what is your opinion? Better than 200? I am in the market for a car in this price range.. and for the money i do think it should have a whole lot more. Its doing my head in. Paying 150+ for a bloody toyota! What else though? f150? Rangey? So many pros and cons to all.
Aluminium door skins! Not good for carparks or scrub. It'll be hard to keep them dent free. Also $100 grand for the PovertyPack+1 with not a lot of goodies in it (if we are being honest), it's gotten well out of hand price wise. Longevity of the hot-V donk will also be interesting.
So apparently the GVM, GCM and roof load limit are all less than the 200. I don't see any room up front for an aux battery and the fuel tank is smaller than the 200 while the real world fuel consumption when loaded is no better that the 200. Also the tyre dia is smaller than the 200 so you can't legally run as big a tyre.
Ronnie I googled the roof carrying capacity of the 300 and it said the roof is rated to carry 92kg on GX models and 90kg on the higher-spec variants.5 Oct 2021. If this is true capacity is less than half of the 200. What do you think?
