2021 Toyota Land Cruiser Unveiled | V3Cars

Starting with the design, while the SUV has been redesigned, its design remains quite close to the outgoing model as it continues forward with a boxy silhouette. Upfront, it gets slimmer headlamps with thick L-shaped DRLs. They flank the new horizontally slatted grille which has also grown in size. It is underlined by a U-shaped vent running along the edge of the grille. The fog lamps are placed much below in the bumper. 

Coming to the sides, it gets an upright A-pillar with a flat roof sloping at the rear. It also gets squared-off flared wheel arches adding bulk to the overall stance of the SUV. Similarly, the changes at the back of easy-to-miss kind. It gets slimmer LED headlamps and a redesigned rear bumper. 

The new Land Cruiser gets a completely redesigned cabin. The centre stage is taken by a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system (12.3-inch optional) which sits about the central air dams. In a time where all carmakers are doing away with physical controls for AC and other functions, the new Land Cruiser comes with an array of buttons below the AC vents to control various car systems. Like its predecessor, the new Land Cruiser will continue to be available in 5-and 7-seater configurations. 

Under the hood, the new Land Cruiser is offered now offered with a set of twin-turbo V6 engines replacing the naturally aspirated V6 and V8 units found on the predecessor. The petrol engine on offer is a 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo engine making 415PS and 650Nm. The diesel engine, on the other hand, is a 3.3-litre V6 twin-turbo unit making 309PS and 700Nm. Both the engines are mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. It gets 4WD and locking differentials as standard. Toyota is also said to be working on a hybrid powertrain for the Land Cruiser with a V6 petrol engine and a 180PS electric motor. 

Toyota has not only introduced new engines but has also introduced an array of updates to retain or improve the Land Cruiser’s off-roading credentials. For starters, the new SUV is underpinned by Toyota’s new GA-F (part of the TNGA family) platform that has made the SUV lighter by 200kg resulting in a lower centre of gravity. It is also stiffer for better on-road manners. 

The new Land Cruiser gets the new E-KDSS (Electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System). The earlier Land Cruiser was also equipped with a kinetic dynamic suspension system but it was hydraulically actuated. As the name suggests, the new system is electronically controlled for faster response to the changing road conditions. In addition to this, the new Land Cruiser is also equipped with systems like Multi-Terrain Monitor and Multi-Terrain Select. While the former displays a feed of the terrain on the infotainment screen with the help of a camera, the latter is an electronic system that detects the terrain the SUV is driving on and make changes accordingly. 

The SUV is loaded on the features front as well. It gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, wireless mobile charging, a 360-degree camera, head-up display, powered tailgate, electrically adjustable steering wheel, multi-zone AC, 10 airbags, vehicle stability control, traction control, hill-start assist, crawl control and adaptive cruise control. 

The new Land Cruiser also comes with the latest Toyota Safety Sense active safety package. It gets an updated pre-collision system that can now detect pedestrians and cyclists (daytime and nighttime). It also detects oncoming vehicles at intersections and oncoming pedestrians crossing the street when the vehicle is turning in either direction. The system also offers emergency steering and crash avoidance function, which assists with steering and lane-keeping and is triggered when the driver performs a steering maneuver to avoid a collision. It also gets a new Parking Support Brake, which helps prevent accidents by stopping the SUV if there is an obstacle in front and back of the vehicle. 

Toyota has said that the new Land Cruiser will go on sale globally in the summer, which is around the corner. The carmaker has also confirmed that it will launch the new Land Cruiser in India. While there is no official timeline, it is expected to go on sale here by the end of this year or early 2022. As it will continue to be a CBU import as its predecessor, prices are expected to range from Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore. It will take on the likes of the Mercedes Benz G63 AMG and the Land Rover Defender.