Toyota has rewarded Australia’s 50-year loyalty to its Landcruiser line by selecting next month’s Sydney motor show for the global motor show debut of the redesigned ‘200 series’ station wagon model line.
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The new model went on sale in Japan today (18 September) with a monthly sales target of 700 units. It is built in Toyota Motor Corporation’s Tahara plant and Toyota Auto Body’s Yoshiwara plant.
Australian LandCruiser models will have the choice of a new turbodiesel V8 or the V8 petrol engine updated with intelligent variable valve timing that is the sole engine option in Japan.
Both engines have considerably more power than their predecessors and the turbo-diesel engine develops significantly more torque.
Petrol models feature what Toyota claims is the world’s first ‘crawl control’ system for driving on surfaces such as rocks, sand or steep hills.
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By GlobalDataIt automatically controls the engine and brakes to maintain very low speeds with minimal spinning or locking of the wheels and allows for delicate speed adjustments between approximately 0.5 and 3mph (1km/h and 5 km/h). Three speed settings can be selected by turning a dial.
This allows the driver to have a greater focus on steering and is also effective at extracting the vehicle if it becomes stuck, Toyota said.
Toyota Australia’s senior executive director of sales and marketing, David Buttner, said Sydney was chosen for the model’s 11 October launch over the current Frankfurt motor show in Germany.
“This is a real coup for Australia,” Buttner said. “It reflects the vital role Australia has played in the development of Landcruiser over almost 50 years,” he added.
“It has been a key factor in building the foundations for the market leadership that Toyota enjoys today in this country.”
The first two-door FJ25 models used on the Snowy Mountains hydro-electric scheme in New South Wales state arrived ‘down under’ in 1958.
The new 200-series model is 60mm longer, 30mm wider and the roofline is 15mm higher – with a full restyle.
The platform has also been fully redesigned but the full-frame structure is retained, strengthened to increase safety, reduce noise and vibration and enhance interior comfort.
A double-wishbone front suspension with coil springs replaces the previous torsion-bar set-up, improving handling and stability.
Options for the Australia market include a ‘kinetic dynamic suspension system (KDSS)’ – originally developed by Western Australia state company Kinetic. This hydraulic system, used for the first time in a Toyota, controls the front and rear stabiliser bars to provide excellent on-road stability.
KDSS also provides outstanding off-road performance through a larger suspension stroke achieved by effectively disabling the stabiliser bars, Toyota said.
Hill-start (HAC) is standard on all models minimising vehicle roll-back when starting on steep hills or climbing slippery surfaces by controlling brake fluid pressure as the driver’s foot is removed from the brake to the accelerator.
Power is divided between the front and rear wheels through a Torsen limited-slip centre differential built into the transfer unit of the full-time all-wheel-drive system.
A newly adopted multi-terrain anti-skid braking system provides excellent braking performance even on dirt roads, gravel and sand, Toyota claimed.
Safety advances include the stronger body structure, vehicle stability control and up to 10 airbags – front, side and knee airbags for the driver and front passenger, side airbags for the outboard second-row seats and curtain shield airbags for all three rows.
The new Landcruiser can seat up to eight people.
Available features in Australia will include smart entry and smart start, Bluetooth mobile-phone connection, satellite navigation and steering wheel controls.
Japanese market models also offer an optional 30GB high-capacity HDD navigation system with a high-resolution 8-inch wide display compatible with advanced ‘G-Book Alpha Pro’ telematics service.
The Navi-AI2 shift control system uses road information from the navigation system for optimal gear shift control.
