Landcruiser 300 off-road REVIEW

Landcruiser 300 off-road REVIEW

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[TheAthavanleon]

I love LC. but for a 100K (140K) car they should include at least front and rear lockers as standard.

[chazmic]

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

[egayaguilar]

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.

[topdeckdog]

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.

[pauls]

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.

[thepragmatist]

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.

[mozartheart]

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.

[peterj]

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.

[The_Travelling_Cookies]

Good review Ronny. I'd love to see a video or 2 on the 300 getting chopped and the mods he does to it.

[nzmarkb]

Late model 200 over here have adaptive cruise control (Radar cruise as you called it)
Like the tailgate on the 200 better
Great honest review 👍👍

[ianmoone]

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.

[LexusGX-OFF-ROAD]

Here in Murica we get this Landcruiser ad the Lexus LX600. Same car. Excellent vehicles for refined offroading!

[kwequay]

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

[Malc]

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.

[aal-m]

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

[dubious]

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.

[briananddianehardy]

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.

[AllTerrainAction]

I worry when I watch these reviews I sometimes end up at the Toyota dealership 🤣 that's how I ended up with the fortuner.

[glenwillson]

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).

[maxgermasi]

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.🤔