SPORT STAR

HITTING THE TRACKS IN THE LANDCRUISER 300 SERIES GR SPORT, TO CUT THROUGH THE HYPE AND TEST ITS ABILITIES

- MATT RAUDONIKIS

IT’S been a long time coming; 14 years in fact since the launch of the 200 Series. Even after its eventual launch, Toyota’s 300 Series LandCruiser is still a hard vehicle to get in to. While semi-conductor shortages have delayed production and limited supply to customers, we’ve managed to nab an LC300 for a few days to test its off-road mettle.

As it is marketed as the more offroad-focused model in the six-variant LC300 range, we’ve gone for the GR Sport, which, along with the range-topping Sahara ZX, is new to the nameplate. What makes the GR Sport the most off-road capable LandCruiser variant is the inclusion of front and rear locking differentials as standard, and the addition of E-KDSS which is the latest generation of Kinetic’s clever suspension system.

The killer is that the GR S is the only model to get this off-road hardware, and you can’t option factory lockers or KDSS in the lower-grade models.

The problem with the GR S is that, at $137,790, it’s the second most expensive model in the range, only beaten by the Sahara ZX which adds another $1000 to the base price.

The GR S comes with the equipment levels to match that price, but all that kit adds weight, meaning the GR S has the lowest payload in the range with 650kg available.

POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE

UNDER the Cruiser’s new aluminium bonnet is an all-new 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel engine. The V8 is gone, but this engine makes more power and torque than the old 4.5litre bent eight. The 700Nm of torque and 227kW of power are on tap under the go pedal, and it propels the big Cruiser along swiftly when you put your foot down.