TOYOTA LAND CRUISER: Toyota calls this the king of SUVs. And I won’t disagree because the Land Cruiser is a legendary SUV with its roots dating back all the way to the 1950s being the third SUV in the world after the Jeep and Land Rover Series 1. Hence, it is Toyota’s longest running name plate. Launched at a time when no German luxury car company had even imagined an SUV body style. For reference, Mercedes’s first SUV, the ML, came in 1997. Okay. The G Wagon came in 1979. BMW’s first SUV, the X5, came in 1999. Audi’s first SUV, the Q7, came in 2005, while the Range Rover was launched in 1970.
Fast forward to 2025 and we have got the second batch of the LC300, which has got some minor changes, and this time we’ve got the GR Sport 2. So, what makes the Land Cruiser so popular?
Exterior Design & Road Presence
Well, to start with, this looks like the fortune ‘s grandfather because it is thanks to its almost 5 m length and 2.9 m wheelbase and a massive ground clearance of 230 mm. The roof rails are also functional here. The Land Cruiser looks amazing with its size giving it a lot of road presence and Toyota’s overused chrome here which is splashed on the rear view mirrors, door handles, 20-in alloy wheels, window surrounds, and around the fog lamp housing.
But who are we kidding? The LC200 is still the best looking Land Cruiser ever. Because while the LC300 has a bold front end, the rear design is a bit too plain.
Interior Experience & Features
Step inside and that plain feeling can be felt for the interior too. The interiors can be had in two colors, beige or black. And the same goes for the GR Sport as well. You get a red or a black interior. But for a car of this price, it’s too simple. And for a car of this size, just being a 5-seater is a bit ridiculous. Globally, this car is available with seven seats.
In fact, this car is made as a seven-seater. And thus, the second row seats tumble for easy access into the third row, which doesn’t exist here. There are AC vents and cup holders in the third row too, which again does not exist here. But because of no third row, the boot is massive at 1131 L.
Storage & Comfort
And you can fold the second row seats in 40, 20, 40 format to boost luggage carrying capacity even further. The door pockets aren’t big enough to fit a 1 L bottle, but the glove box is huge and lockable. There’s storage below the front center armrest, which is also cooled and also opens from both the sides. It also has a sliding tray inside.
There are two cup holders in the center console and in the rear center armrest. There’s also a card holder and aircraft style magazine pockets.
Missing Features
But it lacks features expected at this price like matrix LED headlights, welcome and goodbye animations on the lights, auto park assist, rear window sunlinds, boss mode, ambient lighting, split tailgate like the LC200, and a panoramic sunroof as this gets a single pane sunroof with a manual blind which is quite flimsy. Even the key is quite basic for a Land Cruiser. The horn also feels out of place.
Thankfully, the seats are big and comfy with soft cushioning, and you sit so high up that you do feel like the king of the road.
Technology & Infotainment
Toyota has now given the Land Cruiser a fully digital instrument cluster that has a comprehensive multi-information display on all the three areas of the screen. There are multiple cluster views, too. But call me old school because I like the old analog cluster better.
They’ve also removed the CD player where there’s a storage bin now, and there are a lot of dummy buttons in this car. Thankfully, there are a lot of physical buttons and premium quality switches, and Toyota hasn’t succumbed to the useless touch trend.
Connectivity & Ports
There are plenty of USBC and USBA charging ports along with HDMI ports and a power socket in the boot to power up a portable fridge.
Feature Highlights
Some noteworthy features include headlight washers, automatic headlights, sequential turn indicators, puddle lamps, heated mirrors with anti-glare coating, automatic wipers, laminated acoustic glass with heat shield, illuminated side steps, eight-way powered driver seat with three memory functions and welcome and goodbye movement, powered steering adjustment, four zone climate control, air conditioning seat heating and ventilation for both front and rear seats. JBL sound system which has average audio quality.
Voice commands that aren’t accurate navigate me to Lexus showroom. I found more than one matching POI. Bro, I need a car. I don’t need jeans. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?
12.3 in infotainment screen with the UI from the ’90s. It’s so slow that it takes ages to load on startup. Would you even turn on today? Slow. Connected car tech 360° parking camera with transparent views that change as per the steering angle.
Rear Seat Experience
Being a five-seater doesn’t mean that this Land Cruiser is a great chauffeur-driven car as space in the second row is quite less for a car of this size. Toyota has pushed the front seats a bit further back for better crash protection. The second row seats are quite low so under thigh support is poor.
The rear entertainment screens bulge out further making it feel less spacious and the seat doesn’t slide either. Thus, leg room and knee room is quite poor for a car of this size. But headroom and shoulder room is quite impressive.
Driving Experience
Driving an LC is the most exciting part ever. Lot of traffic today. This screen takes 3 years to load. It’s very very very very very very very very slow.
Performance
0 to 100 km/h in 8 seconds, which is also Toyota’s claim. The driving feel is the real highlight. You sit so high above. You feel like the king of the road. Every other car looks chintu because you’re seated so high.
This car is about off-road ability. This car is very famous in the Middle East where people actually take it off-road because people love to go dune bashing.
Engine & Transmission
Earlier we had the 4.5 L V8 diesel engine. Now we have a 3.3 L diesel engine. There are twin turbos. The result is turbo lag is very well contained, but the engine is loud and noisy. It revs a bit too much. The engine is loud. It’s not very refined.
309 horsepower and 700 Newton m of torque. Top end isn’t that great, but who really cares? It’s a 10-speed automatic gearbox which is a torque converter.
Dynamics
Around the corners, you do feel a lot of body roll. The car swings. Under braking also, it swings. Under acceleration, it lifts up from the front. It has adaptive dampers. The ride quality is very impressive for something which is a body-on-frame SUV.
Top speed: easily 190 km/h. But above 140 km/h, it doesn’t seem to be stable at all and it doesn’t need to be.
Off-Road Technology & GR Sport Advantages
The GR Sport variant has recovery hooks and has three locking differentials — center, front and rear. It has more suspension travel and the most articulation of any Land Cruiser ever. Strengthened chassis, better approach and departure angles.
4WD System
This is all-wheel drive. It’s a fulltime all-wheel drive system. You can shift between 4 high and 4 low. It never loses grip. The steering is actually heavy because this is a hydraulic steering.
Conclusion
I have never ever driven a car which has this level of driving feel. It feels surreal to drive this car. Unlike the daimmer dozen softies which are coming today, this is actually the world’s best SUV because super reliable, very durable, and drives with authority which no car can match.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) — Toyota Land Cruiser LC300 GR Sport
1. Is the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser LC300 sold as a 5-seater or 7-seater in India?
Globally, the LC300 is offered as a 7-seater, but the Indian-spec model is sold only as a 5-seater due to homologation and market positioning.
2. What engine does the LC300 GR Sport use?
The LC300 GR Sport is powered by a 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel engine, producing 309 HP and 700 Nm of torque paired with a 10-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox.
3. Is the Toyota Land Cruiser LC300 good for chauffeur-driven use?
Not ideal. The rear seat is fixed, under-thigh support is limited, and knee room is tighter than expected for a vehicle of this size. The LC300 is better suited for owners who prefer to drive themselves.
4. What makes the Land Cruiser LC300 so reliable?
Its ladder-frame chassis, proven Toyota engineering, robust mechanicals, and simple/over-engineered components make it extremely durable — a vehicle designed to survive harsh desert and heavy off-road use.
5. What is the difference between the LC300 and the GR Sport variant?
The GR Sport brings off-road-focused upgrades such as:
– Front, center and rear locking differentials.
– Strengthened chassis and increased suspension travel for better articulation.
– Revised bumpers and recovery hooks for improved approach/departure/breakover angles.
These make the GR Sport significantly more capable off-road compared to the standard LC300.
6. What is the fuel efficiency of the LC300?
Expect fuel economy in the single digits for real-world use — typically around 8–9 km/l depending on driving conditions, load, and terrain, largely due to the vehicle’s hefty weight (~2,400 kg) and ladder-frame architecture.
7. Which markets use the Land Cruiser for serious off-roading?
The Land Cruiser is especially popular in the Middle East and other regions where owners frequently do dune-bashing and heavy off-road driving. Its reputation is built on vehicles that “go and come back” reliably from extreme conditions.