Toyota says ‘Ninja Turtle’ Land Cruiser 80 is the benchmark for Land Cruiser 300, not the 200

Think the all-new 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser 300 looks a bit too similar to the outgoing Land Cruiser 200, and that Toyota hadn’t done much to change it? There’s some validity to that opinion, but there’s a reason behind it, and it’s not because the Land Cruiser 300 is a further development of the 200.

When a car manufacturer develops a new model, usually the goal post would be set against the outgoing model. Opinions of enthusiasts aside (this group tends to overemphasize a few small areas and overlook the needs of a wider user base), the usual path to progression would normally leads to ever better cars – safety, fuel economy, interior space, ease of driving etc.  

Not so with the Land Cruiser (for brevity, let’s just call it the LC). You will be surprised to know that in developing the LC 300, Toyota actually didn’t look at the outgoing LC 200 (despite the similarity in styling), but the even older ‘90s era Land Cruiser 80, which East Malaysians colloquially refer to it as the ‘Land Cruiser Ninja Turtle.’

Also read: Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series debuts – Super King drops V8 for V6, now with Dakar rally input

Nobody knows who coined the nickname or why it stuck, but its curvaceous, hump-like rear (versus the boxy Land Cruiser 70) might have something to do with it.

In developing the LC 300, Toyota was very careful about retaining the original spirit of the Land Cruiser.

Sadayoshi Koyari. chief engineer of the previous LC 200 said, “We have all been taught by our senior colleagues that there is a promise between the Land Cruiser and our customers. Our customers trust this car and many say they think of it as a family member. We cannot betray that trust.”

But the world is a different place from 2007, when Koyari launched his LC 200. His successor, chief engineer Takami Yokoo, has to deal with a whole new set of challenges that were not present during Koyari’s time.

“With stricter restrictions on fuel efficiency and emissions, we were hitting a wall trying to improve collision and safety performance. We also wanted to meet the demand for greater driving comfort; the core of safety and security,” said Yokoo.

But if Yokoo were to use the V8-powered LC 200 as his starting point, he will only end with an even more luxurious, even more powerful and more capable 4x4 – fine from a consumer’s perspective, but this car won’t meet today’s environmental targets.

So Yokoo had to restart on an almost clean slate. He need to build a new generation Land Cruiser to meet today’s requirements, but yet is able to keep the spirit of the original Land Cruiser.

“Even as the times change, the Land Cruiser has to be true to its core,” said Yokoo. What is the Land Cruiser’s core? Reliability. Durability. Rough road performance.

And the Land Cruiser that best realized the purity of these three ideals is not the most outgoing LC 200, but the much older, mechanically simpler Land Cruiser 80.

But of course, Toyota can’t build the Land Cruiser 80 anymore, because it won’t meet today’s regulations either (yes Toyota sells a remake of the Land Cruiser 70, but that’s only road legal in some markets).

However, the Land Cruiser 80 would be a better starting point in developing a newer, lighter, more fuel efficient but yet equally robust new generation Land Cruiser.

It is because of this reason that Toyota has stuck to more or less the same ladder frame chassis design (now improved with better welding technology for 120 percent higher rigidity and 200 kg lighter weight).

The so-called golden ratio between the wheelbase and rear track width (not to be confused with body width) established by the Land Cruiser 80 was said to offer the best balance between safe handling and off-road performance, which is why all recent generations of Land Cruisers have kept to more or less the same dimension.

It is because of the need to preserve this golden ratio that is the reason why the Land Cruiser 300 – despite riding on an all-new TNGA-F platform, plus a new lightweight V6 engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission, both mounted lower and further back for better balance - looks so similar to its predecessor.

This is because the current layout is already at its ideal point. To change it would only make things worse.

Also read: The 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser 300 has fingerprint identification engine start button

Extending the wheelbase would’ve made the SUV more comfortable, but only if the rear track width is widened proportionately.

But a longer wheelbase would make it more susceptible to getting stuck when driving over crests of sand dunes – a big problem for buyers in the Middle East, where the Land Cruiser is hugely popular - likewise a wider track width on narrow jungle terrain.

Changing the bumper to give it a dramatically different look from the LC 200 would’ve also compromised the SUV’s approach and departure angles, so these were retained too.

More details and specifications of the LC 300 will be revealed when we get closer to its market launch time, which is expected to be sometime around August 2021.

Also read: After the Land Cruiser 300, Lexus to debut all-new 2022 Lexus LX by Q4 2021