Choose Team Toyota: LandCruiser Sahara 300 Series

The launch of an all-new LandCruiser platform is a rare event. Released just over a year ago, the 300-series replaced its 14-year-old predecessor, building on a breed beloved by many Australians. The LandCruiser 300-series certainly looks the part on the road, but one would look even better in your driveway. Buy a ticket in Mater Cars for Cancer lottery 109 for the chance to make that happen.

The outgoing 200-series had forged itself a considerable reputation for driveability and reliability. It was equally at home on the bitumen as it was beyond the backroads and the big V8 was bulletproof, ensuring the LandCruiser 200-series remained popular throughout its lifecycle. Despite huge improvements in vehicle technology over that time, 2020 was the Cruiser’s best year in Australia with over 15,000 sold, almost double the car’s 2009 sales figures, back when the model was fresh.

Toyota don’t have a reputation for sitting still, so while the 300-series was under development, a process that began in 2014, the 200 received plenty of safety and tech upgrades, but mid-model improvements can only go so far, and one thing Toyota couldn’t change was the big, 4.5 litre twin turbo V8.

The diesel V8 is part of what forged the 200’s legendary status; unless it died of thirst, it rarely left you stranded. It made plenty of power and trailer-pulling torque, but the old adage ‘no replacement for displacement’ no longer applies in the twenty-first century, and much more can be had with much less. A bit like Mater’s Cars for Cancer lottery 109, which, for as little as $30, might earn you a 300-series Toyota LandCruiser Sahara worth $144,000.

The V8 is also part of the reason for the sales spike towards the end; having been around for so long, people knew it could do the job. It’s likely that the 300-series will do the job just as well with its 3.3 litre twin turbo V6 engine; eight years of development and plenty of durability testing, much of which was conducted right here in Australia, should ensure that.

Pre-launch speculation around the 300-series was rampant, emanating from building sites, boardrooms, and barbeques across the nation. But cut through the noise and there are only two questions that matter: 1) will it improve on the previous model? 2) will it be better than the Nissan Patrol? Winning Mater Cars for Cancer lottery 109 gives you the choice to pick your side; win a Toyota LandCruiser or win a Nissan Patrol. Just make sure you’re confident in your answer if it’s you.

In answer to the first question, on paper the 300-series LandCruiser has the old model covered. Aside from bold, new looks which are much more defined than its somewhat anonymous forebear, the new 3.3 litre V6 is the key. With 227kw of power, up 27kw on the old V8, and 50Nm more torque for a staggering 700Nm, it certainly has on-road alacrity and the ability to tow huge things.

The reviews are in and most of the motor-noters agree; the new V6, backed by a 10-speed auto, is never caught short. The gearbox is well-suited to the twin turbo engine and the catches the right gear in any situation. Efficiency is up, too with a claimed 8.9L/100km, and while any manufacturer’s claimed figures are hard to replicate in the real world, most road testers have come close, meaning the 300-series LandCruiser Sahara has a real-world range nearing 1000km.

Engine aside, some of this efficiency is down to the all-new body, sitting atop the TNGA-F body-on-frame platform shared with the new US-market Toyota Tundra. It has given the new 300-series LandCruiser a 200kg reduction in kerb weight, which is no mean feat considering the additional tech it packs.

Technology continues to amaze us, whether it’s applied to our vehicles, our homes or our lifesaving hospitals. But tech is expensive, especially initially, which is why your ticket in Mater Cars for Cancer Lottery 109 is worth so much more than the chance to win a 2022 Toyota LandCruiser Sahara 300-series. Your dollars help people every day who are living with cancer, whether that is through transport, accommodation or breakthrough curative and palliative research solutions. It can’t be done without you, so organise a ticket today so Mater Foundation can improve tomorrow.

The Sahara’s life-saving tech is here and now; the hard yards have been done in terms of R&D. The 300-series can save your bacon with crawl control, downhill assist control and trailer sway control as well; just the thing if you’re towing a 2022 Hurricane RV. It can even save other people’s bacon with pedestrian and cyclist detection, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring and lane departure warning.

The list of cutting edge technologies does not cease at safety; occupants get all the luxuries you’d expect with a recently released, clean-sheet design, with head-up display, four-zone climate control, twin entertainment screens, 14-speaker JBL audio system and chilled centre console. The tailgate is not only power operated, but has three positions, all controlled from the driver’s seat.

With all this and more, you’d be forgiven for thinking that picking between the LandCruiser and the Patrol is a no-brainer decision. But remember, the Patrol has its own list of achievements, technical merits, and an ardent supporter base. Without a ticket, you can dream on regardless of which car you pick, or you can buy a ticket now to give yourself the chance to live it.