
Toyota Land Cruiser with a Turbo V6 Hybrid?
Australian media is reporting that the upcoming Toyota Land Cruiser 300 series may have a twin-turbocharged, 3.5-liter V6. This engine was developed for the Lexus LS500. That engine produces about 416 horsepower and 442 lbs-feet of torque from 1,600 – 4,800 rpm. The big Lexus uses a 10-speed automatic transmission as its only transmission option.
Currently, the Land Cruiser and Tundra have a 381 horsepower, 5.7-liter V8 that makes 401 lb-ft of torque. The Tundra uses the old Aisin-Warner six-speed automatic transmission while the Land Cruiser uses a more modern eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Australian sources state that there will be an even more powerful hybrid twin-turbocharged V6. This powertrain should offer even more torque while returning better economy numbers. While this is still unconfirmed, it jives with the plethora of rumors we’ve already received regarding the upcoming (2021) Toyota Tundra.
You can read the Carsguide.com.au story (here).
Lots of questions:
This is an exciting prospect, but there are many questions that need to be addressed. One of the questions is about the current turbo-diesel which makes an impressive 479 lb-ft of torque. It’s only available overseas. It will be interesting to see if it goes the way of the R22, or will it be continued.
Also, what type of price premium will a turbocharged engine bring to this market? Ford already proved that you could make an affordable twin-turbocharged engine for trucks. Still, they still have naturally aspirated options as well. It sounds like Toyota may opt just for turbocharging.

(Image: Toyota)
Will this setup help with the mass of both trucks? They are both pretty heavy. Although we hear they may both get a new, lighter platform too. Hopefully they can they shave off some weight. Also, how rugged will the hybrid be? We’re talking about some serious daily abuse from a Truck maker who’s known for serious reliability.
These rumors are great to hear. It just makes the idea of waiting another year for the U.S. debuts all that more difficult.
Speaking of Toyota taking too long….