Photo: Toyota
In addition to the Prado, Toyota offers the full-size Land Cruiser for an un-Toyota-ish $85,000 in the United States. The LX from Lexus is no different, starting at $85,830 despite sharing most of the underpinnings with the Land Cruiser.
Both are body-on-frame, making them extremely versatile when the going gets off-road. Toyota and Lexus are understood to continue with the lumbering, body-on-frame configuration, but Best Car expects the V8 to be discontinued.
The 3UR-FE dates back to the 2006 Toyota Tundra, and even though it’s hugely reliable, it guzzles gas like there’s no tomorrow. For vehicles that start at $85k, the naturally aspirated V8 also happens to be overshadowed by twin-turbocharged V8s such as the M177 in the Mercedes-Benz G500 or N63 in the BMW M850i xDrive. What could serve as a replacement for the long-running 3UR-FE engine?
Best Car makes a case for the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and ten-speed automatic transmission offered by Lexus in the LS 500. Tuned to 415 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, the V35A-FTS could be complemented by a “turbo hybrid” option.
The thing is, there’s no LS with a turbo hybrid. The 500h relies on natural aspiration, and last time we’ve heard, Lexus was working on a twin-turbo V8 for applications such as the LC F. On the flip side, the V35A-FTS could be upgraded with hybrid assistance.
If you include the 1951 BJ, the Land Cruiser has been around for almost 70 years. Toyota celebrated the long-running nameplate with the Heritage Edition at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show, a limited-run edition available for the 2020 model year.
Only 1,200 examples of the breed will ever be made for the U.S., and all of them feature the 5.7-liter V8 that Best Car expects to be discontinued for the 2021 model year. Although it’s not known when the all-new Land Cruiser and LX will premiere, chances are we could be in for a surprise in the first half of 2020.
The 3UR-FE dates back to the 2006 Toyota Tundra, and even though it’s hugely reliable, it guzzles gas like there’s no tomorrow. For vehicles that start at $85k, the naturally aspirated V8 also happens to be overshadowed by twin-turbocharged V8s such as the M177 in the Mercedes-Benz G500 or N63 in the BMW M850i xDrive. What could serve as a replacement for the long-running 3UR-FE engine?
Best Car makes a case for the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and ten-speed automatic transmission offered by Lexus in the LS 500. Tuned to 415 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, the V35A-FTS could be complemented by a “turbo hybrid” option.
The thing is, there’s no LS with a turbo hybrid. The 500h relies on natural aspiration, and last time we’ve heard, Lexus was working on a twin-turbo V8 for applications such as the LC F. On the flip side, the V35A-FTS could be upgraded with hybrid assistance.
If you include the 1951 BJ, the Land Cruiser has been around for almost 70 years. Toyota celebrated the long-running nameplate with the Heritage Edition at the 2019 Chicago Auto Show, a limited-run edition available for the 2020 model year.
Only 1,200 examples of the breed will ever be made for the U.S., and all of them feature the 5.7-liter V8 that Best Car expects to be discontinued for the 2021 model year. Although it’s not known when the all-new Land Cruiser and LX will premiere, chances are we could be in for a surprise in the first half of 2020.
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