Yeah, certainly we are all very tuned into this as obviously weve been forced to be. I don't mind personally since I think the LX is better in every way.
Someone had mentioned 2023 as the target for the LX so we may be waiting a while to see how it goes.
Im more eager to see your reaction
@TeCKis300 than anyone else as you have almost perfected your 200 with everything I think it needs other than a supercharger. None of the extras like having tons of heavy metal work front rear and bottom or trying to turn the car into a rock crawler which its already way too heavy for stock.
Ground clearance, gearing, track width, stability, traction even fuel capacity and range can be addressed as you have done beautifully. Its only efficiency, torque, and power at elevation that cant be easily rectified.
The problem is that all of these issues can be perfectly addressed by hybridization and can be done in a multitude of ways as Toyota is already doing just like you mentioned. That Includes driven hybrid transmissions that would be very innovative for towing overdrive and low speed engine disengagement for fuel economy. I dont really see any better way to solve these things. It even fits the branding and suits the enthusiasts. If you lose an electric motor or charge in the wilderness you will make it out as its an engineered redundancy and makes perfect sense for the type of places the LC is supposed to go. If the turbo fails, you are pretty much stranded.
The solutions we actually got for these problems in the LC were just completely off the mark and SEVERELY outdated and not suited for the platform. Perhaps they will be reliable sure, but it wasn't the right choice at all. I don't think anyone could argue that it is. I don't want to disparage the platform any more than I already have but its a real head scratcher. If Toyota wants to just print money off of the LC name they can just keep selling 79, 80, 100 and even a 200 series poverty pack till the end of time and the margins would probably be even better. But to release a the truly pointless "improved" 300 series is sad.
I'm hoping the real R&D effort will be revealed in the LX and I wouldn't be surprised if we see more in the Tundra than the LC based on the current rumors. Towing an airstream, family of 4-5 with all their gear might be a dream with the new LX unlike weve ever seen. But like I've said before the LC is now just a cash grab and is offering nothing innovative at all and is jeopardizing the heritage for seemingly no reason.
If your argument is that Toyota waits for reliability to be tested and proven then why are all of the other cars receiving these things? That doesn't make sense. As special as the LC is, the Camry is more important to Toyota, their image and their bottom line. The Camry was available with a Hybrid in like 2006. Theres no excuse other than stubbornness, fear and greed. I will say however that the greater problem is corporate Japanese business mentality as a whole. Toyota is reminding me a lot of Sony right now. Sony has lost EVERY single market advantage and lead that it has ever had and even pioneered. Purely from BS like what we are seeing with the LC.
People need to stop defending the 300. Its a tragedy.
Sorry to ramble but theres a lot to hash out and I did my best to cull my run on sentences.
If you disagree with any of this, please give everyone your thoughts and dont try to explain that Toyota is infallible or knows much more than we do etc.
If you have any sort of professional corporate experience, you would know companies are not run ANYTHING like they would want you to believe. Trust me, behind the scenes most are a complete mess. Leave those type of notions to the marketing teams. Thanks.