I agree, the 4Runner and potential new "FJ Cruiser" should use the Tacoma engines and optional Trailhunter (or TRD Pro) suspensions, locker, and sway bar disconnect. The Land Cruiser should get the GX550 engines, KDSS and stay upmarket of the 4Runner.
2024 GX/Prado Release and Discussion (8 Viewers)
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Hiluxforever
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Exactly, and they can roll out a few more models that way and appeal to different buyers. Personally I never wanted a Lexus, it just was what made sense for a 150.
I don’t disagree but in the NA market as a whole I don’t think the LC brand is what it is elsewhere. Yes, it should be but it isn’t. Not that a simple marketing campaign couldn’t solve that rather easily.
As of now we still have no real clue what this new LC may be. I still don’t see how a Prado type version makes sense with the new GX and 4R, which is why ‘something else’ remains possible.
This is what I’d like to see as well. Wish in one hand…
If the Tacoma 2.4 twin turbo hybrid gets anywhere near the fuel efficiency of the engine in the Crown I would probably go for that (in whatever Truck) over the GX550 choices. If it can get 25mpg combined for example. IIRC the Crown has a little less power and gets around 30 mpg.
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While a nice thought,
Toyotas next latest generation smaller turbo charged power plants have not really proven to be any more efficient than the larger normally aspirated engines that they replaced. I would assume this trend will continue with the new Tacoma. I would assume 18 to 20 with a set of 33's and two adults
They do however have respectable torque numbers.
Regrettably, I agree with this.
Heavier vehicle with worse aerodynamics, geared lower with heavier tires…
Yeah we’d be lucky to see anything in the 22mpg range
Yeah I've been wondering about this image as well. They just slipped in some gnarly sliders with no mention of if they are OEM or aftermarket or what.
The below is total speculation and talking out my a$$ on my part. Just offering up some thoughts from what we've seen so far.
I'll be extremely shocked if the new LC is anything but the Toyota variant of the GX550. Neither of which, IMO, will be a real competitor to the Bronco or especially Wangler Rubicon. The new GX appears to be an excellent platform for overland travel and mild to moderate off roading, but for more hardcore off roading and crawling the Wrangler will remain king.
A real competitor to the above mentioned vehicles will require very little low hanging plastic, front and rear lockers and the ability to fit 35" - 37" tires. Easy mod-ability to fit steel bumpers and winches as well. Some would also argue a solid front axle and while I agree, I think IFS is here to stay. For Toyota to bring out such a vehicle it would require a new ground up design and I think that is unlikely considering the LC has only been gone from NA for a short time.
It seems to me that Toyota is really only competing against itself with the 4Runner, GX550 and LC. Time will tell for sure though. I wish them the best though and find this whole subject quite fascinating.
I'll be extremely shocked if the new LC is anything but the Toyota variant of the GX550. Neither of which, IMO, will be a real competitor to the Bronco or especially Wangler Rubicon. The new GX appears to be an excellent platform for overland travel and mild to moderate off roading, but for more hardcore off roading and crawling the Wrangler will remain king.
A real competitor to the above mentioned vehicles will require very little low hanging plastic, front and rear lockers and the ability to fit 35" - 37" tires. Easy mod-ability to fit steel bumpers and winches as well. Some would also argue a solid front axle and while I agree, I think IFS is here to stay. For Toyota to bring out such a vehicle it would require a new ground up design and I think that is unlikely considering the LC has only been gone from NA for a short time.
It seems to me that Toyota is really only competing against itself with the 4Runner, GX550 and LC. Time will tell for sure though. I wish them the best though and find this whole subject quite fascinating.
I agree with you - but I'm scratching my head to figure out how the 4runner fits in with the GX550 based Land Cruiser.
And I cannot imagine they would do anything to compromise 4runner sales.
This exactly
Toyota has a 2.5 backlog on 70 series land cruisers globally.....havent heard of any effort to alleviate that by increasing capacity.
A 70 or similar vehicle that shares similar components/manufacturing capacity for those lines would appear to be an impossibility for 2024
That leaves a yet to be released US LC to be a varient of the GX
And its really just competing against other models in toyota line up instead of competing for the demographic that wants a vehicle that competes with bronco or wrangler/rubicon......which Ford alone has sold over 100k units per year
Back to the business case - if they already have such a backlog on all vehicles (took us a full year to get a pedestrian Highlander Hybrid), why bother with the R&D to develop a Wrangler/Bronco competitor to get maybe 50K sales a year? They may be making the calculated business decision to keep doing what they are good at - IFS do-all SUVs that are crazy reliable and modded in the aftermarket - so why add another one? Business go through this all of the time. It would cost $$$$ on the R&D side and make them nominal profit over just improving their production capacity to keep up with existing demand and backlog.
There are many markets that my company simply does not participate in as they aren't core to our main markets - and entering new markets is both very expensive and must be done carefully to avoid compromising your existing bread-and-butter markets that are both paying the bills and profitable.
I do think a solid-axle Toyota would be very cool, but I'm just providing some insight on why they might not be making it.
D21FJ60
#LiveLaughLove.
Nissan Armada vibes. Couldn't place it until you posted this angle.
The 2.5 year backlog would seem to be proof positive of what Toyota is good at dont you think?
LC sales in the US have only topped 10k units/year a couple times.....and most recently they exited the US market because the lexus lite offering was having trouble hitting 3k units
The new GX appears to me to pull from same demographic with a similar product....based on global capacity issues I think its likely that the new LC will be a theme and variation offering of the GX just like they did with the version they exited the market with.
Maybe I'm wrong but I dont see how trying to appeal to same demographic again is going to yield a different result
If Toyota magically decides to do something different I would gladly purchase something that is bronco/wrangler competitive
I assume those sliders were photoshopped.
I like the idea of the 4Runner going wrangler/Bronco, but that's not what I've heard. I think the general idea is that the next 4R is an evolution of the current one, not a wrangler bronco challenger. It should be. But I think it'll be a Tacoma wagon and ultimately very similar to the LC250. Basically Venza vs Rav4.
The 4runner was the FJ40 successor for north america in 1984. So, it does fit with the historical place in the lineup. But the 4R is a lot more successful than the Land Cruiser brand in the USA now. I don't think we'll see a true Bronco/Wrangler competitor from Toyota. Now or ever. Enthusiast models are just not in Toyota's DNA.
The 4runner was the FJ40 successor for north america in 1984. So, it does fit with the historical place in the lineup. But the 4R is a lot more successful than the Land Cruiser brand in the USA now. I don't think we'll see a true Bronco/Wrangler competitor from Toyota. Now or ever. Enthusiast models are just not in Toyota's DNA.
I don’t know if they were photoshopped or not but the picture comes from Toyota’s global media website.
Hiluxforever
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They photoshopped matching dirt stains on the sliders if that's true.
It would be super odd for Toyota not to paint them at a minimum. Every Toyota OEM rock slider I've ever seen was steel and painted black. Maybe it's a prototype that will be produced? They should be on the LC version. Not sure the GX really needs them for its target demographic.
What would be nice IMO is an OEM quality side step/slider combo. Something that looks more like a side step but structural enough for actual rock slider duty and frame mounted (or body mounted if that's strong enough).
Or maybe make structural rocker panels that don't need rock sliders.
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