Top 10 Good & Bad: 2023 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series (GR Sport)
Top 10 good/bad things about the 2023 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series (GR Sport). Head over to drivingenthusiast.com.au/2023... for more details. We'll have a review and 0-100 video of this vehicle coming up soon as well.
2023 Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport (300 Series)
227kW (309PS) / 700Nm, 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel
10-speed auto transmission with four-wheel drive
Official average fuel consumption: 8.9L/100km
Boot space: 1131L/2052L
Price: AU$142,101 (not including on-road costs, at time of upload)
The LandCruiser is designed for exploring the land. So if you only drive it in town or in the city, you’re kind of missing the point and potentially wasting your money. It is a bit cumbersome and it is going to feel out of place.
However, if you are planning to do a lot of travelling around the country, exploring areas you haven't been before, including in remote locations, then the 300 Series Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport is absolutely the ideal vehicle for it.
It is very unlikely to get stuck off road or break down thanks to its differential locks and clever drive modes, and it can accommodate all the family and tow a big trailer or caravan with plenty of allowable weight leftover...
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0-100 comparison between 300 Series V6 and 200 Series V8 at 6:34
Owned the GRS for a few months and a few thousand kilometres including towing, highway, light offroad as yet, country and urban driving BEST THINGS 1) Agree with Reputation and potential resale value if reliability proves to be as good as forebears 2) Agree with off road spec with eKDMSS, cross axle and center lockers, drive modes, phenomenal traction control, and live rear axle 3) Agree the boot is huge and the car to match with a commanding driving position 4) Agree with *comparatively* good GCM (more in another post) 5) Agree with the manual buttons and switches rather than tons of menu driven screen options 6) Agree with excellent surround view cameras including offroading and reversing. One niggle is no reverse view override in Drive. 7) Agree with great visibility and aforementioned commanding driving position 8) Looks are subjective . I preferred the Defender initially but the LC300 really grows on you. Kinda fit for purpose non pretentious simplicity. 9) Agree with V6 engine . It is awesome. Mine is not using extra oil thus far even though it is designed that it may do so (another topic). Similarly, Hot V6 not an issue as yet but I believe Toyota would have done their homework, only time will tell 10) Agree with decent feature lists including HUD (which I think is extra even on top model Defenders?), heated and cooled seats, AC power outlet, icebox etc and 4 way air con including in boot for the dogs. This can be controlled from rear or from drivers position.(again, not standard on top Defender models, 2.5 k extra for 3 zone air with rear assist) I WOULD ADD TO BEST THINGS 11) The GPS Navigation is great and integrates with the center digital display as well as HUD 12) Love the HUD. All cars at this price should have it included 13) sound system and JBL speakers are great 14) It is seriously fun and easy to drive on road.Yes it is a ladder frame, not monocoque and a big beast.The adaptive dampers and extra drive modes on this GRS model IMO are indispensable.It really does help tighten it up for tighter turns and especially undulating roads where it can feel otherwise like a boat.Should be standard on lesser models.No, it doesn't drive like a Porsche, it is a different fun, and you can take it off road and tow (yes, you can tow with a Cayenne but I would not around Australia). 15) Subjectively, I prefer the interior and controls over the "utilitarian" open shelf style Defender. I agree some of the trimmings are cheap looking for the price. I agree it should have a rotary Volume control and mute button (if you hold MODE button on steering wheelit does mute volume) 16)Overall the driver assistance and safety features and radar cruise control are excellent. The things that are annoying you can turn off 17) lots of little niceties like automatically turning on/off park brake in Park or Drive, heated steering wheel, nice big clear entertainment and info panel, lots of customisations, button to turn off rear collision alert when towing (although it should happen automatically when connect hitch plug socket) WORST THINGS (you mentioned) Some niggles already discussed above 1) On Road stability. Discussed above (14) 2) Rear door configuration - pros and cons 3) No 7 seat option. My preference is 5 but don't know why 7 seat is not an option 4) High floor. Has not been an issue 5) Button placement. generally great. Yes they should have grouped lockers together 6) 10 speed transmission IME is awesome. Def not a negative. I think just maybe it might have hunted once. 7) Beeps. Yes but you can turn them down and various things off. No problem for us 8) easy scratch paint,. Dunno, maybe but not so far 8b) Tow bar appearance. Yes the raw exposed appearance when tow ball is fitted is just weird, like a major oversight. 9 AND 10) Waiting Times and Price I WOULD ADD TO WORST BITS 11) They are being supplied with only one FOB Key. Lose it and your car is a paperweight.(a whole new topic) 12) No lumbar support for front passenger. Nuts in this price range 13) No tire pressure monitoring in a $150k off road vehicle.It is included on the drivers display on some models in some markets, Why NOT Australia 14) Overall the driver assistance features are excellent including the one that semi auto pilots the steering in cruise control but the exception is the lane keeping thing by braking. It is potentially dangerous esp if towing. I am getting used to it. Good news is can turn down the sensitivity and I think permanently turn off. There is also a steering wheel button that toggles it off . 15) The boot area should be all tough rubberized material (like Defender) not plastic, and should have no carpet on rear of back seats. Plastic scuffs easily and carpet, no way esp if you have dogs.Also, the rubber trim on bottom ledge of boot comes off far too easily.
Great car as always. BUT pls bring back the horizontally-split rear tail-gate: so practical, so sensible.
Those who complain are most likely never buy any 🤣😅👎
The bigger door allows for more shade and protection from the rain. The split door made it harder to get to your belongings as you were further away or had to lift it over the bottom tailgate.
A cheap slider sorts this out and the big tailgate then gives your more shade
@RIZFERD I was sitting on the rear in the shade of my gr300. Love it. And can't reach deep in the boot let alone if it had a split tail gate
Great review, I have a GR and I 100% agree
Great review thank you
Thanks for watching 😀
In Middle East we have the 7 seats and both gasoline and diesel
Great new segment Brett, keep up the awesome work !
I still prefer the 2023 Land Cruiser GR Sport than the new 2024. Wanted it in North America.
The 2024 in the US is not the Land Cruiser 300 even, it’s the Land Cruiser Prado J250.
Damn you guys are lucky to get this beast , we in usa just got LC recently with puny engine total bogus with the exact shape to replica the gx 550 which has better v6 ...
I have a black one and must agree with you of the quality of the paint. For such an expensive car they should have done better, cheers.
With regards to Gross Vehicle Mass (GCM) and Gross Combined Mass (GCM) weight limits, a very high proportion of people towing caravans do so illegally, no matter which tow vehicle (LC 300 or other), this is all okay until something goes wrong! Although the LC300 is a big unit its carrying capacity is limited, and can easily be exceeded. For example, the GVM weight of the LC300 GR is 3,280kg less the tare weight of 2,630kg giving you a carrying capacity of 650kg. If the car is carrying a full tank of fuel, two adults, and a reasonable amount of luggage in the boot and you could add in excess of 400+kg to the vehicle weight. Then the ball weight of the caravan is added to the tow car, and if you're towing a 3500kg caravan the ball weight could reach 350kg, thus making your car exceed its weight limit by around 100kg. This amount doesn't sound much in the big scheme of things, however, should the driver be involved in an accident they may be found at fault, and insurance may not cover their vehicle - for an LC300 GR, that's a loss of around $160k. Before setting off on any journey drivers should seek professional advice from weigh stations and suspension specialists. Pending a person's situation it may be advisable to upgrade the GVM/GCM either before (preferably) or after registration from a suspension or off-road specialist.
Well said, good advice 👍
VERY TRUE THANK YOU YES ARE HIGH COST TO BUY WHEN WAIT LONG LONG TIME JUST BUY ONE
Good review, however I’ve got the petrol 3.5 t and the gearbox and engine is in my mind a very good combination, on the open road it changes unnoticed to a lower gear uphill. If you prod it a bit it makes for very quick overtaking. No cmoarison to the old six speed. Of course no comparison in perforamce tobthe V8, and fuel consumption very much the same as the V8 D. An amazing car. In my mind the biggest negative of the car is the poor oversensitive lane change system braking the car, and the variable speed control braking through sweeping bends unnecessarily. Cant they consult with Volvo to get the safety systems sorted out?
At those dollars its looking a lot like the base new prado for this punter.
In my country we have a GR Sport 7 Seater option, diesel and petrol
You forgot too mention the diesel engine high oil consumption
Thanks. Given that we usually test vehicles for just one week, it’s difficult for me to confirm things like that. I have heard about such issues though. Best if you guys, the owners, vent frustrations to the manufacturer. Then they might provide a fix 😀
@@drivingenthusiastaustraliaNo offence but that’s wishful thinking. Toyota has issued a bulletin to tell owners to basically suck it up. They claim this modern designed engine was manufactured with larger tolerances between parts (ie piston rings snd cylinder sleeve) which is dupposed to reduce engine wear. TSubsequently oil use has increased but this is considered “normal” by Toyota. Similar things h are opened when the v8 was introduced, basically from 2007 to 2010 Toyota produced tge V8 with oil use issues and about Spril 2008 updated several components to deal with oil use. Owners of pre 2010 models just had to suck it up. Not sure this will happen again because it’s easier to adopt a narrative about the engine being designed to use oil 😂 Ps: sorry about typos but YT app not allowing me to correct typos due to not allowing me to view the message after I hit edit. I’m not a LC hater, rather a long term owner/user who currently has an order in for a GR (wait list slmost 2 years for GR Variant) 🤦♂️
#3 9:24 Diesel ones does not have the 3rd seat row but gasoline one does have. I got myself a 7seat gr.
Lucky you 😃 In Australia we only get the diesel - no petrol option at all.
@@drivingenthusiastaustralia Thank you and awesome video btw
I can’t fit in the second row somehow, I would like the 5 seater to have a bigger second row space though… 😂 hope the new LC America solved this issue
The diesel can be optioned with 3 row seats,finger print sensor and tv screens for the gr sport variant. But you will have to specially request toyota to get you these features and prolly pay some extra money. In middle east lots of 3.3 have 3rd row seats with finger print sensor 😂. On special requests toyota could add these features.
@@oriondoublecrossed Ok thanks
The only thing I dislike is that last generation infotainment system….bit of a let down in my view considering it is a all new vehicle
It will be interesting to see a comparison between this and the new Ineos Grenadier. Similiar in size, it features all locking diffs, and the choice of either a 3.0LT, 6-cylinder turbo petrol or diesel. Far cheaper too.
Nice car park review, seriously - this monster was parked and sometimes idling in … a car park.. assume you don’t have a driving license or permission to drive and record the actual beast? Paper with notes on in hand helped, made it look like reviewing a Yaris
Thanks. I’ve driven this vehicle quite extensively, including on my old PDriveTV KZhead channel. I will try to include more driving footage in future ‘Top 10 Good & Bad’ videos.
2:58 you said that tlc is one of only two vehicles registred in the upper large vehicle category, but it actually isnt. There is a lot of cars in this category. Nissan and tlc are just bellow $100K, the othes are above 100k but still upper large as those two are
Thanks. I’m just going off VFACTS figures, as classified by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries in Australia.
@@drivingenthusiastaustralia in that case you should've added "under 100k", so it would've reflected VFACTS figures. Otherwise it sounds like bmw7, mb, RR etc are not upper large, meanwhile according to VFACTS they all are
@@DDRyDDR You can see the VFACTS table at 2:59. My apologies though, I should have said "upper large under $100k vehicle category" to be very specific.
There is actually a 7 seater spec'd GR Sport in Tanzania
Yeah nice. Unfortunately we don’t get it in Australia 🙁
@@drivingenthusiastaustralia That's sad. I guess we have the option because we rarely do towing.
The Real Land Cruiser 300 only available in Asia, Australia, etc. Only Baby LC Prado (J250) for North America and Europe.
the review is pretty good but video is dark in a sunset setting..we cannot appreciate the over all design of the car..
Thanks for the feedback 😀
GR Sport is for silly buggers - give me the base spec and I've got $50k up the sleeve to convert to an almighty off-road camper. Enjoyed the video- would love to see some off road testing if you can!
can you get diff locks on the base?
The south African version is a 7-seater.
That’s interesting. Thanks!
The middle east too
On the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 they also come with two extra seats in the back. I have owned 4 LC and must say that at this age they could have done a better job with the air conditioner. We still have our 200 LC VXR and the interior cooling is way much better
The biggest problem is the cost. It is almost double the price compare to Japan.
Yep, good point. I was going to include that but it’s kind of the same for a Porsche or Ferrari; Australian prices are always ridiculously high compared with the native equivalent.
@@drivingenthusiastaustralia Yes, but other Toyota models don't have such a mark-up though.
A10 speed is needed for a weaker motor. Be honest !!!
that seems to be standard on a lot of toyotas lately shitty paint you should see how bad the hiace paint it lots new van with rust on roof already and very easy to chip
Isn’t this the new LC250?
LC300 (300 Series)
I would've thought the price tag would've topped the X list. You could buy any other 4x4 and had enough money left over for a penthouse on the Gold Coast. It's a joke!
True. We kind of mention it in the materials bit, but you’re right, it is priced too high. Toyota probably knows people will still buy it?
You have to wait 12 months for one, tells me its priced right. .
Not one mention of hot v motor or that hi floor. Not one mention of 300 v 200 in terms of Toyota ripping customers off. The 200 is vastly superior
A top of the range 300 gr sport 3.3 with 3rd row seats,tv screens and a fingerprint sensor vs lc 200 with a 4.5 diesel v8 and middle spec which includes ahc and tv screens and all the features. Which australian spec lacked. Which one will be superior?
1:43 car looks all dirty and rusty yet still new-must have been trying to damage it to see how far you can go?
It’s a press car. As mentioned in the video, we think it’s been around Australia with other media outlets 👍
Probably the best SUV ever made 30 years from now, this will be running like it's only 3 years old
The 200 is not worse in size it’s far better.
its so not worth the price tag in my option.
It’s NOT a lot more powerful. It’s running smaller wheels ffs which make it appear more powerful on the dyno. 4wd is not a drag race either. This was a weak ‘don’t offend our sponsor’ type review. Why haven’t you properly compared it to the 200?
Wow, you are really in love with your 200 Series. That’s nice. There’s no need to feel offended, though. It’s just a vehicle. This was a quick comparison with the V8 in terms of power, acceleration and efficiency. I’m afraid you are incorrect about the wheel sizes. Engine power from the factory is measured at the flywheel - nothing to do with the wheel size. This produces 227kW/700Nm and the V8 produced 200kW/650Nm. You don’t have to enjoy facts but these are the facts. Also, this wasn’t a sponsored video by the way. I don’t think Toyota would be interested in paying money to hear 10 bad points about its product 👍
@@drivingenthusiastaustralia I don’t have a 200, I have a 100 series hdtfe. What pmo is your effort at comparing the 300 to the 200. Do you accept new models aren’t always better? Or are you wedded to Toyota advertising?
@@drivingenthusiastaustralia so you drive the vehicle on the flywheel ??? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Actually I’m 100% correct about wheel sizes - happy for you to apologize today sometime when you come back with the sizes as I know you’re interested in facts
@@robertmillar2037 Thanks for your comments. I'm sorry I wasn't able to satisfy your standards. I will try harder next time. Just for reference, I was a mechanic for four years before this work. I understand torque is multiplied on a chassis dyno thanks to things like final drive ratios and wheel/tyres sizes. But read that correctly, 'multiplied'. Power figures usually go down, not up. If the 300 Series produces 700Nm at the flywheel it's going to be more at the wheels. The 200 Series produces 650Nm at the flywheel it's going to be more at the wheels. In other words, the 300 has a 50Nm head-start. Of course I realise not all new models are instantly better. Did I say that? I am simply pointing out the new V6 is more powerful, has more torque, and produces fewer emissions and uses less fuel. These are just facts. I haven't mentioned refinement or towing pros and cons or anything like that. I enjoyed the V8 more, personally. But to maintain some level of professionalism I need to bring in hard facts rather than just express my opinion. Cheers, Brett
GCM is not the best
I agree with @gjeess1 and @GR8Tmate regarding GCM. The LC300 is reasonable and comparatively good. Personally, I would not tow above 3,000Kg to 3200Kg which a) largely solves my GCM problem and b) importantly, for towing dynamics and stability, makes what I am towing closer to the mass of the tow vehicle. Be wary of those selling the idea that GCM can be numerically calculated by summing GVM and Tow capacity. Combination masses are so named for a reason and are not necessarily the sum of the parts The Prado is is an exeption I believe. If you look at say 2023 Ssangyong Rexton if advertised at GCM 6460Kg or on car sales specs, then look at the metal plate on the vehicle door pillar that says 5960KG. Note that compliance plates are apparently no longer required by Federal dept of Infrastructre/ Transport, so there may be no label on your car. Look at public manufacturer spec sheets (make sure they are available) and match it with the GCM figure in the manual. It is caveat emptor regarding GCM for new cars.GCM is set by the manufacturer. The Federal dept of Infrastructure/Transport neither "assesses, approves, or endorses GCM" for imported cars. Its a whole other matter if you go to modify it and much stricter ( I believe AES) rules apply.
I dont like this new one because its not a v8 😢
Fair enough. It's sad to say it, but pretty much all V8s will soon be a thing of the past 😟
I doubt it tbf us Aussies, generally like big engines
@@Epitome. Of course. We love V8s as well. I just mean it’s sad that all carmakers are being forced to downsize and switch to electrified powertrains.
I got the gr300, sounds pretty tough and pulls hard, power is more then the v8 and uses less fuel. I also have a gr yaris that's 3 cylinder and iv beat v8s
Hahahaha, a 200 series and 79 series are some of the worst off road vehicles ever, if you do anything beyond gravel tracks. So they aren't know for their offroad prowess. The 300 is definitely alot better
Thanks for your feedback. I'm not sure if "worst off road vehicles ever" is accurate. We've tested over 1000 different new vehicles over the years and the LandCruiser has always performed very well off road. Edit: Especially for a factory standard SUV.
Tailgate sucks!
You forgot to take your towball weight from that 600 kg payload if is 3500 then 10 percent 350kg doesn’t leave much for fuel people luggage accessories out of your payload
That would have detracted from the Toyota advertorial.......
There’s not a vehicle on the market tgats realistically being produced that allows owners a decent GVM/GCM. Fact is, most people are clueless to these weights and just load up and drive on. To do the grey nomad/van thing with these vehicles people really need to do an expensive GVM upgrade with a company like JMacx, where the full cost of an upgrade that covers all aspects could cost upwards of $50,000. Most owners will ignore that and do nothing or opt for cheaper gvm upgrades that fail to address axel load limits etc. 600kg of payload could easily be exceeded with an average van (350kg ball weight), a driver (100kg), a full tank(S) of fuel (100kg) s as nd 50 KEFS of either accessories or luggage (or combination of both). These things are bordering not fit for purpose, like everything else in the market.
It look's like it was made in China.
Oil consumption,hot “V”design.Do some research on this design.The amount of grief to come for the owners is not worth owning one.Keep an eye on the used car market for lots of second hand 300’s flooding the market once people start having issues that are surely headed their way.
Thanks for your advice. We (and most car journalists) typically only test vehicles for 1 week, so it's difficult for us to professionally comment on long-term reliability. It's you guys, the owners, that can provide valuable feedback. Like you have. So thanks a lot. PS. Hot-V designs are used by many high-end European brands as well, particularly with their V8s, such as BMW, VW Group/Porsche, Mercedes-AMG. Have you heard about similar issues with these?
@@drivingenthusiastaustraliaIt’s no secret that long term reliability of BMW & VW can be challenging at best, which is why it’s rare to see 20-30 year old BMW’s and VW’s on the roads. I own a VW, so again I’m not anti these vehicle. Sadly Toyota is being pushed down a path due to the emissions and emergency climate scam that’s being forced upon us all.
@@GR8Tmate Thanks a lot for your insight mate. Your other comment was great. Unfortunately, we only test vehicles for one week so it's hard for us to judge on long-term stuff like this. User experiences can provide more valuable feedback than any journalist. Just for some background on me, I was a mechanic for four years before I got into car journalism. So I can understand frustrating teething issues with new engines/technologies. I feel your pain. It's a shame that carmakers are being targeted here, and forced to reduce their emissions. Engineers have had to come up with clever new ways to reduce that figure, even if it doesn't tell the full story in terms of long-term impacts. But the stuff they are coming up with is extremely innovative and interesting. And the results are more power yet less emissions. That's a great accomplishment in my view. My personal opinion is the more complex an engine, the more unreliable it is. And there is no way around it. My mates used to tune their cars when I was younger (and I'd help them do it, as a mechanic), but I'd always say to them, 'the more tuning we do to this, you have to pour in the same amount of unreliability'. It's just the way it is. Pessimistic, yes, but always ended up being true. PS. I own a 6-year-old BMW X3 30d. It's just clicked over 95,000km. And honestly, it hasn't had one single issue since new (touch wood!). I'm aiming to do a 0-100 video of it soon to see if it has lost/how much performance it has lost :D Cheers, Brett
@@drivingenthusiastaustralia That’s so true what you say and I understand your review is based on a week. I hear what your saying about complex motors and reduced reliability and I agree engineers are coming up with great ideas. I’m not bagging BMW & VW, as I have one myself but I know it won’t last as long as my trust Landcruiser did. My 2011 79 series has just ticked over 600,000km & it’s had sweet FA done to it. The original clutch lasted 380,000 & about 100,000 of that was towing a big offroad van (3500kg). The 79 has had a new clutch, 2 axel seals and a oil pump gasket. I also cracked a crossover pipe (totally my fault). There’s no way in the world my VW is going to do that & I live my VW, but it ain’t no Toyota 😂 I honestly believe the best motoring days are behind us and I will keep driving ICE vehicles until they ban them & by then I will be old enough to avoid driving an electric toaster 😂 Great review btw 👍🏻
U peanut at $160 on the road in which world is it just an ordinary family SUV
Hey peanut, could you specify where I said ‘ordinary family SUV’ exactly? Perhaps I didn’t explain the context of the point clear enough - I want to learn for next time 👍 Thanks for watching.
I paid 180k 😅