Just about every other Toyota has a hybrid option available. And there’s a chance that the iconic LandCruiser could be Australia’s first proper four-wheel drive with hybrid power.
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Randall asks:
I’ve been driving a Mitsubishi Pajero over the last 16 years, and when I wanted to buy a LandCruiser, they were around $20k more expensive. My question is, will we ever see a hybrid LandCruiser?
Hybrid power is likely to end up in the Toyota LandCruiser at some stage, but whether it makes its way to our diesel-dominated market is another question. Or at least, how long it will take to precipitate in Australia.
Of course, broad scale electrification of vehicles in Australia is for the most part inevitable. However, large SUVs, utes and four-wheel drives will hold onto their internal combustion powertrain for as long as anything else. This is because off-roading, towing and load-lugging is much more demanding on a powertrain, and the simple fact is a straight diesel powertrain is quite effective at getting the job done.
Back to the LandCruiser. You can get a snapshot of what Toyota can do with the LandCruiser by looking at the latest generation Tundra in the United States, which will eventually make its way to Australia.
The so-called ‘iForce Max’ powertrain in high specification grade Tundra models uses a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged petrol engine, which is married to an electric motor for overall outputs of 326kW at 5200rpm and 790Nm at 2400rpm.
High power outputs, indeed. However, the hybrid Tundra also has a claimed fuel economy of around 10 litres per hundred kilometres, which is quite amazing for such a big vehicle.
That’s compared to 227kW at 4000rpm and 700Nm at 1600-2600rpm for the 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel V6 in the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, along with a claimed combined fuel economy of 8.9 litres per hundred kilometres.
The current generation Toyota Tundra will be coming to Australia, and initial reports indicate that the iForce Max powertrain will be coming as well.
In order to maintain the same four-wheel drive system and off-road capability, the electric motor is wedged in between the engine and gearbox, which allows both power sources to run through a low-range transfer case to all four wheels. This is different to an all-wheel drive hybrid RAV4, for example which uses electric motors closer to the wheels.
Toyota has dined out by adding its fuel-saving hybrid powertrains to most of its broader vehicle portfolio, but it is yet to broach its four-wheel drives and commercial vehicles (in Australia).
One question is whether Toyota will look to marry up its proven hybrid-electric know-how with a diesel-fuelled internal combustion engine. This could be the perfect fit for the LandCruiser in Australia, where diesel continues to dominate the market in orders of magnitude.
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