The Australian version of the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser will have its debut at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney on October 11. The Australian 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser will be known as the 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 series. The 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 series will be powered by petrol and diesel V8 engines and will feature a few other technology improvements.
Toyota Press Release:
NEW LANDCRUISER: WORLD MOTORSHOW PREMIERE IN SYDNEY
- Australia chosen for motorshow debut
- Petrol and turbo-diesel V8 engines
- Australian-developed KDSS suspension system
- World's first "crawl control" system
- Multi-terrain anti-skid braking system
- Stronger and bigger
- Enhanced performance on all surfaces
Toyota's completely redesigned Land Cruiser wagon will have its global motorshow debut in Sydney
next month before going on sale in November.
The new Land Cruiser, to be known as the 200 series, will offer more powerful petrol and diesel V8 engines as well as other new technologies that enhance its performance.
New Land Cruiser will be unveiled at the Australian International Motor Show on October 11.
Toyota Australia's senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said Australia was chosen for Land Cruiser's motorshow debut
over the recent Frankfurt motor show in Germany.
"This is a real coup for Australia," Mr Buttner said.
"It reflects the vital role Australia has played in the development of Land Cruiser over almost 50 years," he said.
"Land Cruiser has helped Toyota establish a deep connection with many of Australia's rural and regional communities - a connection that continues today.
"It has been a key factor in building the foundations for the market leadership that Toyota enjoys today in this country."
New Land Cruiser is 60mm longer, 30mm wider and the roofline is 15mm higher - with styling changes that give it an even more powerful presence.
The platform has been completely redesigned and retains a full-frame structure, which has been strengthened to increase safety, reduce noise and vibration and enhance interior comfort.
A double-wishbone front suspension with coil springs replaces the previous torsion-bar set-up, improving handling and stability.
In another breakthrough for Australia, the new Land Cruiser is available with the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) - originally developed by WA company Kinetic.
This hydraulic system, used for the first time in a Toyota, controls the front and rear stabiliser bars to provide excellent on-road stability.
KDSS also provides outstanding off-road performance through a larger suspension stroke achieved by effectively disabling the stabiliser bars.
Australian Land Cruiser models will feature the choice of a new turbo-diesel V8 engine or a V8 petrol engine improved through intelligent variable valve timing.
Both engines have considerably more power than their predecessors while the turbo-diesel engine offers a dramatic increase in torque.
New Land Cruiser petrol models feature the world's first "crawl control" system for driving on surfaces such as rocks, sand or steep hills.
Toyota's CRAWL automatically controls the engine and brakes to maintain very low speeds with minimal spinning or locking of the wheels.
It allows for delicate speed adjustments between approximately 1km/h and 5 km/h. Three speed settings can be selected by the simple turn of a dial.
This allows the driver to have a greater focus on steering and is also effective at extracting the vehicle if it becomes stuck.
Land Cruiser can split power between the front and rear wheels through a Torsen® limited-slip center differential built into the transfer unit of its full-time all-wheel-drive system.
A newly adopted multi-terrain anti-skid braking system provides excellent braking performance even on dirt roads, gravel and sand.
Safety advances include the stronger body structure, vehicle stability control and up to 10 airbags - front, side and knee airbags for the driver and front passenger, side airbags for the outboard second-row seats and curtain shield airbags for all three rows.
Inside, Land Cruiser offers more space for up to eight people.
Available features include Smart Entry and Smart Start, Bluetooth™ mobile-phone connection, satellite navigation and steering wheel controls.
Next year, Land Cruiser will celebrate its 50th anniversary in Australia - marking the arrival of the first two-door Land Cruiser FJ25s that worked on the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme in 1958.
