2025 New Toyota Land Cruiser Lc300 Gr Sport India Review: Tough Luxury SUV To Go Anywhere

The Land Cruiser is brought for its sheer road presence, reliability and toughness while the GR Sport variant seen here is the one to get if you really want to do some serious off-roading.

The new LC300 is lighter than the previous model by 200kgs with a new platform and inside, it is much quieter than before with a greater focus on refinement and luxury.

Source : Somnath Chatterjee

The name Land Cruiser is well known and has been around for more than 70 years while being one of the toughest cars ever made. It's used by the rich and famous plus politicians as well as the UN even. However, the Land Cruiser name has recently gone more upmarket as the LC300 for example is now a luxury SUV as well along with being a tank on wheels. The Land Cruiser is brought for its sheer road presence, reliability and toughness while the GR Sport variant seen here is the one to get if you really want to do some serious off-roading.

The name GR means Gazoo Racing and is the name given to cars with a sporting twist and in this case, a more hardcore variant of the LC300. Hence, the different front and rear bumper for better approach/departure angles and different black wheels. Elsewhere, there is GR-S badging and more contrast black bits too while the massive near 5m size gives it a hulk on wheels appearance which means it dwarfs pretty much everything on the road. 

In terms of presence, the big LC300 is in a league of its own and seeing this in your mirror means you move away! The massive size means in the city you need to be careful of the width, length and sheer height and parking isn't easy but surprisingly, the steering is lighter than a Fortuner and it shrinks in size behind the wheel! The new LC300 is lighter than the previous model by 200kgs with a new platform and inside, it is much quieter than before with a greater focus on refinement and luxury.

Sure, the 3.3-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel engine, developing 309 hp and 700 Nm of torque has the typical diesel heavy sound when pushed but otherwise it is pretty quiet. On the move, the massive LC is somewhat carried well by this diesel engine and the 10-speed automatic is suited to the job even if it is a touch relaxed which you probably expect given the size. What impresses you is the toughness and the ability to take on roads or no roads! 

 

The ride quality is plush even if it has some hint of the typical ladder frame bounciness but the sheer invincible feeling you get with the world shut off in terms of tackling any road is something this car gives you. The LC is after all the SUV you need to cross the harshest environments and the massive 110 litre fuel tank is also a plus here with less need to refuel often.

The GR-S is even more off-road based with being the only LC with front and rear differential locks and more off-road tech like crawl control. It is a serious beast and can go anywhere with only its size as perhaps the only handicap. Ground clearance is ample and it can go anywhere- dare I say it more than any other super luxury SUV and that is the confidence it gives you.

Priced at Rs 2.4 cr, the Land Cruiser GR-S is more expensive than before and getting one isn't easy as well due to the sheer global demand. Plus, the LC300 doesn't have the long list of pampering gadgets and features like other SUVs at this price but what the LC has is something others don't and that is sheer road presence, reliability and exclusivity.