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Just in time to celebrate the iconic off-roader's 70th anniversary, the all-new Toyota Land Cruiser debuted back in June. Riding on a new GA-F platform, the 300 series Land Cruiser is better than its predecessor in every way, boasting new advanced suspension tech for improved off-road capability, new powertrains, and a redesigned exterior and interior.
To celebrate the launch, Toyota has released some previously unseen early design sketches of the new Land Cruiser. One set of sketches that caught our eye show a design concept dubbed "Hex-Y" that looks radically different from the final design.
As the sketches show, the design concept adopts a hexagonal theme with sharp, angular character lines. Toyota even uses the taglines "HEX for GEN-Y" and "Oh baby, you're so HEX-Y." A much larger black grille dominates the front, flanked with striking split headlights featuring four LED units. Muscular fenders house larger X-shaped wheels and roof mounts have been added.
Unlike the production model, a full-width brake light bar adorns the rear. Other design changes include a spare wheel mounted at the back. Overall, the design looks more radical than the production model, which isn't a significant departure from its predecessor.
The sketches provide an interesting insight that shows how the design evolved over time. Some sketches show a more rugged design with a snorkel and roof-mounted lights, while others show how the headlights and taillights could have looked.
Toyota recently showed off the new Land Cruiser GR Sport, which is distinguished by a unique grille, redesigned bumpers, 18-inch wheels, and black exterior trim.
The GR Sport also benefits from revised suspension, front and rear electronic differential locks, and the longest wheel articulation of any Land Cruiser. Under the hood, the GR Sport model is offered with either a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 or a 3.3-liter twin-turbo diesel. Sadly, US customers won't be able to take advantage of these improvements because the new Toyota
Land Cruiser won't be sold in America.
