Land Cruiser 300 goes hybrid and suddenly costs far more than before
Toyota launches seven-seat Hybrid ZX and GR SPORT in Japan on October 1, with prices jumping by roughly 30% over the previous petrol versions.
The Land Cruiser 300 has crossed a new price line — and electrification is anything but cheap. From October 1, Toyota will offer Hybrid ZX and GR SPORT versions in Japan: the former costs 9,801,000 yen, while the latter has broken through the 10-million-yen mark at 10,200,300 yen. Those figures are confirmed by Toyota's current Japanese dealer price list.
But the real shock is not the hybrid system itself. In 2025, the petrol ZX cost 7,436,000 yen and the GR SPORT 7,836,400 yen. Moving to HEV therefore adds 2,365,000 yen and 2,363,900 yen respectively — increases of about 31.8% and 30.2%. Electrification is expensive here. Very expensive.
The Japanese Hybrid is a seven-seater. Toyota lists a roughly 3.4-litre V6 petrol engine with an electric motor, four-wheel drive and WLTC fuel economy of 9.4 km/l. It also gains electric power steering, while model-specific equipment includes a reconfigurable luggage-compartment floor and two AC 100 V outlets rated at up to 1500 W. Toyota officially announced the update on September 16, with sales set for October 1.
And this is not a hybrid built merely to produce a prettier fuel-consumption figure. The same Performance Hybrid formula is already familiar from other markets: in Australia, the Land Cruiser 300 carries official outputs of 341 kW and 790 Nm. Toyota itself stresses that the system is focused first on stronger pull, acceleration and response. In other words, the electric hardware is here to make the Land Cruiser feel more powerful, not simply more economical.
Toyota has reshaped the entry-level GX at the same time. It now uses a 3.3-litre diesel engine, front and rear electronically controlled differential locks and 18-inch wheels.
There is another twist. As recently as late August, the Japanese update, the hybrid versions and the expected prices were still circulating as unconfirmed information. Most of the figures turned out to be almost exactly right. But September 16 became the announcement date, not the day sales began. Japanese buyers will have to wait until October 1.