Toyota Land Cruiser 300 2024 Review — The Capability-First Flagship
The 2024 Land Cruiser 300 ZX/GR Sport is the body-on-frame flagship that lets the cash buyer skip the Lexus badge premium and keep LKR 25–35M in their pocket. Same V35A-FTS twin-turbo V6 as the LX, optional 3.3L V6 diesel, real low-range 4WD with locking differentials. Lands LKR 70–90M on petrol, LKR 75–95M on diesel.
thumb_up Pros
- check_circle V35A-FTS 3.5L twin-turbo V6 — same 415 hp / 650 Nm engine as the Lexus LX 600
- check_circle Optional F33A-FTV 3.3L V6 diesel — 309 hp / 700 Nm, 9–11 km/L real-world (vs 6–8 on petrol)
- check_circle GA-F ladder frame, full-time 4WD with electronic locking centre and rear differentials (GR Sport)
- check_circle KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) on GR Sport — disconnects sway bars for off-road articulation
- check_circle LKR 25–35M cheaper landed than equivalent Lexus LX 600 — same bones, different badge
thumb_down Cons
- cancel Luxury tax stack still brutal — LKR 25–32M of pure tax on the petrol variant
- cancel LKR 70–95M landed selling band — 60% LTV cap means LKR 28M+ cash up front
- cancel Petrol 3.5L is thirsty — 6–8 km/L real-world; diesel availability in JDM auctions is genuinely thin
- cancel 4,985mm length is challenging for narrow Colombo gama lanes
- cancel Cabin is good but visibly a tier below LX 600 — softer plastics, no air suspension, no Mark Levinson audio
Rating
9/10
The Toyota Land Cruiser 300 is the body-on-frame flagship that the cash-funded SL buyer reaches when they’ve decided that genuine 4WD capability matters more than the Lexus badge — and that LKR 25–35M of landed-cost saving is worth the cabin downgrade. Same TNGA-F (GA-F) platform as the Lexus LX 600. Same V35A-FTS 3.5L twin-turbo V6 in the petrol variant. Different positioning, different audio system, different suspension philosophy.
This review covers the 2024 Land Cruiser 300 in ZX and GR Sport trim, with both the 3.5L V6 petrol and 3.3L V6 diesel options.
What you get
Engine options
- 3.5L V35A-FTS twin-turbo V6 petrol — 415 hp at 5,200 rpm, 650 Nm at 2,000–3,600 rpm (same engine as Lexus LX 600)
- 3.3L F33A-FTV twin-turbo V6 diesel — 309 hp at 4,000 rpm, 700 Nm at 1,600–2,600 rpm
- Both engines paired with the 10-speed Direct Shift automatic transmission
Drivetrain and chassis
- TNGA-F (GA-F) ladder frame — the new platform shared with LX 600 and Land Cruiser 250
- Full-time 4WD with Torsen limited-slip centre differential
- Electronic locking centre and rear differentials (GR Sport standard, ZX optional)
- KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) on GR Sport — sway-bar disconnect for off-road articulation
- Multi-Terrain Select with 6 terrain modes
- Crawl Control for hands-off low-range descents
Dimensions and capacity
- 4,985mm length, 1,980mm width, 1,945mm height
- 5- or 7-seat configurations
- 2,850 mm wheelbase
- 3,500 kg braked towing capacity
Trim levels (JDM 2024 production)
- GX — base trim, fabric seats, cloth interior, rare in JDM auctions for SL import
- VX — mid-range, leather, full Toyota Safety Sense 3.0
- ZX — volume luxury trim, full leather, premium audio, the most common SL flagship-band target
- GR Sport — off-road specialist with KDSS, locking diffs, exclusive Brin Naub fabric trim
How it drives
The LC 300 carries 2,500–2,650 kg on coil springs (no air suspension on any LC 300 trim). Compared to the Lexus LX 600 it shares its drivetrain with, three things change in the opposite direction from the LX:
- Suspension character — coil-spring setup is firmer and more directly connected to the road; the LX’s air suspension is plusher but the LC 300’s body control feels more honest at speed
- Off-road capability — GR Sport with KDSS and locking diffs has more genuine articulation than any LX 600 trim; this is the LC 300’s structural advantage
- Diesel availability — the F33A-FTV 3.3L V6 diesel is offered on LC 300 but not on Lexus LX (which is petrol-only globally)
The 3.5L petrol variant feels almost identical to the LX 600 from the driver’s seat — same 415 hp, same 0–100 km/h in the low 7s, same 10-speed gearbox calibration. The diesel changes the character: less peak power but more torque available off-idle, and the running-cost difference is structural — 9–11 km/L real-world on the diesel vs 6–8 km/L on the petrol in mixed Sri Lankan driving.
Sri Lanka tax math (2024 LC 300 ZX 3.5L petrol, JPY 12.5M FOB)
| Line | Amount (LKR) |
|---|---|
| FOB (JPY → LKR at 2.15) | 26,875,000 |
| CIF | 27,875,000 |
| CID (20%) | 5,575,000 |
| Customs surcharge (50% of duty) | 2,787,500 |
| Excise (3,500cc — top band) | ~12,500,000 |
| Luxury tax (above CIF threshold) | ~22,000,000 |
| VAT base | ~70,500,000 |
| VAT (18%) | 12,690,000 |
| Clearing + transport + dealer | ~3,200,000 |
| Indicative landed selling price | LKR 70–90M |
For the diesel ZX (JPY ~13.5M FOB), the landed band shifts to LKR 75–95M — the higher CIF compounds through luxury tax and VAT, but the running-cost saving recovers the difference inside 3–4 years for a buyer driving 20,000+ km/year.
The LC 300 ZX therefore lands roughly LKR 25–35M below the equivalent Lexus LX 600 Base Grade — the gap is substantially the lower CIF (Toyota’s wholesale pricing vs Lexus’s brand premium) compounded by the lower base for luxury tax and VAT calculations.
60% LTV cap reality: an LKR 80M landed LC 300 ZX requires LKR 32M cash up front. The LKR 48M lease portion at 13.5% APR over 7 years is roughly LKR 870,000/month. The cash buyer at this band is typically domestic high-net-worth (senior corporate, business owner, family-business principal) or diaspora-remitted — but materially more accessible than the LX 600’s LKR 1.18M/month bar.
Petrol vs diesel — the running-cost call
For SL ownership specifically, the diesel-vs-petrol decision matters more than for any other 2024+ flagship.
| Annual km | Petrol fuel cost (LKR) | Diesel fuel cost (LKR) | Annual saving on diesel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | ~520,000 | ~370,000 | LKR 150,000 |
| 15,000 | ~780,000 | ~555,000 | LKR 225,000 |
| 20,000 | ~1,040,000 | ~740,000 | LKR 300,000 |
| 25,000 | ~1,300,000 | ~925,000 | LKR 375,000 |
| 30,000 | ~1,560,000 | ~1,110,000 | LKR 450,000 |
Assumes LKR 370/L petrol, LKR 320/L diesel, 7 km/L petrol, 10 km/L diesel.
For a long-hold buyer keeping the car 7+ years and driving 20,000 km/year, the diesel saves roughly LKR 2.1M over the hold — meaningfully more than the LKR 0.5–1.0M premium the diesel commands on the JDM auction side. The diesel is the running-cost-rational variant.
The catch is auction supply. In current 2024+ JDM stock, diesel LC 300 examples are roughly 1-in-5 of the petrol volume. Expect 8–14 weeks to source a clean diesel ZX in the right colour and grade vs 3–5 weeks for the petrol.
Auction-sheet notes
- Target grade: 4.5 or higher. JDM 2024 examples typically arrive with under 20,000 km — anything below 4 grade indicates accident history or genuine off-road use that has marked the underbody, both of which carry meaningful SL resale penalties
- Trim verification: ZX vs VX is a meaningful difference — confirm leather grade, audio system, and the presence of the locking rear differential (optional on ZX, standard on GR Sport)
- GR Sport identification: KDSS suspension is the structural differentiator. Verify the front sway-bar disconnect mechanism and the electronic rear locker on the auction sheet equipment list
- Diesel verification: the F33A-FTV diesel is fundamentally different from the F33B / 1VD-FTV diesel from the previous-gen LC 200 — confirm engine code if running-cost math depends on it
- Wheel size: 18-inch on VX, 20-inch on ZX, 18-inch beadlock-style on GR Sport — replacement tyres on 20s in SL run LKR 100,000+ each, the GR Sport’s 18s are cheaper to replace
Who should buy this
| Pick the LC 300 ZX 2024 if… | Pick the LX 600 2024 if… |
|---|---|
| Capability-per-LKR and running-cost matter more than the Lexus badge | The flagship-tier cabin and air suspension are the point of the purchase |
| You want the diesel option for long-hold running cost | You’ll keep the car 7+ years for the Lexus dealer-service longevity |
| You drive enough off-road that GR Sport hardware is actually used | Older passengers benefit from the kneel-mode air suspension |
| Domestic-finance affordability is a factor — LC 300 is materially cheaper | You want Mark Levinson audio and four-zone climate as standard |
| The LKR 25–35M landed saving is worth the cabin downgrade | The badge premium fits the buyer’s positioning |
For the direct head-to-head, see Lexus LX 600 2024 vs Land Cruiser 300 2024.
Verdict
9/10. The Land Cruiser 300 ZX 2024 is the rational flagship pick — same V35A-FTS twin-turbo V6 and GA-F platform as the Lexus LX 600, with the diesel option the Lexus doesn’t offer and an LKR 25–35M landed-cost saving that compounds across the hold. For the buyer who has decided on a body-on-frame flagship but treats the Lexus badge as a “nice to have” rather than a “must have”, the LC 300 is the right answer.
The honest counter-case is the LX 600. The Lexus’s air suspension is genuinely better than the LC 300’s coil-spring setup, the cabin is a measurable tier above, and Mark Levinson audio is the kind of luxury that is invisible from the street but dominates the daily ownership experience. Both flagships are correct answers depending on which axis the buyer optimises.
For the off-road-specialist buyer who actually uses the locking differentials, the GR Sport variant is structurally the right pick — the LX 600 doesn’t compete on this axis at any trim.
Send us your spec and we’ll come back with current Toyota auction LC 300 examples — ZX or GR Sport, petrol or diesel, with full landed-price quotes.
Read also
Have questions about the Toyota Land Cruiser 300?
bolt Average WhatsApp reply: 12 minutes (9am–7pm SLT).
Got it — message received.
We'll WhatsApp you the quote shortly. For urgent questions, you can also call us right now.
Couldn't send your message.
Please WhatsApp or call us directly — we'd love to help.
More Reviews
Toyota bZ4X 2024 Review — Toyota's First Real EV, and a Sane One for Sri Lanka
The bZ4X is Toyota's first ground-up electric SUV — a midsize, ~71 kWh BEV co-developed with Subaru, built on the e-TNGA platform. It trades headline range and party tricks for Toyota durability engineering and a battery warranty philosophy aimed at long life. Lands around LKR 24–32M, with the EV per-kWh duty advantage doing real work on the tax line. The diaspora-or-second-income family EV for buyers who want electric without the anxiety.
Toyota RAV4 2024 Review — The Rugged 2.5L Hybrid SUV for SL Families Who Actually Go Places
The 2024 RAV4 is the boxy, capable, go-anywhere counterpoint to the urbane Harrier — same 2.5L THS-II hybrid and TNGA-K bones, but more ground clearance, a bigger boot, and genuine E-Four AWD ability. Lands LKR 32–44M. The diaspora-funded family SUV for households that leave the tarmac.
Nissan Serena 2024 Review — The e-POWER 8-Seater That Beats the Tax Stack
The 2024 Serena (C28) is the rare large family MPV whose e-POWER drivetrain runs a 1.4L generator engine — sitting under the 1500cc excise cliff that punishes most eight-seaters. EV-like drive, ProPILOT, dual sliding doors. Lands LKR 18–24M. The thinking family's alternative to a Voxy or Sienta.