Toyota has just revealed the legendary Toyota Land Cruiser in 2013 trim at the Chicago auto show, and if we didn’t receive the press release we admit we would’ve missed what all the fuss was about. As it is, the 2013 Land Cruiser looks pretty much exactly the same as ever, but that’s because the major changes aren’t just skin deep.
But that’s old news: what’s more relevant to us is that wheels is driving this updated Land Cruiser in two weeks time, just one day before the model goes on sale in Al-Futtaim Motors – the exclusive Toyota distributor in the UAE – showroom country-wide.
The local office isn’t giving us any info, keen to keep the surprise for February 22 when wheels drives the car. We also weren’t able to get anyone to spill the price, but we’ll work on that.
Currently, you can choose from three petrol engines – 4.0-litre V6, 4.7-litre V8, and 5.7-litre V8 – with the former mated to five-speed automatic transmissions and the latter paired up with a six-speed.
In the GCC they all produce less power than their US counterparts: 240bhp, 271bhp and 360 horsepower respectively. We can expect all the engines to carry over for the 2013 model year, since the US car just launched in Chicago, still makes do with its unchanged but stronger 381bhp 5.7-litre V8 exclusively.
The 2013 tweaks include LED daytime running lamps, a new taillight design, a new hard drive based infotainment system inside, and all previous options included as standard equipment. At least, that’s how it is Stateside…
Toyota also claims the grille is new, while more chrome has been added to adron the body, and the mirrors have also been redesigned.
As for the interior, the wood received a higher gloss finish, while the instrument panel is now brighter silver.
More interestingly, Al-Futtaim Motors highlighted a new Turn Assist feature they can’t wait for us to try. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we get behind the wheel.
