Driven, 2026 Toyota Landcruiser Sahara ZX Performance Hybrid
The automotive world is evolving at a rate we’ve not seen since mass production commenced over 100 years ago. New entrants, legislative change and new propulsion technologies are converging with a market that is increasingly willing to adapt.
It poses a real challenge to incumbent manufacturers. One such example is Toyota; a brand synonymous with quality and value for money.
It possesses some of the most well-known nameplates in the automotive world; think Corolla, Camry and more relevant to this review, the Landcruiser.
It’s enjoyed steadfast popularity across this wide brown land; because well, there’s a lot of brown land around. From sheep stations and mining operations, right through to the lifestyle-oriented buyer; the Landcruiser has always promised ruggedness, refinement, reliability and capability.
The 300 series is not new, but the propulsion in this variant is. The “i-FORCE MAX” badge means it’s armed with the same 341Kw/790Nm twin-turbocharged hybridised V6 found under the bonnet of the Tundra.
It’s also a petrol ICE, rather than diesel. Many have resultingly chastised it, but the reality is that petrol options have featured across every single series of the Landcruiser right back to the 20-series.
With a short stint at its launch earlier this year where I was more than a little smitten by the performance on tap, I took a week to get intimate with the Toyota Landcruiser Sahara ZX Performance Hybrid.
Finished in Crystal Pearl, one of 9 colour available, the glisten from the pearlescent hue is perfectly complimented by the polished 20-inch alloy wheels. It could be the colour combination, but it all looks quite tall and slab sided; with that extended front bumper skirt far more pronounced than I
remembered at the launch.
Aside from the latter, its all-regular Sahara ZX affair in look and feel from the outside. Inside there’s acres of leather and soft touch materials. Everything is charcoal grey from the carpet through to the roof, broken only by faux wood trims across the centre console and steering wheel. Although they don’t really provide for much contrast given they were largely charcoal too.
It’s a spacious and comfortable cabin, with electrically adjustable seats that strike a prudent balance between comfort and support, and feature heating and ventilation.
I love that Toyota have a sensible array of buttons to compliment the 12.3-inch infotainment screen. Equally clear and responsive, it operates using familiarly simple Toyota software.
The second row also benefits from the same quality materials, along with individual 11.6-inch screens mounted behind the front pews. They’re well sized and allow the rug rats to change music, a novelty that was quickly lost on mum and dad.
They require an app to connect for Android and hardware for Apple, both which come at a cost, or a HDMI interface. Screentime is a thing in our household, so it really wasn’t the end of the world, but surely there is a better connection method nowadays?
Back there they get charging ports and a third air conditioning zone, along with heating and ventilation for the outboard seats. That’s it for seating, because unlike diesel variants there is no third row. A slightly raised boot floor to house the battery pack is the culprit.
The first thing I noticed when firing up the drivetrain was the silence. To be clear, sometimes the drivetrain will start without the ICE engine, but thats not what i'm talking about here. The source of my confusion emanated from the lack of sound from the engine compared to the Tundra.
In contrast, the Landcruiser was muted; be it at idle, on a roll, or at WOT. I can only assume the Tundra is designed to be louder, a measure to sooth the V8-loving homeland it’s designed for.
Despite that, the same punchiness that I enjoyed at the launch remained evident, and it still made me laugh like a schoolkid whenever the throttle was nailed. This is surely affected by the inclusion of the 6.5amp hour battery pack, which contributes 250 of the Newtons on tap.
It’s a strong combination that will see the rear end dip and shoot the big Cruiser out to 100km/h in a claimed 6.5 seconds. It’s the type of fun you simply don’t expect to have in a car like this – it’s supposed to be a large off-road capable SUV remember?
With preparations underway for the second Sydney Drive Against Depression Spring Drive Day the week was to be a strictly asphalt-based affair. Driving it offroad at the launch yielded an unsurprising level of capability anyway.
I would argue the Sahara ZX armed with this drivetrain is for a different buyer anyway, the one who is unlikely to go further than the gravel carpark at weekend soccer. It thrives in these conditions too, with the drivetrain willingly providing silky and effortless forward momentum with minimal fuss; even running on electric for very small stints.
But it’s not designed to be the whole-hog hybrid, so don’t expect that; I guess that’s why the “performance” moniker exists. It possesses all the capability one expects from the Landcruiser too.
Think low range, various drive modes, and 3500kg of towing capacity. Where it does suffer slightly is in payload, but 15 kilos is hardly worth a mention really.
One thing that proved to get old quickly was the thumping sound emitted by the exhaust as the system switched from electric to ICE. It’s endearing occasionally, but it’s just not befitting of the vehicle and quite frankly, not what I expected from the brand.
Lucky the sunroof overhead affords ample sunshine while the 14 JBL speakers mute it all out.
Whilst the big Cruiser was easier to manoeuvre around town than expected, it was out on the freeway where it truly shone.
The drivetrain selects the most suitable of the 10 gear ratios available, the suspension soaks up the bumps whilst remaining controlled, and the engine just lopes (or completely switches off) while you mow down the kays.
Overtaking is not only easy, but perilous to the license, such is the rush when it’s at a gallop.
Toyota claims fuel consumption at 10L/100km, but the reality was in my hands (and right foot) I never bettered 12.4L/100km.
But that never bothered me, it’s a performance hybrid anyway
Like: Effortless and intoxicating power, Spacious and comfortable, It’s a Landcruiser FFS!
Dislike: engine startup “pop” on switch from EV to ICE is annoying, no real fuel consumption benefit
Car Guy Rating - 8.5
I enjoyed it at the launch and that didn’t change following a week behind the wheel. I like the idea of a big wagon to upgrade our family car, and you can’t really go wrong with a Landcruiser for capability, refinement and longevity. With off-road capability and a layer of performance on top, this is a solid contender for the next family car I reckon!
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