Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport 2023 Tow Test

Priced from $142,101 before on-road costs (up from $137,790 at launch two years ago), the 2023 Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport is a new model grade first seen in the 300 Series and positioned just $1000 below Sahara ZX luxury flagship ($143,101 plus ORCs).

Other LC300 variants include the entry-level GX at $94,301, the $106,101 GXL, the $118,301 VX and the $135,501 Sahara (all plus ORCs).

Obvious rivals include the Nissan Patrol, Land Rover Defender 110 and, though it has lost some of its towing chops, the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The 2023 Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport is a five-seater (you must choose GXL, VX or Sahara for seven seats), with a one-piece powered tailgate instead of the horizontal split tailgate that most 200 Series variants had.

Comfort and conveniences features include four-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, remote central locking, power front seats, one-touch power windows, power glass moonroof, heated and ventilated front and outer rear seats, heated steering wheel and Toyota’s Vehicle Dynamics that links traction and stability control, electric steering and other systems.

The GR Sport also gets active stabiliser bars and front and rear diff locks while the wheels are 18-inch black alloys.

The 2023 Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport has 10 airbags and all of the Toyota Safety Sense features included with the 300 Series, which scored a five-star safety rating from ANCAP in 2022.

These include autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian (day and night) and cyclist (day) detection, active cruise control, auto high beam and lane-keep assist with departure warning.

Toyota’s Connected Services is also included, offering automatic collision notification, an SOS button and stolen-vehicle tracking.

A reversing camera with guidelines (including tow hitch centre line) and dusk-sensing LED headlights are also standard.

Technology is covered in the 2023 Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport with a 12.3-inch central infotainment touchscreen and 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, plus AM/FM and digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, wireless phone charging, one front USB port, two 12V accessory ports (one front, one rear) and one 220V accessory input in the rear.

A JBL premium 14-speaker sound system is also standard.

Like all LC300s, the 2023 Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport is powered by a 227kW/700Nm 3.3-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel that sounds remarkably like the old 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel. However, it’s smoother and more refined, especially at higher revs.

During our testing, the 2023 Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport swallowed diesel at a measured rate of 10.2L/100km when driving on the freeway without a trailer. With the 2600kg caravan attached, this increased to 18.2L/100km.

At this rate, you’d get about 550km out of the ’Cruiser’s 110-litre tank (with a 50km safety margin) before requiring more juice.

The 2023 Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport has a maximum towing capacity of 3500kg with a 350kg tow ball download maximum. The towbar and wiring are standard.

Kerb weight is 2630kg, Gross Vehicle Mass is 3280kg and Gross Combined Mass (vehicle plus trailer) is 6750kg. This results in a maximum payload of 650kg, but if you’re towing at maximum capacity – assuming a 10 per cent tow ball download – this shrinks to just 300kg. Not much to spare once the family is on board.

In our case, with our caravan’s TBM rated at 150kg, we have a maximum payload of 500kg.

The LandCruiser’s reversing camera is clear and has plenty of contrast, but the overlay that is supposed to mark the coupling point with the towball is off-centre. The rear dropped 45mm when hitched but the front did not rise at all.

It isn’t often you get a press vehicle that has 30,000km on its odo, but given Toyota is selling every 300 Series LandCruiser it can get, that’s the case here

A bit like rental cars, press cars have a hard life, but in this case, it’s an advantage of sorts as the engine revs more freely and is maybe a little more efficient than the lower-kilometre GX we tow-tested last time.

While there is a little off-idle lag, the engine is very strong and partners well with the generally smooth 10-speed auto.

The addition of 2600kg was barely noticeable, the LandCruiser seeming to accelerate at much the same rate as it did when unladen. Indeed it felt almost unnaturally quick for a vehicle this large with a full-size van behind it.

With the same van behind it, the big ’Cruiser could hold the same 90km/h approach speed on a steep freeway climb with little effort, while engine braking was also excellent, with only a slight creep in velocity while holding a lower gear on a steep descent.

The way the GR Sport rides when towing is quite good. At slower speeds, it initially feels a bit fussy and unsettled, but adding some speed smooths things out and there is no hint of sway or instability.

The 300 Series cements the highly regarded towing reputation of its predecessor, the 200 Series.

We found the 2023 Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport to be a good thing and the off-road-oriented GR Sport is no different. You can still tow just about anything up to 3500kg in comfort, with plenty of power and a fair degree of efficiency, even if there’s slightly less payload than the base GX model.

So while there’s nothing wrong with the GR Sport’s towing abilities, the same can be said of its cheaper siblings.

Related content: