New Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series GR Sport details and launch date leak: Time's up for 200 Series as countdown to unveiling begins

Toyota is not only having trouble keeping a lid on the mountain of 300 Series images that are now flooding the internet, the Japanese giant is also seemingly struggling to contain the launch date for the all-new LandCruiser, with purportedly leaked documents revealing the grand unveiling date for the new off-roader.

Official-looking documents have surfaced on Instagram which point to the Japanese brand's grand unveil plans for its hotly anticipated LC300 Series, with June 1, or even May 31, the big day.

"Due to global embargo, design images are not available until the end of May," the document read. An embargo is the date a car company chooses to publicly reveal information, whether it's a new model, a date set for the publication of launch reviews or the simply the unveiling of specifications or imagery.

With that in mind, it would seem the big reveal day is the end of May, meaning the countdown is on to grand unveiling, and to the offical end of 200 Series sales in Australia. Though on that final point, it's understood that customers haven't been able to order from the 200 Series factory for some time, with Toyota thought to be running through its existing stock already on the ground in Australia.

It's exciting news for fans of the LC300, but that's not all that's contained in the documents.

The leaks - which are yet to be confirmed by Toyota, but appear to stamped with the name of a South African car dealer - also point to a new and lightweight aluminium roof to reduce weight and fuel consumption, with Toyota referring it as a "one-of-a-kind vehicle".

The documents also confirm diesel and petrol engine options, and point to the GR Sport trim being offered with a choice of either fuel.

No matter which one you aim for, the GR Sport trim will be equipped with five driving modes, paired with adaptive suspension, and both are equipped with a 3D Terrain Monitor.

Also revealed in the documents are two accompanying trim levels that will bookend the GR Sport, an entry-level GX-R and top-spec ZS - at least for the South African market.

The new LC300 will reportedly be bigger in almost every key dimension than the vehicle it replaces, stretching some 4970mm in length, 1985mm in width and 1870mm in height, and it will ride on a 2900mm wheelbase.

Japanese media is that the new 3.3-litre twin-turbo-diesel V6 engine will produce a whopping 230kW and 687Nm, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The current LC200, for reference, is fitted with a bigger V8 diesel, but produces 200kW and 650Nm.

The news matches information CarsGuide has received, and adds weight to comments made by Toyota Australia's VP of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, that the new model would further the LC story.

"The LandCruiser needs to be capable. It needs to be able to perform, drive, tow, as expected of a LandCruiser," Mr Hanley said.

"It has a huge heritage. It's a legend, actually, of capability in the Australian landscape. It’s clear that the number of cylinders are cubic capacity are not the only things that determine the powertrain performance.

"The powertrain of any future LandCruiser will be built to deliver. It will deliver on power, torque, towing and off- and on-road capabilities. And I am supremely confident that with whatever we do, it will continue to remain a very capable vehicle all round."

According to Japanese media, the second engine offered - at least at launch - will be a petrol-powered twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6. That engine will produce a monstrous 313kW and 589Nm, again paired with a 10-speed automatic.

Japanese media is reporting that genuine leather seating, a 12.3-inch screen with navigation and a JVBL sound system, a 3D terrain monitor and even fingerprint scanning to prevent theft will be included.

We also know that Toyota in Australia has been "intrinsically involved" in the LC300's development, saying it has the "confidence" to promise that fears the new model will be less rugged and capable than the outgoing LandCruiser 200 Series are wide of the mark.

“We have Altona Vehicle Evaluation section within TMCA (Toyota Australia), and TMC (Toyota Japan) works intrinsically and closely with our group in the development of any off-road vehicles,” says Rod Ferguson, Toyota Australia’s General Manager of Product Planning and Development.

“That’s where we have the confidence to say that the vehicle testing and vehicle suitability - whether it’s towing or off-road performance - will be there in any product we release.”

Toyota's Mr Hanley says he's aware of the "emotion" surrounding the LandCruiser, and reconfirmed his confidence that the new model would out-perform the old.

“I get the emotion of LandCruiser. In many respects, it’s a really strong point for our brand,” he said. “What we don’t want, or what we’re… careful with, is we never ever want to in any way mislead our customers into thinking whatever might or might not happen with a car.

“With LandCruiser, we understand the importance of that car in this market, and we understand our customers functionality requirements in this market, be it off road or performance.

“Whatever LandCruiser we’ve brought out in history, it’s always improved, and we don’t want people to think that we’d ever do something with any LandCruiser, whether that’s now or in 10 years’ time, that would ever diminish its capability in this market.”