Hi, i am an old time lurker and actually have another account here but prefer to have a fresh start with a fresh vehicle.
Perhaps it won't be the GX you expect to see.
I purchased this vehicle brand new in February, it is a 2023 Land Cruiser 300 GX (GRJ300). Produced at the Yoshiwara plant in December 2022.
It's currently done almost 22,000km.

GX is the basic grade of the 300 series Land Cruiser.
In my local market without any markups the list price brand new is around $61k for an identical vehicle but the waiting list is very long so the other alternative is to buy it off other people who resell them brand new for a profit.
The lc300 is actually the best selling vehicle in the country so you can imagine how long that waiting list is.

It weighs around 2350-2370g unloaded (based on the weighing station I weighed it in) making it very light compared to its predecessor.
I mention this at the start because the weight loss changed how this vehicle drives compared to the 200 series (its predecessor) by a great deal.

The 1GR engine is a carryover from the last generation, it produces 271hp and 385nm.
Sounds terrible right? You would think its probably a dog in the sand, Let me tell you though, the weight loss makes it pretty quick for what it is.
Not that such figures matter but I have clocked 0 to 100km/h in the mid to high 7s in optimal circumstances. That is atleast 2 seconds quicker than what a previous gen 200 would do with the same engine.
It is like a gazelle in the sand dunes. Much more lively than a 200 series with the same engine (the engine sounds different actually at certain rpms, louder but in a good way)

I personally am not going to be modifying much and will keep it as stock as possible, the extent of my mods may include 33s and some aftermarket shocks in the future but even that may be a while away.
I find that when a vehicle is kept as stock as possible, it handles the best in the sand dunes and I love being light in the sand and I am never too far away from any service stations or shops so I can afford being lightly loaded.
I think on average a similarly specced 300 is around 200k lighter than an equivalent 200.

Being a GX means its pretty basic,
No sunroof, manual cloth seats, no crawl control or multi terrain select ( I do get lockers though - this thing is triple locked! ), it has no rear view camera but that would be a simple plug and play installation, it has 17 inch steel wheels, 7 seats, cool box and rear AC. If any of you are familiar with some of the older basic LC from global markets, you realize for a base model it isn't badly specced.
No side airbags, just driver passenger airbags and d/p knee airbags.

Pros of 300 over predecessor 200
- More nimble in the city - lighter and more responsive steering makes it a treat to drive
- Less fatiguing in long distance offroad/highway travel
- General off road performance is great. In rocky technical areas, I feel unstoppable with lockers, and in the sand dunes it feels more stable.
- Performance compared to equivalent engine 200 is much better
- Brake pedal feels better
- I really like the way the cabin is positioned, to some it may seem more cramped than a 200 and it is in some areas that's for sure, but the way you are positioned inside the cabin is perfect ( and I find it better than many other fancier cars)

Cons of 300
- Hood flutter at highway speeds, I know a fix is available but I don't think they are applying it at the factory yet.
- Body feels bit too flimsy sometimes
- Annoying panel gaps in some areas
- Second row feels more cramped then 200
- One less seat 7 vs 8 seats in 200
- No split tailgate

Overall I am very happy with the vehicle.
Do I plan on getting the twin turbo v6 at some point? Maybe but I never felt like I needed a more powerful engine for my current use.
I won't be keeping this specific vehicle for 10/20 years as I usually upgrade with every facelift but knowing how long the life cycle of land cruisers is, I am more than happy for this generation of LC to be my daily driver for another decade+.

Here are some photos ( it is bone stock, I have added nothing to it other than ppf on the front). I opted for super white 040, I initially wanted black but for our climate white is the best.

 

congrats. wonder why huge chunks of the sides of the rear window are blacked out?

wheels look tiny.

 

Some off-road shots

 

^^^ perfect 'tank' for off road driving.

no disrespect, but i find this design trend of body line angling up to an artificially high hood to be a really ugly. toyota has now done it on a number of vehicles.



on a positive note, good to see even on your 'base' trim that you get body colored wheel arch moldings and not the fugly black stuff.

 

The undercarriage after a fun 22,000 km
I will definitely need to rustproof this as I do bit of coastal driving and it is already starting to show.






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No disrespect at all, I like hearing comments like this in general regardless if positive or negative, at the end of the day, most of us land cruiser owners don't buy it for its looks.
They left the black ones for the GR Sport.

 

I am happy that they offer stock 17 inch wheels! It is a great size for lots of after market tires at least locally.
Even when I do decide to replace them I think ill still stick with 17s.

 

I love your Land Cruiser. I have the same 1GR engine. In 4Runner. Made in Tahara like yours. It’s a good engine. Excellent that Toyota offers front and rear locking diffs.

Can you show us pic of the engine bay? And a close up of the power steering. I think Land Cruisers still have hydraulic power steering.

Can you show us a pic of the interior door frame covering?

 

Sorry about the dirty engine bay, but I genuinely do a lot of off road driving and general driving in dusty weather so it gets dirty quick.
It has hydraulic power steering btw, the fully loaded ones have hydraulic with an electric motor assist and the lx600 is fully electric.

 

Thank you for the pics. I love how Toyota covers the door frames so you can’t see the white paint. Too bad there is no door light.

Did Toyota not provide an engine cover? That is unusual.


here is my engine. Same as yours 1GR.

 

The engine cover is no longer available on the 1GR LC300. It used to be available on the 1GR LC200.

 

That is too bad.

does it matter to you the steering is still hydraulic? Here Toyota 4Runner still uses it. The odd thing about Land Cruiser in the 3.5tt version is that is still uses hydraulic steering where the LX600 with the same engine uses electric power steering. I can understand why the 1GR still uses it, but can’t figure out why the 3.5tt still does as well.

 

It wouldn't have changed my decision on purchasing the vehicle.
I am very happy with how it drives.

I also would consider an LX600 as a future vehicle, so electric power steering wouldn't be a deal breaker.

 

This side view reminds me of the previous Nissan Armada. This is the first time I see this thing inside out. At least you have a positive thing to say about it. 98-02 is the best looking one. This is the most expensive Toyota. They should have made it more luxurious IMO.

 

Which Armada
The current generation?

I love the 100 series body design, especially as you said 1998-2002, it aged so well.

This is the most basic interior, the fully loaded models look nicer, but I agree, especially in the case of the fully loaded models, could be better.