All-new LandCruiser busted

These are the best pics yet of the successor to Toyota's long-running 100 Series LandCruiser.

The images of the 130 Series prototype were posted on the Autoblog website after being captured by an alert reader in the Sultanate of Oman, where the vehicle was presumably undergoing hot-weather testing.

The Middle East is an ideal proving ground for durability testing as the intense heat and sustained high-speed cruising prevalent in the region are hard to replicate elsewhere.

Clearly evident from the images is that the revamped SUV borrows a few design cues from the gargantuan Tundra pick-up that Toyota flogs in the US in vast numbers. Note the prominent four-bar chrome grille, twin-beam headlights and wraparound indicators.

The overall proportions of the new 'Cruiser appear much the same as they are now, but the derriere has been rounded off somewhat. Visible through the tailgate is a headrest for the third-row seats -- a must these days for a full-size SUV.

The interior is standard Toyota fare, with the most notable features being the twist knobs (presumably for engaging low-range and diff locks) adjacent to the gearlever.

Under its new skin resides a new platform known as the 'F' chassis, which is likely to again be a ladder-frame design that retains an independent front end and solid rear axle.

Although the vehicle's design is evolutionary, there will be a host of new engines.

Potentially the most interesting powerplant is a new twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 common-rail diesel with projected outputs of 224kW and 580Nm. There will also be a 4.0-litre V6 (the same unit used in the Prado) and a 4.7-litre VVT petrol V8 with around 210kW/427Nm.

Transmissions choices will include five- and six-speed manuals, as well as a new six-speed Tiptronic-style automatic.

Meanwhile, the Lexus LX 470 will make way for a 130 Series LandCruiser-based successor known as the LX 550, and this model will reportedly sport a 5.5-litre petrol V8.

The new 'Cruiser and LX 550 could debut at next January's Detroit motor show before going on sale Down Under later in 2007. The existing 100 Series and LX 470 are now distinctly long in the tooth, having debuted locally in March 1998.