FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series
A large family off-roader
By Tace Clifford
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The Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series is a mammoth car, a big seven-seater 4×4 that is renowned for its off-road capability. You could cross the Simpson Desert in this car but is it a good everyday BabyDrive? Let's find out…
BabyDrive Verdict
The first thing that strikes me with the Landcruiser 300 Series is how great the exterior looks but the interior on this lower-spec (but still  $102,000) GXL version doesn't feel like it's been updated that much at all. The dash, media system and seats are still pretty old school in their design, fabrications and textures.
When it comes to child seats; there are ISOFix points in the two outer second-row seats and top tether anchorages on the back of all three second-row seats. The top tethers are quite difficult to access because the second-row seat base does not slide forward and because of the size of the Landcruiser 300 Series I had to climb up into the boot to reach them!
I can easily fit three child seats across the second row of the Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series. I installed the Infasecure Attain More, Achieve More and Infasecure Optima child seats. Both forward and rear-facing fit really nicely. To learn more about the child seats I've used in this review, just click on the link here.
In the third row, the seats do not have any top tether or ISOFix anchorages. So I could not install any child seats back there. However, you could put an Infasecure Versatile Folding Booster seat there because it does not require a top tether strap.
The second-row seats are split 60:40 with the 40 on the kerb side, which is great.
Accessing the third row is quite tricky because the second-row seat base does not slide and the seats tumble forward, which means you do have to uninstall one child seat in order to access the third row.
Putting up the third-row seats can be quite tricky as you need to pull the handle which is on the shoulder of the seatback. However, it is obstructed by the second-row seat.
This means you need to move the second-row seatback forward slightly in order to raise the third-row seats. Which does mean potentially uninstalling a child seat from the second row to do this. You can get an electronic third-row seat folding mechanism starting in the Sahara model, which costs more than $130,000 (or around $30,000 more than this GXL tested here).
Legroom and headroom in the third row is very good, although the seat bases are very close to the floor though so your knees are up around your ears when you're sitting back there. I think you would easily fit a 180cm+ passenger in the third row but would they be comfortable with their bum so close to their feet?
Throughout the Landcruiser 300 Series legroom is good. You would fit a 180cm driver in front of a rear-facing child seat with a 180cm passenger in the third row too. To be honest you would expect that in a vehicle of the size!
There are some noticeable changes, like how the tailgate has gone from a split tailgate on the Landcruiser 200 Series pictured below to a single piece boot lid on the 300 Series.
Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series
I was disappointed that this GXL model didn't have an automatic opening tailgate and door system and in this day and age manually doing them does feel less modern than other vehicles (hands-free boot opening is only on the top two models that cost almost $140,000).
When it comes to boot space the room left in the LandCruiser 300 when using all seven seats is small and only holds four shopping bags.
When using only two rows of seats, it's the perfect off-road vehicle for families. You have a nice big boot that will hold lots of camping equipment, prams Eskies etc. Or eighteen shopping bags fit in the boot! A twin or tandem pram fit nicely in the with plenty of room around them.
There is also a plug socket in the boot on the left-side wall.
The media system doesn't feel like it's been updated a great deal in this GXL model. It feels small and quite old-school to use.
You can adjust the beeping sound which is good…
…And it does have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto thankfully (even the last 200 Series models made didn't have this).
It still has the three-way split screen which allows you to easily tap on the function you want.
The reversing camera image fills the whole screen, however, it is a bit pixellated and not great quality for a massive $100-grand SUV.
When it comes to the drive, the 300 series has been greatly improved! The steering is much lighter and it's much more manoeuvrable, which makes it much easier to park in supermarket and school car parks and to drive around town for everyday life. It also still has a 3.5 tonne towing capacity for camping or boating adventures.
Now I know a lot of people are worried about the fact it's not available as a V8, but I don't think you'll be disappointed. The V6 is really nice to drive and feels just as good if not better than the V8 Landcruiser 200 Series. It's actually surprisingly fast!
Storage in the Landcruiser 300 series is not that practical for families. In the second row, there are just very small door bins that don't even hold a refillable water bottle. In this GXL there's no central fold-down armrest either, so no cup holders there!
The third-row passengers do get more storage for bottles and cups, USB and phone storage.
The front row is better catered for, however, their door bins are also too small for a refillable water bottle, which we found frustrating during our week with the Landcruiser 300 Series, as we always had four water bottles rolling around the footwells.
In the front, there is an enormous central console box which is a chilled compartment in the top-spec models.
There are aircon vents in the ceiling for passengers in both rear rows of seats, which is fantastic.
There are controls in the back of the central console box and you can control the rear aircon from the front too.
The Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series is yet to be given an ANCAP crash-test rating but it has a lot of the safety technology you would expect to find in a modern family car and ten airbags come as standard across the LC300 Series range!
To sum up, the Land Cruiser 300 series is still that car you could take your family across the Simpson Desert with, towing your camper trailer. At the same time, the everyday driving feel is greatly improved over the 200 Series. However, the interior and media system of this GXL do make it feel out of date and they let it down for me, as well as that awkward third-row seat mechanism, disappointing cabin storage and small boot when three rows of seats are in use. There's just too little attention to detail there, considering a LandCruiser is such a dream family car for a lot of people.
BabyDrive Indepth
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How big is the boot of the New 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series?
The new 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series has a decent size boot when using five seats that will hold 18 shopping bags. Considering the third-row seats now fold into the boot floor instead of being stored at the sides, it's surprising that this is the same amount of bags as the previous model 200 Series could hold. The smaller 2022 Isuzu MU-X will hold 19 shopping bags and the similar-sized Nissan Patrol holds 22 shopping bags. Overall the 300 Series doesn't seem to make the most efficient use of its huge size when it comes to storage!
The twin stroller fits in the boot of the 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series with nine shopping bags.
A tandem pram fits in the boot with twelve shopping bags beside it.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Bub’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.
The single pram fits in the boot of the 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series with eleven shopping bags beside it.
The compact stroller fits with sixteen shopping bags beside it.
Or you could fit your family's extra-large dog in the boot. The boot floor is nice and flat and carpeted for a comfy ride for your pet or an emergency nappy change for your kids!
How good is storage inside the 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series?
Storage in the front of the 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series is fairly practical. There are two cup holders in the central console that will hold a re-usable or disposable coffee cup and a refillable water bottle fits in them too.
In front of these is a wireless phone charging pad, two USB sockets and a USB-C socket too. Above this is a storage shelf that is also good for storing a phone while it is plugged in.
There used to be another shelf in the dashboard above the glove box but this is gone in the LC300 Series and there is now one inside the glove box. The glove box is a practical size and will hold an iPad and wallet with the manuals.
The central console storage box is nice and large and will hold a six-pack of bottles or cans.
There is a lined glasses case in the ceiling and lit vanity mirrors for both front passengers.
The front door bins of the 2022 LandCruiser 300 Series are really small for such a big vehicle. They will only hold a 600ml bottle but an iPad will fit too.
The rear doors of the 2022 LC300 Series are also small and will only hold a small 600ml bottle and an iPad.
There are no map pockets or cup holders in the second-row seats of this GXL model, unfortunately.
In the third row there are two cup holders on each side that will hold a refillable water bottle and a coffee cup and there is a USB charger and phone shelf too.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the New 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series? How good is the media system in the New 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series?
The New 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series has a suitably noisy engine for its size! People used to like the old V8's grumble, this V6 one sounds kind of sporty and definitely makes itself heard when you accelerate but not in a really bad way.
The media system in the LC300 Series doesn't feel like it's been updated much, at least not in this GXL model.
It still has an old school feel about it.
Within the media screen lists, you can easily turn off the media screen's beeping sound which is good.
Thankfully the LandCruiser 300 Series has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (I couldn't believe the last year of 200 Series still didn't).
It still has the three-way split home screen, which allows you to easily tap on the function you want.
The reversing camera image fills the whole 9-inch screen but the image quality is only average and a little pixellated.
The indicators are not too loud in the 2022 Toyota  LandCruiser 300 Series and didn’t disturb my sleeping children.
Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!
That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.
If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?
It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?
A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.
Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to triple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!
I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.
You can lock the doors and windows in the 2022 Toyota LandCrusier 300 Series with buttons in the driver's door control panel.
The cruise controls are on the right-hand side of the steering wheel. I found it quite easy to use and the cruise control and it was pretty accurate at high speeds on motorways.
Now I know everyone is worried that the 300 Series is not available as a V8 but I can tell you that the V6 is plenty of power and is a great drive.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the new 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series?
When it comes to fitting child seats in the 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series, there are ISOFix points in the two outer second-row seats.
They are underneath a flap of fabric and not within plastic guides, but nice and easy to connect to.
There are top tether anchorages, clearly labelled and within guides on the back of all three second-row seats.
They are quite difficult to access because the second-row seat base does not slide forward so you have to go through the boot and I had to climb up into the boot to reach them. That said this was a bit easier now that the split tailgate has gone from the LandCruiser.
I can easily fit three child seats across the second row of the LandCruiser 300 Series. I installed the Infasecure Attain More, Achieve More and Infasecure Optima child seats. Both forward and rear-facing fit really nicely. To learn more about the child seats I've used in this review, just click on the link here.
The third-row seats do not have any top tether anchorages or ISOFix so I could not install any child seats back there. However, you could put an Infasecure Versatile Folding Booster Seat there because it does not require a top tether strap.
Accessing the third row can be tricky. The second-row seats are split 60:40 The 40 section is on the kerb side thankfully. But the second-row seats only tumble forward, which means you have to uninstall one child seat in order to access the third row.
When putting up the third-row seats, they are quite tricky. You need to pull the handle which is on the shoulder of the seatback. However, it is obstructed by the second-row seat.
This means you need to move the second-row seatback forward slightly in order to raise the third-row seats. Which does mean potentially uninstalling a child seat from the second row to do this. You can get an electric third-row seat mechanism starting in the Sahara model, which starts at around $132,000 (or $30K more than this GXL).
Legroom and headroom in the third-row seats is pretty impressive. There is a lot of legroom and you would fit a 180cm+ passenger back there. However, the seat base that comes up out of the floor stays very close to the floor so your knees are up around your ears when you're sitting back there with your bum so close to your feet!
Legroom is good across the three rows and you would fit a 180cm+ driver and third-row passenger, with a rear-facing Infasecure Attain More child seat in the second-row sandwiched between them.
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series? How good is the 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series to drive?
The front seats of the 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series are enormous! They are very comfortable and armchair-like, with electric adjustment controls on the side of the seat base.
The seats throughout the Toyota LC300 Series GXL I tested had a style of fabric upholstery which really made the car feel dated but was great for comfort.
For a mum travelling in the back with Bub, the seats are very spacious and comfortable. I can easily fit between two child seats and because the rear central seatback in this GXL model has no fold-down armrest (meaning no cup holders) it was just as comfy as the other seats.
For the first year of my babies lives when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with them so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!
The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down as well in the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series.
There are four air vents in the front of the Toyota LC300 Series, two in the centre under the media screen and one at either end of the dashboard.
There are ceiling vents in both rear rows of seats for rear passengers.
There are also vents and controls in the back of the central console box…
…As well as below the front media screen so parents can turn on and off the aircon in the back.
Visibility is quite limited out of the back with three child seats or passengers in the second or third row so you really rely on the side mirrors and reversing camera.
The reversing camera image is nice and large and although pixellated and not that high res, it's not too blurry, I found.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, the Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series was a bit tricky, due to the size of it, to park.
The drive of the Landcruiser 300 Series has been greatly improved. The steering is much lighter and more manoeuvrable which I found really helped with the everyday driving around town and drop-offs etc. Lots of people are worried about the LandCruiser 300 Series not being available as a V8 however I found the V6 really good if not better to drive so I don't think anyone will be disappointed.
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
How safe is the 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series?
The 2022 Toyota Landcruiser 300 Series has yet to be given an  ANCAP safety rating.
Ten airbags come as standard in the LC300 Series including third-row curtain airbags in all seven-seater models.
The LandCruiser 300 Series gains a lot of new safety technology including pre-collision safety system with pedestrian and daytime cyclist detection, active cruise control (ACC), automatic high beam, lane departure alert with brake to steer and road sign assist (speed signs only), anti-lock braking system (ABS) and brake assist (BA), dusk-sensing auto headlamps, trailer sway control, trailer wiring harness connection (trailer harness with 7 pin socket sold separately), front and second-row occupant detection.
Blind-spot monitor (BSM), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), parking sensors – front and rear back guide monitor and third-row occupant detection come in all models except the bottom spec GX model.
Rear parking support brake and lane trace assist with steering wheel vibration are standard in the VX model upwards.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!
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About Tace Clifford
Tace Clifford founded BabyDrive in 2017 after discovering a huge information gap in mainstream car reviews that left new parents and expanding families in the dark when it came to one of the biggest purchasing decisions of their lives.
We drove the previous Kia Sorento before having our daughter and I remember being very impressed back then! I was eager to give this seven-seat SUV a good run now that we are a family with child seats, strollers and equipment to see how it would fare as a BabyDrive! Let’s find out what we thought… Read More
Only wish it had manual model for better connection to car’s feel.. Also pop up roof top option to convert this into semi camper with toilet and shower so much better than finding public toilet mid trip!
Aposlutely everything but not a family car. Total overkill.
Only wish it had manual model for better connection to car’s feel.. Also pop up roof top option to convert this into semi camper with toilet and shower so much better than finding public toilet mid trip!