Toyota mini Land Cruiser: Room for a sporty GR version?

The most desirable variant of the most eagerly awaited SUV.

Photo by: Toyota

By: Javier Llorente

Dec 7, 2024 at 7:24am ET

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All year long we've been talking about the new Toyota mini Land Cruiser, what it will look like, whether it will come to Europe, what engines it will have... and even its name, which some rumours suggest will be Land Hopper, whilst others say Land Cruiser FJ. We'll see...

But while we await some official confirmation of the model from Toyota, there are a couple of things that are clear about its future. By positioning itself below an iconic SUV like the Toyota Land Cruiser, it seems that this SUV will have slightly more compact dimensions and will be available for a cheaper price.

However, will GR (Gazoo Racing) enter the equation, creating a sporty version of the Toyota mini Land Cruiser? Obviously, we don't know, but would we like to? Of course, we'd love to! In fact, Toyota has been talking about a high-performance off-road model for some time now, and furthermore from a certain Asian market. Are we getting our hopes up?

A sporty version of the mini Land Cruiser?

The link between Toyota Gazoo Razing and the mini Land Cruiser comes from Thailand, where the Japanese company's subsidiary has developed a sporty version of the Toyota Hilux Champ for competition.

Gallery: Toyota Hilux Champ by Gazoo Racing Thailand

Source: Toyota

Doesn't the name of this small pickup ring a bell? Well, you should, as some rumours suggest that this economical pick-up (it costs around £10,000 at the exchange rate) will share a platform with the brand's future small SUV.

The competition version, created for the local championship Super Pickup, is powered by a 2.4-litre diesel engine, rear-wheel drive and a manual gearbox. The figures? Around 140 PS and 400 Nm of peak torque.