Between Toyota and Lexus, there are two distinct versions of the Land Cruiser 250. There's the Toyota version, simply called Land Cruiser, which has a turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, and the Lexus version, called GX 550, which has a twin-turbocharged V6. Of the two, the GX is the more powerful and, obviously, luxurious one. Both features make it the clear choice from Toyota if you've got money, but other automakers have compelling and powerful options. For instance, Land Rover has an even more powerful six-cylinder, plus a V8 option, in its Defender. A new trademark, though, suggests Lexus might be about to close the gap. Either that, or it may be aiming for more fuel economy.Lexus Put On An "h"! Now, since the existing alphanumeric name is combined with the "h," we're expecting this new model to still use the twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 of the non-hybrid, but with an electric motor to increase performance. Toyota has a couple versions of this engine it could pick from. In the Toyota Tundra and Sequoia, the hybrid twin-turbo V6 makes 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. In the Lexus LX 700h, the horsepower increases to 457. Either version would make for a major improvement over the GX 550's 349 hp and 479 lb-ft.LexusThe only odd thing about this trademark, though, is that the number for both GX models is the same. With the bigger LX models, the less-powerful, non-hybrid LX is called the LX 600, not just LX 700. So we would expect a more powerful GX to have a name like GX 650h. As such, we could see another option for the GX: the Land Cruiser's hybrid four-cylinder. While less powerful, the hybrid Land Cruiser has far better fuel economy with a combined 23 mpg to the GX 550's 17. In fact, the Land Cruiser manages more than 20 mpg in all driving situations, and the Lexus at its best (on the highway) can only scrape 21 mpg.The Land Cruiser's hybrid four-cylinder isn't far behind the GX in performance, either. It makes 326 hp and 425 lb-ft of torque. It may sacrifice a bit of refinement with two fewer cylinders, but the fuel economy improvement could be a worthy tradeoff for buyers. Plus, the Lexus would still have a fancier interior and more prestigious badge. It's Probably Not Too Far Away Regardless of which hybrid powertrain ends up in the Lexus GX, we doubt it will take long for the Japanese brand to implement it. The basic vehicle and engines are on sale and certified. As such, we could see a new model appearing in just a year or two. If it gets the Land Cruiser's four-cylinder, pricing will probably be roughly equal between models, and if it gets the hybrid V6, the hybrid will likely have a price premium over the regular V6.Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office
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