2022 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series: This is one of the first modified examples

It was always going to happen, but it took less time than I imagined.

The 300 Series LandCruiser is a vehicle just begging to be modified. From the moment I first laid eyes on them at the official launch last year, I wanted to see what they would look like with a quality bullbar, suspension and the usual swag of off-road touring accessories.

Well, the wait is over, as we’ve managed to track down one of the first modified 300 Series Cruisers in the country right now. It’s only the beginning of the process too, with many further additions planned when gear becomes more readily available.

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What you see before you is a 2022 300 Series VX, picked up brand-new from the dealership and sent straight in to hiding where the modifications began.

There’s so much hype around the new LandCruiser, you’d be mad to not develop a range of products to suit. Which is exactly what the team at the Towing and 4x4 Division of GUD set out to achieve. This build is a collective effort from brands under the GUD group including Rola roof racks, Uneek 4x4, Kaymar and Narva, to name a few.

This vehicle will be a constant evolution, which will be on display at many of the 4x4 shows around Australia. This is just the beginning too, as we're told the team wants to build plenty more off-roaders to display the products available for Aussie four-wheel drivers.

Show stopper

Built to showcase the products available to suit the 300 Series, its first priority was displaying its wares at the National 4x4 Outdoors Show in Brisbane.

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Sadly, the stock suspension was still fitted on the day of this shoot, but by the time you read this, that will have all changed. A Fulcrum Suspensions lift has been chosen, which provides 50mm of lift in the front and 35mm in the rear.

There are other lift heights available from Fulcrum to suit your needs and load carrying. Word on the street is Fulcrum is also currently developing a GVM upgrade solution for the 300 Series, offering a much-needed boost in load-carrying ability.

Uneek armour

The first thing you’ll notice on this particular vehicle is the front bar from Uneek 4x4. A proudly Australian-owned company, Uneek also manufactures in Australia. This bar has been specially designed and engineered for Australian conditions, as well as ADRs (Australian Design Rules).

What we like most about the Crawler Bar from Uneek 4x4 is the protection offered for Toyota’s front-mounted intercoolers. This still allows full airflow to these vital intercoolers, while keeping them protected from impact or debris when out touring.

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That Uneek 4x4 Crawler Bar fitted to the front end is a work of art, design-wise. It’s a full steel construction, comprising a 5mm centre section, with 3mm wings to save weight.

The Crawler bar is winch-compatible to house a 12,000lb winch, has built-in high-lift jack points, includes 90mm LED fog lights, and has a space to integrate a 22-inch LED light bar in the centre section of the bar. There’s plenty of space to mount larger LED driving lights too, as you can see there are four Narva Ultima MK2 units bolted across the face of the 300 Series.

Uneek 4x4 rock sliders are another engineering marvel that look as good as they are strong – they just look right on the big 300.

Light work

There is a seriously impressive number of LEDs bolted to this 300 Series. Starting with Narva Ultima MK2 180 and 215 LED driving lights on the front bar, giving a total of four round LEDs on the front.

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There are also two 22-inch Explora single-row LED light bars on the roof rack facing forwards, and one 22-inch Explora single-row LED light bar in the front bumper.

BFG tyres

Tyres are such an important addition to any touring 4WD, as such BFG all-terrains have been fitted to the stock rims, which is a smart call.

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They will help provide more grip when off-road, as well as much more puncture protection compared to the factory rubber the 300 Series originally wore.

Storage

For additional storage, a Rola roof rack has been fitted using a new Ridge Mount system, which has a few neat tricks up its sleeves. There are provisions for running any external wiring to be secured to the underside of the Ridge Mount, which is not only a neat solution, but it’s going to keep any electrical wiring safe and out of harm’s way.

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The Ridge Mount is constructed from stainless steel for strength, with the Rola Titan platform bolted to it being made from lighter-weight alloy, providing an excellent compromise between weight and strength.

A solar panel, recovery tracks and an Eezi-Awn 270-degree awning live up there full-time.

Projecta power

When it comes to 12V goodies, this 300 Series has been decked out with a variety of gear from Projecta. Starting with a Projecta pure sine wave 1000W inverter, to keep things powered when on the road, and run any household items that need 240V to function.

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Keeping charge to any auxiliary batteries fitted is a Projecta IDC25 DCDC battery charger that is lithium-compatible. We’ve said it before, but you’d be mad to not run lithium in a new 4WD if you are setting it up from scratch. The benefits far outweigh the negatives, and it will genuinely save you money in the long-term.

Rear-end protection

A Brown Davis replacement 150L long-range fuel tank has been fitted to extend fuel range, which required the spare wheel to be relocated. This provided the perfect opportunity to upgrade the factory rear bar to a high-quality Kaymar unit, complete with swing-away tyre carrier and a twin jerry can holder. This also offers far more protection to the rear-end compared to the vulnerable stock plastic rear bumper.

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The Kaymar bar has twin swing-aways - one for a spare tyre and another for Jerry cans, and these have now been made easier to remove when not in use, like when you are at home in the city. Of course you can run dual spare wheels and the regular range of Kaymar accessories to fit the bars.

This 300 Series will be doing the rounds at 4WD shows around the country, so be sure to check it out in the flesh to see just what can be done to a 300 Series LandCruiser.

It is early days, but we are super excited to see this platform develop and grow to better suit Australian conditions and the Australian off-road market. A job well done so far.