Toyota Land Cruiser vs Tesla Model Y

What's the difference?

The Toyota LandCruiser 300 GR Sport is a total knockout when it comes to its looks, comfort and practicality. It’s stupidly easy to drive and has a fuel efficiency that should make you swoon but the servicing is a bit annoying and it’s not the most affordable option on the market. However, even though it hasn't benefited from any updates this year, you don't feel like you're missing out on any luxuries.

My son adores it, wants it and will be very disappointed when we hand it back. Naturally, he gives it a 10/10.

The Model Y Long Range is the pick of the line-up thanks mainly to its ability to travel further on a full charge, but also the price is excellent. The styling is starting to date, especially compared to fresher rivals with intriguing designs. But the advantage to Tesla is its battery tech and the constant over-the-air updates which will continue to enhance this product long after you've bought it.

Design is 100 per cent subjective. I love the look of the LC300 GR Sport because it features what I feel is a timeless, handsome shape.

For some, it may look too big and brutish, because you could throw a bunch of beefy words at it, and somehow, they’d all fit the roadside presence of this extra-large SUV.

What visually sets the GR Sport apart from its siblings are the multitude of black accents across the body from the rear badging, wheels and arches, door handles and roof racks. The grille is also distinctly different in its horizontal design with the Toyota badging capitalised in a bold white font for extra effect. 

Head inside and the cabin looks ruggedly capable with the dimensions of the centre console and dashboard complementing the external looks.

Technology looks upmarket, joinery is solidly put together and the leather upholstery adds to the plush comfort of the seats but there is a sense of capability in the physical buttons and dials still found on the dashboard.

Which is where I start to really like the LC300 GR Sport because everything is where you expect it to be - this is not a car you’ll get flustered in but nor does it have that generic Toyota look.

The Model Y is a mid-sized SUV, about 4.75 metres long and has an aerodynamic wedge shape similar to the one Toyota’s early Prius had, but with a smooth and flat styling Tesla twist.

The clean and featureless look made the Model Y appear futuristic and modern two years ago but now, with the arrival of other mid-sized electric rivals and their intriguing and attractive designs, the Tesla is starting to appear dated. 

There is a styling update coming to the Model Y, but it won’t be a completely new car, just a few tweaks to keep it looking current. But it won’t do much. I think the time is up on this design.

The cabin embraces minimalism with plenty of clean and smooth horizontal surfaces devoid of buttons or dials. Only the large central screen and the steering wheel exist on the dashboard and in my eyes compared to rival offerings the Model Y’s interior has quickly gone from cool to devoid of personality.

The front row is roomy and even with a co-pilot, you feel like you have yards of space to settle into. The seats offer a wide seat and plush padding, as well as heat and ventilation functions which adds comfort for longer trips.

Individual storage is good with a large glove box, two cupholders, two drink bottle holders and a large middle console that also features a 'cool box' function for drinks or snacks.

The comfort of the front is replicated in the backseat, which deftly accepts the height of my 183cm father. The width of the seat can easily accommodate three adults in relative comfort or, if you have a few tots in tow, three child seats.

Amenities and storage in the back row are what you'd expect for a top model in this class. The rear outboard seats feature heat and ventilation functions and there is dual air-conditioning and climate control, as well as, four directional air vents.

The fold-down armrest features two cupholders while the doors hold a drink bottle each and a small storage bin. There are also two map pockets and you can access the middle console cool box with a rear-mounted button.

The GR Sport does remind you that it's a big car with its 235mm ground clearance and my seven-year-old son declared I needed to hold all of his stuff this week as getting in and out is a ‘two-handed- operation'. Like him, I too am grateful for the grab handles and side steps in this car.

The technology is well-rounded and simple to use. The 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system looks great and is responsive to touch. It has built-in satellite navigation and a Toyota Connected Services app with three years of complimentary updates. There is also wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, AM/FM radio and DAB+ radio but there’s not much else to access in this system.

The mostly analogue instrument cluster features a 7.0-inch tech screen and this is where you can do a lot of your customisations with display and safety.

The charging options are solid up front with the choice of a USB-A and C port, 12-volt socket and a wireless charging pad. The rear gets two USB-C ports and a 12-volt socket as well.

The boot is cavernous with its 1131L of luggage capacity and that’s with all seats in use. The squared shape of the boot and the 90-degree angle the boot lid opens to are quite practical, especially when fitting bulky items or loading things in the rain.

All GR Sports come with a powered boot lid and a domestic 220-volt socket for charging larger items while adventuring.

Electric SUVs have moved practicality to a level combustion-engine equivalents can’t compete with thanks to their front and back boots and (no transmission tunnel) flat floors maximising people and storage space. 

The Model Y is practical with a 117L front boot and a rear boot with 854L litres of cargo capacity, while the cabin has large door pockets, wireless phone charging and two cupholders up front and in the second row.

The Model Y comes as a five-seater only, but leg- and headroom in the second row is excellent and even at 189cm tall I can sit behind my driving position. 

Back seat passengers also have directional air vents and two USB ports for charging.

Cabin practicality could be better, though. The large centre console is unnecessary as it’s not covering a transmission and driveshaft. We’re seeing other brands such as Kia make use of this area as a storage space perfect for even large bags.

Locking and unlocking the Model Y is done with a key card that needs to be swiped against a sensor in the B-pillar. This worked sporadically for me and I felt like the action could scratch the pillar’s surface.

There’s a phone app which can also lock and unlock the Model Y. We downloaded it and found the functions useful, from seeing how much charge is in the battery, to opening the boot, tracking the location of the car and turning the climate control on to cool or heat the cabin before driving. 

Only the weather changes more than Tesla’s pricing, but the latest adjustment to the Model Y Long Range price had it listing for $72,900. That could easily change again so it might be best to check back at CarsGuide or Tesla’s website for any updates.

At almost $73K the Long Range sits in the middle of the Model Y line-up, above the $64K entry grade and below the $83K Performance.

The standard features list for on the Model Y Long Range is decent and includes LED headlights and 19-inch alloy wheels, there’s the fixed glass roof, synthetic leather upholstery, the 15-inch central touchscreen, power adjustable and heated front seats, a 13-speaker stereo, sat nav, wireless phone charging, dual-zone climate control with direction air-vents in the second row and a power tailgate.

Also standard is Tesla’s so-called 'Autopilot' which is an advanced form of adaptive cruise control which combines braking and steering.  

Anything missing? A sunshade for the glass roof would be good. You can buy aftermarket ones but really it should be built-in. There’s no rear climate control, either, nor ventilated seats.

But the one item that’s not here and should be is a head-up display because the location of the speedo on the central display isn't ideal for keeping your eyes forward and on the road.

So, the price is good but the features list could do with a boost. Really, though, the reason for picking the Long Range grade is because it can travel further on a full charge than any other Model Y. You can skip ahead to the Efficiency section if you’re busting to find out what the range is.  

As for rivals, there are way more now than there were when the Model Y first came to Australia a couple years ago. Back then it was really just the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Now there’s the Kia EV6 and soon to arrive EV5, the Mustang Mach-E, the Subaru Solterra and its Toyota bZ4X twin, while the Polstar 4 is coming, too. 

The LC300 models all share the same 3.3-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel engine that produces a hefty 227kW and 700Nm of torque. Making it powerful enough to easily handle its 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity.

The GR Sport has a 10-speed auto transmission and has a full-time 4WD system with high and low range. It also has front, rear and centre diff locks, so adventuring pursuits should be a breeze but check out Crafty’s off-road review on this model for more 4WD insights.

The Model Y Long Range is all-wheel drive thanks to a motor powering the front wheels and another turning the rear ones.

Together the motors have a combined output of 378kW and 493Nm which is an enormous amount of power and torque for a family SUV like this and that means the 0-100km/h time is also a pretty quick 5.0 seconds.  

It's big and has a lot of power, so it should be pretty thirsty ... right?

Wrong! The official combined fuel-cycle consumption figure is 8.9L/100km and my real world usage came out at 9.8L/100km after doing a mix of long open-road trips and some urban stuff.

Based on the official combined fuel cycle and the two fuel tanks, which equal 110L, you’d be able to get a theoretical driving range of 1236km.

The Model Y Long Range’s name suggests it's the version for those looking for the maximum distance they can travel on a full charge and it is the smart choice in the line-up. That said, the extra range isn’t all that much more than the other grades.

Tesla says the Long Range with its battery fully charged can travel up to 533km and has a combined cycle energy efficiency of 16.9kWh per 100km (WLPT).

A range of 533km is impressive but only 78km more than the entry-grade Model Y and just 19km more than the top-of-the-line Performance.

How accurate are Tesla fuel efficiency figures? Well, my own testing over a combination of all types of driving saw the trip computer report an average of 16.8kWh/100km.

Tesla says one of its 250kW Superchargers can add up to 275km of range in 15 minutes.

The GR Sport is a massive car but it doesn’t handle like one. That's not to say it handles like a small car but it doesn't feel like a truck to drive.

The power is effortlessly gutsy and there's no issue keeping your speed consistent on hills. The 10-speed auto transmission manages its gear changes and power hits smoothly. The rumble of the V6 engine is also quite therapeutic when it comes time to tackle an overflowing causeway or muddy road.

The GR Sport feels solidly grounded and even on winding roads, the roll in corners isn’t bad at all. Less so than a Prado, actually. 

The ride comfort is very good in the GR Sport grade as it has special adaptive suspension and that means that you really aren’t bothered by the road surface. Besides some whistling from the roof racks, there’s also little outside noise and it feels refined in the cabin because of it.

The wide windows and high seating position offers great visibility all around but I'm very aware of how large the car is as I can't see my son when he walks around it. The sensors alert you but make sure all kids are accounted for before you start moving.

Despite its size, the GR Sport is very nimble to manoeuvre with a small 11.8m turning circle and steering that is responsive.

Parking has been no issue for me this week and while the 360-degree view camera is a bit too fish-eye lense for me, its clear and you get used to it pretty quickly.

CarsGuide hasn't been alone in criticising the Model Y’s overly firm suspension with potholes and bumps seeming to unsettle the vehicle easily.

But Tesla says it's updated the suspension to a more ‘comfortable’ tune and we had a chance to test it.

So, is it more comfortable now? Yes, but it could be better. There appears to be softer absorption in the suspension but anything other than small bumps are still prominent.

Body control remains a bit jelly-like in that there’s too much jiggling and leaning when driving normally, even on typical suburban roads.

At this price point we'd expect the ride to be more comfortable and settled. But this is unlikely to be a deal breaker for most people.

Otherwise, the Model Y drives like most electric cars with instant and quick acceleration, direct steering and it’s all done in silence which makes commuting far more pleasant than idling in the traffic with a petrol or diesel engine and a transmission constantly shifting from first to second and back.

And apart from not using petrol or diesel that's the appeal of electric cars; how easy they are to drive. 

What would make life even easier is a head-up display or driver’s instrument cluster because the current central screen set-up, which shows the speed in a fairly small size in the display's top right corner, is far from ideal.

There have been cases reported on Australian Tesla forums where displays have broken making the car illegal to operate and if this happens out of warranty the repair can be costly.

Be aware, too, that the 'Full Self-Driving' abilities of the Model Y are restricted in Australia. The law states that some autonomous tech can be used, such as adaptive cruise control with lane changing, but you must keep your hands on the wheel.  

The Model Y was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating in 2022, scoring incredibly well for occupant protection for adults and children. The advanced tech on board includes AEB, lane keeping assistance and blind-spot warning.

Great all-round camera vision is offered by the Model Y, too, which is very much needed for rear vision given the back window's modest viewing aperture. 

For child seats there are three top tether anchor points and two ISOFIX mounts in the second row.

The Model Y doesn’t have a spare wheel, but there is a puncture repair kit.

Quick note about the lack of physical buttons. I found not having easy to access physical climate control dials distracting. Most of the car’s other functions are also housed in the media display and I feel this is a potential safety issue.

The GR Sport comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and if you stick to your service schedule, you get an additional two years of engine coverage.

There is capped-priced servicing for up to five years or 100,000km, which entails a total of 10 services or two a year as servicing intervals are a pain at every six months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.

Services are $400 which equates to $800 per year, which is a bit expensive but not outrageous for the class.

When it comes to ownership the Tesla Model Y is covered by a four-year/80,000km warranty which falls short of the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s five-year, unlimited kilometre cover and Kia’s seven-year, unlimited km promise on the EV6.

As for the battery warranty, Tesla will cover it for eight years or 192,000km, which is better than Hyundai’s eight year 160,000km deal and seven years or 150,000km from Kia.

The Model Y has condition-based servicing, meaning it will tell you when it wants to go to a Tesla workshop.