There will, eventually, be a new version of the Toyota Land Cruiser. The current J200 generation has been around since 2007, and while it’s still a mighty off-road machine, its age is showing in spite of its two facelifts. Supposedly, the new version will be a marked change from the existing model, switching to a new platform, trading in its naturally-aspirated V8 for a (possibly hybridized) twin-turbo V6 and going a little more downmarket to become a tad more attainable (and to give its Lexus twin some room to cater to the luxury crowd.)

But in spite of our hopes and dreams, in spite of all those rumors flitting around the Internet, it seems we’ll have to wait at least a little longer to see the all-new 300-series Land Cruiser. Because a facelifted version of the existing version was just spotted in a Japanese port.

The pictures first arrived online on June 5th on the Arabian Drive website, which, as you might expect, chronicles vehicular developments concerning the Persian Gulf area. The facelifted 2021 Land Cruiser, handily enough, can be seen alongside what appears to be a 2020 version, making it easy to see the differences between them. The 2021 version features a a grille and headlight assembly very similar to what’s found on the Land Cruiser Heritage Edition, along with a new front fascia featuring a large chrome-rimmed air intake that gives the truck the smiling countenance of a Thomas the Tank Engine character.

Still, there’s a little bit of good news here. The facelifted 2021 Land Cruiser seen here, according to at least one rumor carried to us via Team-BHP.com, may well be known as the “Final Edition.” (There is precedent; Toyota did the same thing with the FJ Cruiser.) If that’s the case, we should expect the all-new next-gen Land Cruiser to follow for the 2022 model year — which lines up nicely with Australian reports that it would debut in calendar year 2021. We’re kind of hoping that new version’s face doesn’t look much like this grinning 2021 version, but guess we’ll have to wait and see.

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