Premium 4WD
Defender vs Discovery
Land Rover · Land Rover
Head to head
Land Rover Discovery vs Toyota LandCruiser 300
Land Rover
Discovery
Toyota
LandCruiser 300
7-seat SUVDiesel Mild Hybrid
From$132,147
7-seat SUVDiesel
From$107,394
Last updated July 2026
700Nm
Torque Dead Heat
Both diesels make exactly 700Nm. The Land Rover Discovery adds 30kW and a lighter kerb; the Toyota LandCruiser 300 answers with a 110-litre tank against 89.
Your priority
What matters most: Land Rover Discovery or Toyota LandCruiser 300?
Pick a priority — we’ll show the numbers that matter and tell you which car we’d choose.
Safety: Land Rover Discovery vs Toyota LandCruiser 300
| Land Rover Discovery | vsspecification | Toyota LandCruiser 300 |
|---|---|---|
8 | Airbags | 10 (leads) |
Yes | Autonomous Emergency Braking | Yes |
Yes | Adaptive Cruise Control | Yes |
Yes | Lane Keep Assist | Yes |
Yes | Blind Spot Monitor | Yes |
Yes | Rear Cross-Traffic Alert | Yes |
Yes | Driver Attention Monitor | Yes |
Yes | Auto High Beam | Yes |
Yes | Reversing Camera | Yes |
Yes | 360° Camera | Yes |
Yes | Front Parking Sensors | Yes |
Yes | Rear Parking Sensors | Yes |
Yes | Daytime Running Lights | Yes |
Yes | Front Fog Lights | Yes |
Yes | Auto Headlights | Yes |
Yes | Rain-Sensing Wipers | Yes |
A clear LandCruiser win, and the Discovery's weakest area. The Toyota holds a current five-star ANCAP rating from 2022 with ten airbags, where the current Discovery is unrated, its 2017 five-star having lapsed at the end of 2023, and it runs eight airbags. Both carry the expected driver aids. A current five-star against no rating is a gap that matters.
Based on Safety, we’d pick the Toyota LandCruiser 300.
Performance: Land Rover Discovery vs Toyota LandCruiser 300
| Land Rover Discovery | vsspecification | Toyota LandCruiser 300 |
|---|---|---|
257 kW (leads) | Power | 227 kW |
700 Nm | Torque | 700 Nm |
2,997 cc | Displacement | 3,346 cc (leads) |
6 | Cylinders | 6 |
7.8 L/100km (leads) | Fuel Economy | 8.9 L/100km |
The Discovery takes power, if narrowly. Its 257kW mild-hybrid straight-six diesel out-muscles the LandCruiser 300's 227kW V6, and it does so on less fuel at 7.8L/100km to the Toyota's 8.9, from a lighter body. Both make the same 700Nm and both are torquey tourers. But on outputs and economy the Discovery has the edge the premium buys.
Based on Performance, we’d pick the Land Rover Discovery.
Tech: Land Rover Discovery vs Toyota LandCruiser 300
| Land Rover Discovery | vsspecification | Toyota LandCruiser 300 |
|---|---|---|
11.4″ (leads) | Touchscreen | 8″ |
Yes | Apple CarPlay | Yes |
Yes | Android Auto | Yes |
Yes | DAB+ Digital Radio | Yes |
Yes | Built-In Navigation | Yes |
Yes | Wireless Phone Charging | Yes |
Yes | Head-Up Display | Yes |
Yes | Heated Front Seats | Yes |
Yes | Ventilated Front Seats | Yes |
Yes | Heated Steering Wheel | Yes |
Yes | Rear Climate Control | Yes |
Yes | Rear Air Vents | Yes |
Yes | Push-Button Start | Yes |
Yes | Keyless Entry | Yes |
Yes | Selectable Drive Modes | Yes |
Yes | Ambient Lighting | Yes |
Yes | Privacy Glass | Yes |
Yes | Power Tailgate | Yes |
A split call. The LandCruiser pairs a 12.3-inch touchscreen with a head-up display, where the Discovery runs a smaller 11.4-inch screen but a slicker, more modern interface and a panoramic roof. Both cover Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, built-in navigation and a 360-degree camera. The Toyota leads on screen size; the Land Rover is the more contemporary cabin.
A genuine tie.
Both cars handle techequally well — this one’s a draw.
Family: Land Rover Discovery vs Toyota LandCruiser 300
| Land Rover Discovery | vsspecification | Toyota LandCruiser 300 |
|---|---|---|
7 (leads) | Seats | 5 |
5 | Doors | 5 |
1,137 L (leads) | Boot Space | 1,131 L |
2,391 L | Boot (folded) | 2,502 L (leads) |
Yes | Rear Climate Control | Yes |
Yes | Rear Air Vents | Yes |
Yes | Privacy Glass | Yes |
The Discovery is the standard seven-seater. It seats seven across the range where the base LandCruiser seats five, and its air-suspension ride and roomy cabin suit family duty on the road. The LandCruiser answers with proven durability, the extra airbags and a current safety rating. For a family that always needs seven and values on-road comfort, the Discovery; for proven peace of mind, the Toyota.
Based on Family, we’d pick the Land Rover Discovery.
Storage: Land Rover Discovery vs Toyota LandCruiser 300
| Land Rover Discovery | vsspecification | Toyota LandCruiser 300 |
|---|---|---|
1,137 L (leads) | Boot (seats up) | 1,131 L |
2,391 L | Boot (seats folded) | 2,502 L (leads) |
3,500 kg | Towing (braked) | 3,500 kg |
6,745 kg | GCM | 6,750 kg (leads) |
Yes | Roof Rails | Yes |
Yes | Power Tailgate | Yes |
Near-identical. The Discovery holds 1137 litres behind its second row to the LandCruiser's 1131, and the Toyota edges it folded flat at 2502 litres to the Discovery's 2391. Both fold their rear rows for a long load bay. There is almost nothing between them on cargo; the choice turns on seats and price, not boot space.
A genuine tie.
Both cars handle storageequally well — this one’s a draw.
Off-road: Land Rover Discovery vs Toyota LandCruiser 300
| Land Rover Discovery | vsspecification | Toyota LandCruiser 300 |
|---|---|---|
286 mm (leads) | Ground Clearance | 245 mm |
33.6° (leads) | Approach Angle | 31° |
30° (leads) | Departure Angle | 25° |
12.41 m | Turning Circle | 11.8 m (leads) |
3,500 kg | Towing (braked) | 3,500 kg |
Yes | Selectable Drive Modes | Yes |
Closer than the badges suggest. The LandCruiser brings locking front and rear diffs and decades of proven pedigree; the Discovery brings air suspension that raises it for a steeper approach and 285mm of clearance, plus Terrain Response. On paper the Discovery has the geometry; in the bush the LandCruiser has the proven hardware and parts reach. Both go a long way off-road.
A genuine tie.
Both cars handle off-roadequally well — this one’s a draw.
Pick a priority above to see how the Land Rover Discovery and Toyota LandCruiser 300 stack up on what matters to you.
In the metal
Land Rover Discovery vs Toyota LandCruiser 300: design
Land Rover
The Discovery wears a clean, upmarket face with slim LED headlights and a mesh grille that read as premium rather than rugged. It is the more car-like and contemporary of the two, styled to look expensive and modern rather than tough. Higher grades add gloss detailing, but even the S looks like the luxury seven-seater it is, less overtly off-road than the Toyota.
Toyota
The LandCruiser 300's face is broad, upright and unmistakably tough, its big grille and squared headlights signalling the proven off-roader beneath. It is the more traditional and imposing of the two, styled to look like the outback benchmark it is rather than a boutique SUV. Where the Discovery reads premium and modern, the LandCruiser reads capable and enduring, built to be trusted rather than admired.
Images are illustrative and digitally rendered. They may not reflect the exact variant, colour or trim. Details →
Side by side
Land Rover Discovery vs Toyota LandCruiser 300: full specifications
Land RoverToyota
Towing
Which tows better, the Land Rover Discovery or the Toyota LandCruiser 300?
Both are rated to tow 3,500 kg braked. Hitched at their maximums, the Land Rover Discovery keeps 123 kg more payload.
Land RoverDynamic SEToyotaGR Sport
3,500 kg
Braked towing3,500 kg
803 kg
Payload680 kg
453 kg
Payload at max tow330 kg
GVM
Limit that bites firstGVM
350 kg
Max ball weight350 kg
Assuming 10 per cent of the trailer weight.
Two adults plus luggage is roughly 400 kg.
Land Rover Discovery Dynamic SE
Fits within every published limit.
Tow rating
0 kg under the 3,500 kg braked rating
Vehicle GVM
53 kg spare after the ball weight and your load
Combined GCM
403 kg spare across the whole combination
Tow ball limit
0 kg under the 350 kg ball limit
Toyota LandCruiser 300 GR Sport
Over a limit. This combination does not comply.
Tow rating
0 kg under the 3,500 kg braked rating
Vehicle GVM
Over GVM by 70 kg. Lighten the load or the ball.
Combined GCM
250 kg spare across the whole combination
Tow ball limit
0 kg under the 350 kg ball limit
Manufacturer maximums; the compliance plate of your exact vehicle governs. Ball weight assumed at 10 per cent where unpublished; kerb or payload calculated where the maker omits one. Check any car against your van with the towing calculator.
Editorial
The honest take on the Land Rover Discovery and Toyota LandCruiser 300
On the Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery is the premium alternative to the establishment, and it makes a real case on paper.
On the Toyota LandCruiser 300
The LandCruiser 300 is the six-figure default for a reason, and it wins where it counts most in this class.
By Yuri Cartland, Editor
Opinions are our own.
Common questions
Land Rover Discovery vs Toyota LandCruiser 300: what people ask
How they protect
How safe are the Land Rover Discovery and the Toyota LandCruiser 300?
Toyota
Toyota LandCruiser 300
Adult Occupant89%
Child Occupant88%
Pedestrian81%
Safety Assist77%
The verdict
Which is better: the Land Rover Discovery or the Toyota LandCruiser 300?
Pick the Discovery if
The extra power, the efficiency and a standard seven-seat cabin matter more to you than a current safety rating or the lower price. You want the 257kW mild-hybrid diesel, the 7.8L/100km economy, the air-suspension ride and the more modern interior, and you can accept the unrated ANCAP status and Land Rover's ownership record to have the more refined premium seven-seater.
Explore the DiscoveryPick the LandCruiser 300 if
Value, a current safety rating, extra airbags and proven ownership matter more than outright power or on-road polish. You want the roughly $20,000 lower entry price, the current five-star ANCAP and ten airbags, the locking front and rear diffs and the resale strength, and you are happy with a slightly thirstier V6 and a more conventional cabin to have Australia's proven touring benchmark.
Explore the LandCruiser 300Keep exploring
