2024 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series review: Automatic four-cylinder driven

Toyota has lastly gone and performed it.

Not Supplied — LandCruiser 70 GXL Wagon Credit score: CarExpert

The Toyota LandCruiser 70 Sequence has seldom been provided with an computerized from the manufacturing unit (it has occurred earlier than although), and it’s been a V8 in Australia since 2007. Any change to the components is keenly studied by its house owners married to its no-nonsense model of motoring, both

Though it’s been steadily developed since its debut in 1984, an enormous a part of the LC70’s enchantment is simply how old-school it’s. It’s a time machine on wheels, with solely cursory nods to the protection, comfort, and luxury options that at the moment are customary on even fundamental dual-cab utes and four-wheel drives.

Halving the cylinder depend on any automotive goes to boost some eyebrows; doing it to an icon just like the LandCruiser 70 – which in V8 kind has ready lists so lengthy some sellers had been telling potential patrons they’ll be ready between two years and without end for a brand new automotive – is a giant story regardless of which approach you spin it.

Authorized by Japanese executives in 2019, the four-pot LC70 computerized comes on the again of “robust demand” from prospects “as a result of it makes the car a lot simpler to deal with for situations akin to towing trailers by way of sandy deserts”.

Together with the brand new engine, the up to date LC70 has picked up lane departure warning, pace signal recognition and computerized high-beam. This follows the standardisation of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and bike owner detection throughout the vary for 2023.

It’s a complete replace given how slowly issues change within the LandCruiser 70 world.

We headed to outback New South Wales to see if Toyota has taught been profitable in its makes an attempt to show its oldest canine a number of new tips.

How a lot does the Toyota LandCruiser 70 value?

2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel

LandCruiser 76 Sequence Wagon WorkMate: $75,600
LandCruiser 76 Sequence Wagon GXL: $79,800

LandCruiser 78 Sequence Troop Provider WorkMate: $79,200
LandCruiser 78 Sequence Troop Provider WorkMate: $82,500

LandCruiser 79 Sequence single-cab chassis WorkMate: $76,800
LandCruiser 79 Sequence single-cab chassis GX: $78,800
LandCruiser 79 Sequence single-cab chassis GXL: $80,900

LandCruiser 79 Sequence double-cab chassis WorkMate: $79,300
LandCruiser 79 Sequence double-cab chassis GXL: $83,500

4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel

LandCruiser 76 Sequence Wagon GXL: $83,900

LandCruiser 78 Sequence Troop Provider WorkMate: $83,300
LandCruiser 78 Sequence Troop Provider GXL: $86,600

LandCruiser 79 Sequence single-cab chassis WorkMate: $80,900
LandCruiser 79 Sequence single-cab chassis GX: $82,900
LandCruiser 79 Sequence single-cab chassis GXL: $85,000

LandCruiser 79 Sequence double-cab chassis WorkMate: $83,400
LandCruiser 79 Sequence double-cab chassis GXL: $87,600

All costs are earlier than on-road prices.

The LandCruiser 70 has a restricted number of rivals, however they’re on the market. You may construct your personal side-by-side pricing chart utilizing our new comparability perform.

What’s the Toyota LandCruiser 70 like on the within?

The adjustments inside are refined, as you’d anticipate.

The brand new bits are the retro-inspired dashboard – which now includes a decidedly fashionable digital journey laptop, full with a digital speedo. There are additionally two USB-C ports within the GXL, a redesigned transmission console within the computerized, and a brand new infotainment touchscreen full with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Anybody who’s pushed the guide will recognize the additional knee room afforded by the loss of life of the clutch pedal; it’s simpler for long-legged drivers to get settled in and the footrest is extra distinguished.

The additional USB ports are welcome, and smartphone mirroring means you don’t have to fiddle with what in any other case looks like fairly an aftermarket head unit.

The driving force and passenger sit in flat chairs trimmed in mushy, velour-like material, and the driving place is correctly old-school. Adjustment is proscribed for tall drivers, though the steering wheel does alter for attain and rake. You will get comfy, however this isn’t essentially the most pure automotive for lengthy stints behind the wheel for those who’re awkwardly proportioned.

Storage is proscribed by fashionable requirements. There’s slim door pockets and a small house between the entrance seats, however that’s in regards to the extent of it. Fortunately the glovebox is comparatively spacious.

Rear passengers get first rate legroom, even behind taller drivers, and loads of headroom from the tall, boxy roofline. The view out is positively panoramic due to the tall, sq. home windows in each the wagon and dual-cab ute.

It’s value noting the rear doorways on the dual-cab ute don’t open notably vast, so in case you are loading apprentices in they’ll have to be limber.

The counter to the first rate house on supply is the actual fact the home windows aren’t tinted and there’s no air vents again there, turning the automotive into one thing of a greenhouse on a sunny day.

The LC70 can be the one of many few automobiles on sale we’ve seen with a lap belt for the center passenger.

Prime-tether factors are on the roof within the wagon, however aren’t fitted to the rear of the dual-cab ute. The one cab, in fact, doesn’t have any top-tether factors given it doesn’t have rear seats.

The rear bench backrest folds and the entire row tumbles ahead as one piece within the wagon, and may now be tumbled within the ute to unlock extra space for storing.

Opening the boot (by way of side-opening barn doorways) reveals a broad house with some (minimal) wheel arch intrusion.

As you’ll be able to see from the photographs, the spare wheel is mounted on the tailgate old-school type. In ute variations, it’s on a handy tray that slides out from beneath the bathtub.

What’s beneath the bonnet?

Virtually all variants could be had with the brand new to the LC70, however“tried-and-tested” elsewhere 1GD-FTV 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine which produces 150kW of energy and 500Nm of torque. That is mated solely to a six-speed computerized transmission.

The opposite obtainable powertrain is the acquainted 1VD-FTV 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel engine which produces 151kW of energy and 430Nm of torque. That is mated solely to a five-speed guide transmission.

All LandCruiser 70 Sequence fashions include a part-time four-wheel drive system with a low-range switch case. Locking entrance and rear differentials can be found on GX fashions and customary on GXL fashions.

Claimed gasoline financial system is 9.6 litres per 100km on the mixed cycle within the four-cylinder, and 10.7 litres per 100km within the V8.

Single-cab chassis

Double-cab chassis

Wagon

How does the Toyota LandCruiser 70 drive?

It’s unusual not stepping on a heavy clutch and muscling the lengthy, old style gear selector into first gear (or second, relying in your temper) to get entering into a 70 Sequence.

That’s not the one core trait that’s modified. The four-cylinder is quieter than the massive V8, and it’s a lot smoother at low speeds. You may simply level and shoot at metropolis speeds, concentrating on threading what’s a giant previous bus with heavy, imprecise steering by way of extra fashionable site visitors.

Even in undemanding circumstances, eradicating the third pedal frees up a shocking quantity of mind energy. Put your foot down, and the engine – which is acquainted from the HiLux, Fortuner, Prado, and HiAce – packs a good punch, dragging greater than two tonnes value of LandCruiser as much as the authorized restrict with out an excessive amount of fuss.

It’s spinning at round 2000rpm at 110km/h, and eats up freeway overtakes due to a six-speed computerized that’s completely satisfied to kick down from sixth and thrust the engine into the meat of its torque band. No, it’s not quick. Sure, it’s simpler to go as quick as such a heavy, un-aerodynamic physique will permit within the four-cylinder.

With that stated, even on the street there’s a sure attraction in regards to the V8. It’s delightfully old style, with a gruff sound and loads of vibrations within the cabin, whereas the transmission calls for deliberate, agency actions. At the least there’s sufficient torque on faucet to basically transfer away in first, second, or third gear.

We didn’t spend a lot time within the metropolis, given our drive kicked off in Damaged Hill. However at any pace, the LandCruiser 70 doesn’t trip like a contemporary ute or four-wheel drive.

It’s fairly terse, and is susceptible to bouncing round at freeway speeds over the crests, dips, and cattle grids littering outback Australia. The stable entrance axle likes going for a wander with cambered roads, and even with lane departure warning you’ll have to have your wits about you in a approach you don’t with a HiLux or Ranger.

The payoff, in fact, is if you get off the crushed observe. Together with the requisite 2H, 4H, 4L switch case (operated with a lever moderately than a new-school dial), you get a minimum of one locking differential, and a set of locking hubs on the entrance axles. There’s round 90mm extra floor clearance than you get in a HiLux, and the stable entrance axle opens doorways normally shut by a dual-cab ute’s unbiased entrance suspension.

As is the case on the street, the four-cylinder feels each bit as succesful because the V8 within the offset moguls and rock crawl we took on, however is much simpler to drive. It’s simpler to be clean over awkward obstacles, and though the 4.5-litre V8 has sufficient torque to basically cease useless in low-range with out stalling, there nonetheless comes a degree the place you’ll have to get your left leg concerned.

Within the computerized, you’ll be able to simply hover over the brake and let the automotive crawl alongside with out the identical stress. The 70 Sequence walked by way of all of the off-roading challenges we threw at it, which isn’t uncommon on a launch. Toyota did actually stretch its legs although, with one in every of its most senior check drivers behind the wheel and a fairly critical rock face.

The aptitude baked right into a inventory LandCruiser 70 is fairly staggering, not to mention one which has been fettled by the aftermarket. After 39 years although, we already knew that.

With that stated, the broader entrance observe that’s been round since 2007 stays an obstacle if you’re traversing mushy surfaces, forcing you to work tougher by forging two paths as an alternative of letting the rear tyres observe in the identical observe because the fronts. Sadly, you’ll want to show to the aftermarket and dig deep into your pockets to get that sorted.

Together with off-roading and “no street” conditions, Toyota factors to towing by way of powerful environments as a key marker for the LandCruiser 70 in its growth. To indicate off what that appears like, the model attached a 3100kg caravan and allow us to free on a brief gravel and tarmac loop.

Physique management is stable with such a heavy load on the again, with our dual-cab tester settling in a single or two actions moderately than bouncing round, and each engines have sufficient punch to tug the caravan and three grownup blokes uphill with out feeling overly strained.

In step with the theme laid out by the remainder of the vary, the four-cylinder doesn’t really feel under-gunned alongside the 4.5-litre V8. The additional gear, mixed with the impression of the torque converter on the engine’s outputs, imply the brand new 2.8-litre is simpler to drive easily with a load on the again.

It pulls simply as exhausting uphill, and also you’re in a position to lock it into tow/haul mode for keener response between 0 and 75 per cent throttle. After all, there’s nonetheless one thing deeply satisfying about muscling the guide round…

What do you get?

LandCruiser WorkMate highlights:

LED headlights
Computerized high-beam
Black mesh grille
Heritage-inspired bonnet
Heritage-inspired flip alerts
4.2-inch instrument cluster display
6.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system
Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Voice recognition
Centre storage field (computerized variants solely)

LandCruiser 79 Sequence GX single-cab chassis provides darkish alloy wheels and overfenders.

LandCruiser GXL provides:

2 x USB-C ports (instead of 12V socket)
Reversing digicam (76 Sequence Wagon solely)

The Toyota LandCruiser 79 GX single-cab chassis is obtainable with entrance and rear differential locks for a further $1500.

Is the Toyota LandCruiser 70 secure?

The LandCruiser 70 Sequence was examined by ANCAP again in 2016 and obtained 5 stars, nevertheless this was for the one cab-chassis variant solely.

It obtained a entrance offset rating of 14.75 out of 16, a facet impression rating of 16 out of 16, a pole rating of two out of two, and a seat belt reminder rating of three out of three.

Normal security tools consists of:

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
Lane departure warning
Site visitors signal recognition

The 76 Sequence Wagon provides a reversing digicam.

How a lot does the Toyota LandCruiser 70 value to run?

The Toyota LandCruiser 70 Sequence has the identical five-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee because the broader Toyota vary, prolonged to seven years on the powertrain for those who sustain with the scheduled providers.

Upkeep is required each 10,000km or six months, whichever comes first. For a automotive that’s relied upon by so many, having to go to your dealership twice yearly is a giant miss.

The primary 10 providers every value $525 within the each fashions.

CarExpert’s Tackle the Toyota LandCruiser 70

Whether or not you need the long-running V8 engine, or whether or not you’ll leap to the brand new four-cylinder comes all the way down to how you propose to make use of the LC70.

There’s a robust cult of lovers who desire a 70 to relive occasions passed by, they usually’re solely going to need the V8 with its retro-tastic five-speed guide transmission. It’s a extra charming, participating automotive to drive than the four-cylinder… however it’s not a greater one.

It’s going to take some time for the brand new 1GD engine to show itself dependable to the legion of distant staff who depend on their LandCruiser 70, however it’ll solely take one spin across the block to understand how a lot simpler it makes life.

Primarily based on our back-to-back on-road, off-road, and towing loops, the four-cylinder needs for nothing in the case of outright functionality.

That is likely to be promoting it quick; the additional gear you get by choosing the automated, together with the four-cylinder engine’s broader torque band, do an distinctive job disguising the actual fact it’s 1700cc down on the V8, to the purpose you would simply trick individuals into considering it was the larger engine.

Throw within the reality it’s going to be simpler for fleet controllers to promote to their authorized departments due to its decrease claimed gasoline financial system, cheaper sticker, and computerized transmission, and it’s exhausting to see why you’d keep on with the V8 engine for those who’re not an out-and-out fanatic.

As for the remainder of the LandCruiser 70 replace? It’s nonetheless a time machine on wheels – from the second you unlatch the steel door deal with, clamber onto the velour seat, and survey the outback by way of its upright windscreen, there’s nothing else you would be driving, for higher or worse.