Toyota upgrades 70 Series LandCruiser

Australia once rode on the proverbial sheep’s back but for the past five decades or so our pastoral and other industries have been carried on the sturdy frame of the Toyota LandCruiser ute, which has just benefited from a major revamp.

These days the LandCruiser 70 series is almost as common a sighting in outback Australia as sheep, cattle and kangaroos, so ingrained in the fabric of our ‘wide brown land’ has the Toyota workhorse become.

In big news for councils, cockies, cowboys and concreters that rely on the heavy-duty 4WD 70 Series, Toyota has announced a major upgrade that will see it offered for the first time with a four-cylinder turbodiesel engine and a six-speed automatic gearbox.

That’s half the cylinder count of the current 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 which has developed a cult following for its barrel-chested grunt, along with a budding aftermarket industry dedicated to converting the five-speed manual-only model to an automatic transmission.

The 70 Series V8 diesel is also known for its profligate thirst and heady emissions, both of which will likely be addressed by the new 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, while the driveability issues of its heavy five-speed manual transmission will be addressed by the new six-speed auto.

Due in the fourth quarter of this year, Toyota said the upgraded 70 Series would also feature refreshed styling, new safety technology, and an upgraded multimedia system along with other new comfort and convenience features.

The new 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and six-speed auto combination look to be the same units used in the Toyota HiLux, Fortuner and Prado ranges, with identical engine capacity and outputs of 150kW and 500Nm.

As with the current 3.3-litre twin turbo-diesel in the 300 Series LandCruiser, questions are likely to be asked about the smaller engine’s ability to handle the heavy towing and other duties 70 Series are usually tasked with, but Toyota noted that the four-cylinder’s peak torque of 500Nm between 1600rpm and 2800rpm, was 70Nm more than the existing V8’s 430Nm.

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Sceptics will no doubt counter that the larger engine’s torque is, however, available from a lower and broader 1200rpm to 3200rpm.

Nevertheless, Toyota said the new powertrain combination would be offered in three LC79 Single Cab grades – Workmate, GX and GXL – while the LC70 dual-cab, LC78 troop carrier and LC76 wagon variants will come in Workmate and GXL grades.

The proven 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel and five-speed manual combination will continue to be offered in the same grades and body styles as above, except for the wagon which will only be available in GXL specification.

Stylistically, the updated 70 Series will feature a redesigned front end that channels the iconic LandCruiser 40 Series.

Inside, the instrument cluster and centre console have been redesigned for improved ergonomics and there’s a new 4.2-inch multi-information display ahead of the driver.

There’s also an upgraded multimedia touchscreen which has grown to 6.7 inches on all grades and now boasts wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

On the all-important safety front, Toyota has added lane departure alert, road sign assist (speed signs only) and automatic high beam as part of a new suite of advanced driver assistance features which are bound to be attractive to fleet buyers.

Toyota is promising further details, including pricing, closer to the upgraded 70’s launch date, with most pundits expecting a bump of several thousand dollars over the current model.

Many buyers would likely be happy to swallow a modest price increase if they could be guaranteed more timely delivery.

The 70 Series LandCruiser has been one of several high-profile Toyotas to suffer extended production delays, with Toyota Australia taking the unusual step of temporarily closing its order books for the model in late July 2022.

That freeze is still in place today, with the carmaker indicating it will be late 2023 or early 2024 before it reopens, as it is focuses on filling back orders.