The 70 Series Toyota Land Cruiser is an evergreen model that has remained in the carmaker’s line-up for nearly four decades. First introduced in 1984, the off-roader has been continuously updated over the years, with the latest being announced in conjunction with the debut of the 250 Series Land Cruiser Prado today.
As part of the refresh, the 70 Series will be offered with a 1GD-FTV 2.8 litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine that makes 204 PS (201 hp or 150 kW) at 3,400 rpm and 500 Nm of torque from 1,600 to 2,800 rpm, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission (6 Super-ECT).
In Australia, the four-cylinder engine makes 70 Nm more than the proven 4.5 litre turbodiesel V8, which will continue to be offered in the market. Rated at 205 PS (202 hp or 151 kW) at 3,400 rpm and 430 Nm from 1,200 to 3,200 rpm, the V8 is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. A four-wheel drive system is standard regardless of engine choice.
A refreshed design is also one of the changes made to the 70 Series, with the front end sporting a new grille and circular LED headlamps. Elsewhere, the front fenders and bonnet are made to appear more robust, matching the beefy front bumper.
Along the sides, the iconic profile the model remains largely unchanged, retaining details like the rear fender air vent garnish, squarish side mirrors and even a retractable radio antenna. As for the rear, the vertical taillights have now been rotated to be horizontal and integrated into the rear bumper – Toyota placed covers over where they used to be.
According to Toyota, the updated model measures 4,890 mm in length, 1,870 mm in width, 1,920 mm in height and has wheelbase of 2,730 mm. The ladder-frame chassis used is still the same as before, although it has been improved to provide more comfortable on-road driving while still maintaining off-road capability.
Moving inside, the general design of the cabin remains familiar, although the centre console has been redesigned to accommodate the shift lever for the six-speed auto gearbox. Depending on the chosen grade, a dial or shift lever is used to control the vehicle’s differential system. Modern touches include a 4.2-inch multi-info display in the instrument cluster and a 6.7-inch touchscreen head unit that supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Toyota also went through the trouble of adding lane departure alert, road sign assist and automatic high beam to the 70 Series as part of the Toyota Safety Sense suite of advanced driver assistance features.
While the 70 Series isn’t sold in a lot of countries these days, it remains immensely popular in markets like Australia as well as Africa thanks to its simplicity and reliability. The United Nations and various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) also swear by the model for aid and humanitarian efforts in hard-to-reach places.
Japanese customers will also be glad to know the 70 Series is making another return to the country after briefly reappearing as a 30th anniversary celebratory model in 2014. Set to go on sale there this winter, Japan will once again have all three Land Cruiser series – 70, 250 and 300 – on sale. The market introduction of the updated 70 Series in Australia takes place in Q4 this year, and it will be offered in Single Cab, Double Cab, Trooper Carrier and Wagon variants.
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So when is it returning to malaysia?
Ah, this design reminds me of my grandpa’s one, great car.
Should be popular in UK too where land Rover has vacated this market to go higher up
Old school design, especially the cable-linked aircond controller. Could easily withstand the test of time. This car might still be here for another 30 years, until we have flying cars.
Dawn
Waiting for this to come to Malaysia. What an amazing machine
umw bring it ere