Toyota’s LandCruiser 70 Series range has arrived in Australia, coming in priced from $75,600 plus on-road costs up to $87,600 depending on variant and powertrain choice.
Along with enhancements to exterior styling, comfort and convenience features, and safety technology, the 70 Series introduces a six-speed automatic transmission for the first time, teamed to a 1GD four-cylinder 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine which has also been upgraded.
The new 1GD four-cylinder powertrain will be offered on all LandCruiser 70 Series grades, and is tuned to produce 150kW from 3,000-3,400rpm with 500Nm of torque available across a wide 1,600-2,800rpm rev band.
The adoption of the four-cylinder engine comes with a number of mechanical upgrades for the 2.8-litre turbo-diesel powertrain to improve cooling and reliability in heavy-usage scenarios, starting by increasing the diameter of the cooling fan and adding an isolation crank pulley to reduce the load on the engine’s serpentine belt.
There’s a newly designed oil pan, strainer and oil level sensor and noise, vibration and harshness levels have been reduced by introducing a balance shaft.
Like the 1GD engine, the six-speed automatic transmission has also been upgraded for use in the 70 Series, with a deeper oil pan, optimised oil strainer intake position and newly added oil catch tank.
A transmission guard adds extra underbody protection for the oil pan, while the breather hose has been raised to a height of 900mm to assist water crossing performance.
Inside, there’s a larger 6.7-inch touchscreen multimedia system with voice recognition and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a 4.2-inch digital instrument cluster display and a new-look speedometer and tachometer.
New control buttons for multimedia, active safety features and voice recognition have been added on the steering wheel, and the centre console is redesigned, including a centre storage box.
GXL grades gain two new USB-C ports which replace the existing 12V socket, while the 76 Series gains a reversing camera.
Toyota Safety Sense active safety features now include Downhill Assist Control, Road Sign Assist and Lane Departure Alert, joining the existing Pre-Collision System.
The 1VD 4.5-litre turbodiesel V8 engine will continue to be sold alongside the 1GD engine on all variants bar the 76 Series WorkMate, producing 151kW at 3,400rpm and 430Nm of torque from 1,200rpm through to 3,200rpm.
The Landcruiser 70 Series pricing runs from $75,600 for the 76 Series Wagon WorkMate model with the four-cylinder, 2.8-litre turbo diesel, up to $87,600 for the 79 Series double cab chassis GXL model with the 4.5-litre turbo diesel V8.
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (November 2023)
29 November 2023