Four-pot Toyota Land Cruiser 70-series shows less can be more

The final half of 2024 will mark the 40^th anniversary of the Toyota Land Cruiser 70-series as the longest running generation in the moniker’s storied 73 years history.

Four decades of evolution

One of the oldest nameplates in the world and also within Toyota, the 70-series, or LC 70 for short, has undergone mostly cosmetic changes since its introduction four decades ago, with the interior have changed little.

The same cannot said of the engine options, which over the last four decades has consisted of straight-six and V6 petrol units, straight-six diesels and since 2007, the single turbo 4.5 D-4D V8.

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Envisioned as a rough-and-ready workhorse able withstand punishment in the hardest terrain, the LC 70 – consisting of the 76 station wagon, 78 Troop Carrier called the Troopy and single and double cab 79 – always featured a manual gearbox regardless of the engine.

Not as well-known is that early iterations come powered by four-cylinder and five-cylinder engines in certain market, although these become obsolete more than 30 years ago in a move thought to be the last.

As turned out, the LC 70’s return to Japan last year required yet another major mechanical overhaul in order to comply with emissions regulations.

Really, a four-cylinder ‘Cruiser?

The end result, after almost a year of speculative reports, was the introduction of the 2.8 GD-6 from Hilux and Fortuner after reports dating back to 2020 suggested either a detuned version of the 3.3-litre turbodiesel V6 from the Land Cruiser 300, or even a hybrid GD-6.

Almost assured to fully replace the V8 with the next 24 months, the second change involved the return of an automatic gearbox, this time the six-speed from the Hilux and Fortuner rather than the original four-speed offered very briefly in certain market until being discontinued in the early ‘90s.

An alternative to the V8 on the 76 and 79, but not the 78 that remains motivated by the venerable normally aspirated 4.2-litre straight-six diesel the GD-6’s debut in South Africa earlier this year come with more questions than answers.

One of the biggest queries involved whether the unit would succeed in moving the 79 along with four-cylinder instead of at least six.

While a scant one kilowatt down on the V8, the bent-eight’s conservate tuning has resulted in the GD-6 offering more torque, 70 Nm for a total of 500 Nm.

Goodbye smiley

In combination of the automatic ‘box, the combination stunned in a number of areas when an out-of-ordinary Satin Silver Metallic double cab arrived from the weeklong test.

The “if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” saying has been a constant throughout the 70-series lineage, yet for the first time since 2012 when now discontinued “smiley face” appeared, Toyota has opted for a restyling supposed to hark back to the 40-series replaced by the LC 70 in ’84.

Not to be outdone, elements from the 50-series station wagon, whose 13-year run from 1967 to 1980 had been the longest of any Land Cruiser, have also been incorporated as part of a retro re-style some would argue appears more rugged than the “smiley”.

Besides a flatter nose, a new bumper, restyled grille with a block letter TOYOTA script and a redesigned bonnet without the air intake, Toyota has also dropped the snorkel and replaced the previous silver wheels with new darkened 16-inch alloys.

Same but different inside

Substantial as the exterior makeover has been, albeit with no changes at the rear apart from the removal of the LX badge, equally as big revisions have taken place inside.

An area where the LC 70’s age is still most prevalent, the fitting of the automatic ‘box required a completely new centre console that appears rudimentary and almost aftermarket in appearance despite being anything but.

Aiding an area of previous criticism – a lack of storage only provided by the console box between the seats – the enlarged section now houses a vertical slot able to hold anything up to a smartphone ordinarily stored either in the glovebox or door pockets.

Designed so as to fit neatly between the cupholder and low range gear lever, the only other change is the steering wheel from the Fortuner, still with the imitation wood trim, but not the buttons or toggle switches.

In addition, several specification items from the Australian model is also absent, namely the type-C USB ports, the 4.2-inch TFT instrument cluster display, the 6.7-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the reverse camera and all of the safety systems required for the resumption of sales in Japan.

Included though is Hill Descent Control and the PWR mode supposed to provide a steady flow of power when towing, and better overall response when not.

Rugged and still as easy to navigate through as ever, the interior’s foibles remain, chief of which the new seats that are still mounted too high and unable to be dropped low enough.

Along with the lack of a height-adjustable steering column and legroom that could be described as cramped for double cab, the continues rebooting of the infotainment system proved irksome just as had on the V8, with the same applying to quality of the sound system.

As mentioned earlier though, luxury off-roading never took prominence during the 70-series’ development as it was meant to be a worker and niceties in the form of features being exactly that.

Still, considering the 70-series’ use as an everyday vehicle, plus the exorbitant price tag of R1 009 000, specification is beyond under par compared to a Hilux Legend for example.

Power, yes. Glory?

The focal point of the 70-series lived-up to its promise as right from the straight though, as the combination of the GD-6 and six-speed automatic felt in a different league compared to the watered-down V8.

Admittedly no longer saddled with the aural pleasing burble or the wastegate chatter, the GD-6’s uptake in torque has resulted in a much more responsive feel and with significantly improved low-down pull that will count for lots off-road.

What’s more, the six-speed ‘box shifts with relative smoothness and in sync with the engine’s amount of twist, although on the odd occasion, it did require a shift to manual mode to avoid hunting and skipping a few ratios on descents.

While unlikely to be favoured by all above the five-speed manual that continues on the V8, the auto not only showed it virtues in everyday scenarios over the light shifting manual, but also at Gerotek.

A test that can be seen as irrelevant in the context of what a Land Cruiser 70-series represents, the numbers, recorded by Road Test Editor Mark Jones, involved a faster 0-100 km/h time than a Hilux Legend RS – 11.8 seconds versus 12.3 seconds – and a massive 2.9 second improvement on the acceleration benchmark set by the V8 last year.

What’s more, the V8’s short gearing also prevailed. While better than the GD-6 from 0-20 km/h and 0-40 km/h, it runs out of puff from there with the crucial overtaking speed from 60-100 km/h in third gear taking 8.5 second versus 6.2 seconds.

The same also applies from 80 km/h to 120 km/h in fourth gear – the GD-6 taking 8.5 seconds and the V8 a rather lethargic 11.4 seconds.

Unsolvable by the four-cylinder though is the amount of the road noise at the national limit, which the LC 70 now feels capable of reaching without trouble, as well as the heavy steering, again due its age and focus on off-roading rather than urban jungle conquering.

The other side of the coin that the firm ride, which becomes bouncy with no load in the rear, annihilates imperfections and surfaces changes with such ease that they are often not even noticeable.

As with every LC 70 derivative, the GD-6 still lacks a trip computer and distance-to-empty readout, which will require careful self-calculations to determine the average consumption.

The claimed estimate from Toyota is 9.7 L/100 km compared to the V8’s 11.9 L/100 km. With the dual range tanks of 150-litres still present, fuelling the GD-6 will be a lot less frequent and the calculated consumption nowhere that of the V8 in the long run.

Conclusion

The legacy, heritage and capability of the Toyota Land Cruiser 70-series needs no explaining as this has been shown time-and-again over the last almost four decades.

The same also applies to its charm and appeal despite its chronic lack of features, outdated dynamics and beyond lofty price tag.

Yet, it faults will be of little significance when it comes to “want” factor of nothing but a ‘Cruiser will do.

And while the GD-6 will no doubt feel the wrath from purist for “not being a real Land Cruiser” now that it has four-cylinders and a self-shifting transmission, the simple truth is that it remains an unstoppable juggernaut, now better than ever thanks to a truly surprising fortieth birthday gift.

Road Test Data

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