V8 staying put in Toyota Land Cruiser 76/79 for now

Toyota has once again expressed support for eight-cylinder power in the Land Cruiser despite the incoming 300 being the first since the 80-series not to have a V8 engine.

In a third follow-up to a question asked twice last year, Toyota Australia senior product manager Rod Ferguson confirmed to caradvice.com.au that the single turbo 4.5 D-4D V8 remains central to the Land Cruiser 76/79 line-up with no plans to let it go at present.

“On the 70 Series … we don’t have any plans to discontinue the engine that’s currently in the LC70. We don’t have plans to discontinue that. The V8 turbo diesel engine in the LC70 is currently still in production,” Ferguson said.

The executive however hinted that more stringent emissions regulations could eventually lead to the V8’s demise, before assuring that stockpiling of the engine had not occurred in preparation for tougher restrictions favouring electric cars as opposed to internal combustion power units.

RELATED: Toyota Land Cruiser’s V8 turbodiesel here to stay

Despite being rumoured last year as possibly heading for the Land Cruiser 300, Toyota’s all vehicle electrification switch by 2025 will include the 76/79, a model that has been around since 1984, and therefore result in a possible diesel/electric combining the V8 with an electric motor.

Previously, it was alleged that the 300’s setup would consist out of the 2.8 GD-6 from the Hilux, Fortuner and Land Cruiser Prado paired to an electric motor, though this was subsequently ruled out as a result of reliability and the mass of the newcomer versus the drivetrain’s outputs.

The mentioned configuration has however not been mentioned for the 76/79, but is unlikely to happen as Toyota could well look to the 300’s new 3.3-litre turbodiesel V6 instead. As indicated though, no plans are in place for the V6 to be offered in the 76/79 soon.