Toyota Australia has re-engineered the LandCruiser 70 Series range from the ground up, earning a five-star ANCAP safety rating for the single cab-chassis while cutting fuel consumption and adding electronic safety hardware to every body style.
Prices go up modestly. The work behind it took more than five years of local development by Toyota's Australian engineering team, backed by the company's Japanese parent.
At a Glance
- The single cab-chassis earns a five-star ANCAP rating on a new, stiffer frame, five airbags and 12 new or thicker body panels.
- The 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 now returns 10.7L/100km combined, down by up to 10.1 per cent, helped by a diesel particulate filter and piezo-electric injectors.
- Vehicle stability control, active traction control, hill-start control, braking support and electronic brake-force distribution are standard across the range.
- Single cab-chassis prices rise by $5,500. The wagon, troop carrier and double cab-chassis go up by $3,000.
- Every variant is covered by Toyota Service Advantage capped-price servicing at $340 per service.
The single cab-chassis gets the most work. Its ladder frame is larger and stiffer, with thicker side rails and seven cross-members, one of them entirely new and three re-engineered. Toyota says the extra torsional rigidity cuts noise, vibration and harshness, and sharpens handling and stability. The telescopic dampers were recalibrated locally to suit the revised frame, and ride comfort is reported to be unaffected.
Safety hardware on the single cab now runs to five airbags, up from two, with dual side curtain-shield airbags and a driver's knee airbag added. Twelve new or thicker body panels, new bucket seats designed to mitigate whiplash, under-dash passenger padding and a steering link moved behind the front axle all fed into the top ANCAP score. Front seatbelt pre-tensioners and a passenger seatbelt reminder are newly standard too.
Moving that steering link on the single cab forced a change to the fuel tank arrangement. The previous setup gives way to a single 130-litre tank, matching the capacity already used in the wagon and double cab-chassis. The troop carrier keeps its twin 90-litre tanks.
Power figures for the 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel stay at 151kW and 430Nm. Add the diesel particulate filter and piezo-electric injectors, plus taller gearing in second and fifth ratios of the five-speed manual, and combined-cycle consumption drops to 10.7 litres per 100km. Cruise control joins the standard equipment list for the first time.
The WorkMate grade gains a wider single-piece 16-inch steel wheel in place of the old split-rim design, now paired with tubeless tyres.
The electronic safety suite fitted to every variant includes VSC, which disengages automatically in low range, and A-TRC, which works in both high and low ranges and can be switched off for sand. The updated hill-start control holds the vehicle still for about two seconds on an incline. A new bank of 10 fuses has been added, so fitting accessories is easier.
Drive-away prices run as follows: Wagon WorkMate $60,990, Wagon GXL $64,990, Troop Carrier WorkMate $64,890, Troop Carrier GXL $67,990, Double Cab-Chassis WorkMate $64,990, Double Cab-Chassis GXL $68,990, Single Cab-Chassis WorkMate from $62,490, Single Cab-Chassis GXL $66,490. Options include air-conditioning at $2,761 fitted, premium paint at $550 and diff locks at $1,500 on the single cab GXL and double cab WorkMate.
Toyota Australia's executive director sales and marketing, Tony Cramb, said the updates were meant to secure the nameplate's long-term future. Australians have bought more than a quarter of a million 70 Series vehicles, close to one in five of all units sold globally, with local demand sitting at around 8,000 units a year.
"The only alternative was to walk away from this model, and that was not an option," Mr Cramb said.
The 70 Series keeps its maximum 3,500kg towing capacity and full payload capability at the same time. If you're buying for a fleet or a trade, that's the number to weigh up against the price rise.
