LandCruiser 76, 78 and 79 Series: What Is the Difference?
The Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series isn't one vehicle. It's a family of bodies sitting on the same ladder chassis, with the same front end and largely the same running gear, built for different jobs. Toyota uses the numbers 76, 78 and 79 to tell those bodies apart. If you've been scrolling listings and can't work out why one 70 Series is a five-door wagon and the next is a bare-tray ute, you're in the right place.
Each body has its own purpose, and a few fitment differences matter once you start adding head units, audio, lighting and interior upgrades. The front half of every 70 Series is shared, so you can fit the great majority of cabin and front-end upgrades across all three. The short and medium wheelbase variants, the 71, 73 and 74 Series, are here too, and most Australians will never see one in the metal.
The short answer
- 76 Series is the five-door wagon, with seating for the family and a rear cargo area.
- 78 Series is the Troop Carrier, a long-wheelbase van-style body that seats a crew or carries gear. Tourers, mine sites and remote operators run them.
- 79 Series is the cab-chassis ute, sold as a single cab with a long tray or a dual cab with a second row and a shorter tray.
All three are 70 Series LandCruisers, and the body is the only real difference. "70 Series" is the umbrella name for the whole family, and in Australia the 76, 78 and 79 are the bodies sold under it. There are rarer short and medium wheelbase variants too, the 71, 73 and 74 Series, built for export markets rather than Australia. Those get their own section further down.
Each body style in detail
| Series | Body | What it's built for |
|---|---|---|
| 76 Series | Five-door wagon | Families and touring with enclosed, lockable rear cargo and rear seating. |
| 78 Series | Troop Carrier (TroopCarrier) | Long-body crew and gear hauling. The base for many tourer fit-outs, ambulances, and remote-area vehicles. |
| 79 Series | Cab-chassis ute | Work and tray-back builds. Single cab for maximum tray length, dual cab for a second row of seats. |
Picture a modern work LandCruiser and you're picturing the 79 Series ute. It's the body most often built up with trays, canopies and touring gear. The 78 Series Troop Carrier is the long-distance tourer and the fleet favourite, and the 76 Series wagon is the closest the family gets to a conventional four-wheel-drive wagon.
What's shared across all three
- The same dashboard and head unit aperture, so you can fit a vehicle-specific head unit to all three.
- The same front doors, so you can run the same front speaker door pods across the family.
- The same steering wheel and column, so steering wheel upgrade kits and control integration are shared.
- The same front-end lighting, so you carry headlight and indicator upgrades across.
From the windscreen forward, and inside the cabin, the 76, 78 and 79 Series are almost identical. That's the part that decides your upgrade path. The differences show up at the rear, where the wagon, the Troop Carrier and the ute tray diverge. Rear seating, rear doors and cargo area change what's worth fitting back there. The front of your vehicle is common ground.
Pick the body that suits how you drive
- Take the 79 Series single cab if you want the longest tray for a tradie or touring build and don't need rear seats.
- Take the 79 Series dual cab if you need to seat a second row and still want a tray.
- Take the 78 Series Troop Carrier if you want an enclosed long body to fit out for remote touring or crew transport.
- Take the 76 Series wagon if you want a more conventional enclosed wagon for family and touring duties.
Go by how you actually use the vehicle, not the badge. Whichever body you end up in, the cabin and front-end upgrade path is the same. Browse fitment-matched parts for the 70 Series single cab, dual cab, wagon and Troop Carrier.
The rarer 71, 73 and 74 Series
The 76, 78 and 79 are the bodies you know, and the 70 Series family is wider than that. The numbers 70 through 74 have always meant the short and medium wheelbase two-door variants, the compact end of the range. They're rare here, and most owners will never see one outside an importer's yard.
| Series | Body | Where you'll find it |
|---|---|---|
| 71 Series | Short wheelbase three-door hardtop | The current short-wheelbase 70 Series. Sold new in export markets such as the Middle East, parts of Africa, and parts of Asia and South America. Not sold new in Australia. |
| 73 Series | Medium wheelbase two-door | An older medium-wheelbase variant from the wider 70 Series history. Rare, export and older-market focused, never part of the Australian new-vehicle range. |
| 74 Series | Medium wheelbase two-door | Another short and medium wheelbase designation from the broader range. Very rare, not sold new in Australia. |
Shopping locally, you're choosing between the 76, 78 and 79. If you've come across a 71, 73 or 74, it's an import, it's rare, and you'll have a harder time sourcing parts and accessories sized for those shorter bodies than for the common Australian bodies.
Common questions
What is the difference between the LandCruiser 76, 78 and 79 Series?
The body. They're the same 70 Series LandCruiser underneath: the 76 Series is the five-door wagon, the 78 Series is the Troop Carrier, and the 79 Series is the cab-chassis ute. Chassis, front end and cabin are shared, so you can fit most front-end and interior upgrades to all three.
Is the 79 Series a single cab or a dual cab?
Both. You can buy it as a single cab with a long tray and a short cabin, or as a dual cab with a second row of seats and a shorter tray. The front cabin, dash and front doors are the same on both, so you can fit head units, front audio, steering controls and lighting to either one.
What is the 78 Series Troop Carrier?
The 78 Series is the long-wheelbase van-style body in the 70 Series family, often called the Troop Carrier or TroopCarrier. Its enclosed rear area seats a crew or carries gear. That's why it's the popular base for remote-area touring fit-outs, fleet vehicles and conversions.
Which 70 Series body style should I buy?
Match the body to the job. The 79 Series single cab gives you the longest tray, the 79 Series dual cab adds rear seats, the 78 Series Troop Carrier suits enclosed touring fit-outs, and the 76 Series wagon is the conventional family wagon. Your cabin upgrade path is the same across all of them.
What are the 71, 73 and 74 Series LandCruisers?
They're the rarer short and medium wheelbase variants of the 70 Series. The 71 Series is the current short-wheelbase three-door hardtop, sold new in export markets such as the Middle East, parts of Africa, and parts of Asia and South America. The 73 and 74 are older, very rare medium-wheelbase designations. None are sold new in Australia, so any you come across here are private imports.
Can you buy a 71 Series LandCruiser in Australia?
Not new. Toyota Australia sells the 76 wagon, 78 Troop Carrier and 79 ute, but not the short-wheelbase 71 Series. The 71 is built for export markets like the Middle East and Africa, so the only ones you'll get here are private imports, which are rare and can be harder to find parts for.
Upgrade your 70 Series, whatever the body
- Fit a 70 Series head unit with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- See the 70 Series steering wheel upgrade kits
- Add 70 Series speaker door pods and audio
The cabin and front end are shared across the 76, 78 and 79 Series, so you can fit the same upgrades to your vehicle. Those three are where most owners start.