2024 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series review

Significant upgrades bring this legendary Aussie favourite into the modern age but it still keeps its rugged and reliable off-road ability.

Don’t touch it: that was the brief from customers to Toyota regarding its LandCruiser 70-Series, which has just been given one of its biggest updates in almost four decades.

It still sports the rugged and boxy old-school looks of a car that first hit Aussie roads in 1985, but the new model has an automatic transmission for the first time, combined with a more fuel-efficient four-cylinder engine to sit alongside the ageing V8.

Just how fuel-efficient it is, we don’t exactly know, as Toyota isn’t required to obtain an official fuel-use figure. They say it’s about 10 per cent better than the V8.

The Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series has had its biggest updates in decades.

There are even such luxuries as a reversing camera (only on the wagon) and USB-C charge ports, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, albeit on a modest 6.7-inch screen with dated graphics.

The workhorse, which is still available as single- and dual-cab utes, four-door wagon and two-door Troopcarrier, also has styling updates. New headlights and a new bumper and grille adorn the nose, while a bulging bonnet with a slit above the grille accounts for the removal of the air scoop.

An auto transmission and a smaller, more efficient engine are two of the biggest changes.

There’s no exterior differentiation between V8 and four-cylinder models. The only clue inside is the auto shift lever and surrounding centre console for the four-cylinder. The latter partially addresses a lack of storage in the V8.

You’re still twisting a key to start it, reaching outside to adjust the mirrors and pulling on a handbrake lever. The ventilation buttons are stiff sliders and the revised instrument cluster is proudly analog, now with retro gauges and a digital portion.

The 4.5-litre V8 turbo diesel is unchanged, pumping out 151kW and 430Nm. It’s nuggety and stout but doesn’t deliver the thrust expected of a V8.

The four-cylinder engine has more grunt is a more accomplished tower.

In comparison the 2.8-litre four-cylinder shared with the Fortuner, Prado and HiLux makes 150kW/500Nm.

So despite half the cylinders the four-cylinder has more grunt.

There’s more muscle where you need it and it pulls strongly through the middle revs. The six-speed auto also makes it slicker around town and easier to swiftly harness the grunt without rowing through a long-throw self-shifter.

The four-cylinder tows better, too, the auto’s sensible ratios shifting assertively and using its Power/Haul mode to minimise hunting.

It is still one of the most accomplished vehicles off road.

Three tonnes of caravan out back provided little issue. Above 80km/h the engine’s modest outputs – especially when compared to a 300-Series LandCruiser – means acceleration is less spritely, but the Cruiser lives up to its name.

Off-road, the auto makes easing over rocks and up steep hills easier.

Nothing has changed with suspension and dynamics. The rear wheels are still closer together than the fronts and there are live axles to allow the suspension to better compress and droop.

The lighter four-cylinder engine and a tweak to load ratings means it can now carry more, up to 1380kg while towing 3500kg.

The cabin is still sparse compared to modern machines.

It’s also ludicrously capable in rough terrain; towering ground clearance, well calibrated traction control and the sort of underbody protection that fends away scrapes and hits means you can tackle just about any track – and venture beyond them.

Toyota has also re-engineered various components with the four-cylinder engine and transmission to better cope with punishment.

While its great off-road, on the bitumen it can be a chore to drive with slow steering and a top-heavy stance.

The four-cylinder has gone backwards with engine braking, as the auto transmission doesn’t do as good a job containing momentum on steep descents. There’s now an electronic downhill assist system to compensate, using the ABS function to maintain 4-5km/h.

On-road the LC70 is still vague and raw, its lethargic steering and top-heavy stance lend themselves to more leisurely progress.

The boxy design and raised plastic air intake create plenty of wind noise, the cacophony amplified at 110km/h.

The LandCruiser comes in a range of body styles.

The LC70 is more expensive than ever. The price of entry is up $3000 to about $83,000 drive-away. And there’s still no reversing camera, carpet or even a clock. The wheels are rugged steel units and the seats trimmed in vinyl.

Stepping up to a GXL brings carpet, alloys, chrome finishes and fabric on the seats.

The V8 is about $4100 more, making the most affordable one close to $90,000, a circa-$10,000 leap.

That hasn’t stopped Toyota predicting a sales record as the iconic off-roader bounces its way through its midlife crisis.

VERDICT

Three and a half stars

Half the cylinders makes for a better LandCruiser workhorse. It still has all the charm and on-road compromises of an old school 4WD approaching its 40th birthday.

TOYOTA LANDCRUISER 70 SERIES GXL

PRICE From about $91,000 drive-away

ENGINE 2.8-litre 4-cyl, 150kW/500Nm

WARRANTY/SERVICING 5 yrs/unlimited km (160,000km for commercial use), $5250 for 5 yrs/100,000km

SAFETY Two airbags, autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning

THIRST About 9.6L/100km

SPARE Full-sized

PAYLOAD/TOWING 1325kg/3500kg

Originally published as 2024 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series review