Orders for the new four-cylinder Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series with its automatic transmission will open in October.
But anyone who wants a V8 turbo-diesel will have to keep waiting though, as order books remain firmly shut as Toyota Australia works to clear a years-long backlog.
Toyota first announced a pause on orders for the V8 70 Series in July 2022, and in January 2023 said they wouldn’t reopen before July 2023.
Although there are some customers who will no doubt want to stick with the tried-and-true V8 engine, Toyota Australia vice president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley says there are already some buyers swapping their V8 orders to the new four-cylinder.
Approved by Japanese executives in 2019, the four-pot LC70 automatic comes on the back of “strong demand” from customers “because it makes the vehicle so much easier to handle for conditions such as towing trailers through sandy deserts”.
“The 70 Series is not just the vehicle of choice for miners and farmers. It’s often a vehicle that’s relied on by park rangers working way off the beaten track, and for delivering essential services for remote communities – including in emergencies,” Mr Hanley told media.
What’s the new engine in the Toyota LandCruiser 70?
It’s a familiar 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel producing 150kW of power at 3400rpm and 500Nm of torque between 1600rpm and 2800rpm, mated exclusively with a six-speed automatic transmission.
That’s just 1kW less power than the carryover V8, but with 70Nm more torque.
Mr Hanley says cooling and gearing have been tweaked relative to the HiLux and Prado, where a version of the same engine also does service.
“In short, the inline-four does everything the V8 does – but it’s easier to drive, and it’s more accessible,” Mr Hanley said.
The four-cylinder turbo-diesel will be offered across the entire Single Cab, Double Cab, Troop Carrier and Wagon ranges, while the V8 will continue to be offered in every variant bar the Workmate Wagon.
All models get lane departure warning, speed sign recognition and automatic high-beam. This follows the standardisation of autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection across the range for 2023.
The updated 70 Series is distinguished visually via revised front-end styling, which Toyota says pays homage to the old LandCruiser 40 Series.
Toyota Australia has thus far revealed only the Double Cab, but head office in Japan has published images of the refreshed Wagon.
Inside, the old dog has also been treated to some updates. Toyota says the instrument cluster and centre console have been redesigned for “improved ergonomics, visual ease and practicality”, with a new 4.2-inch instrument cluster screen and an upgraded 6.7-inch touchscreen with wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Further specifications, along with pricing, will be released closer to the updated model’s launch in the fourth quarter of 2023.
This latest update follows one in late 2022 that brought standard AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection plus a GVM upgrade to have it classified as a “medium-duty” vehicle and sidestep strict new Australian Design Rules about side-impact protection.
