Satisfied existing owners might have grumbled into their ‘milk-and-two-sugars’ Nescafe, but there was nothing for it; looming safety requirements meant Toyota’s seemingly ageless 70-series Land Cruiser needed work, plenty of work.
So much work, in fact, that for several months last year you couldn’t buy one for love nor money, despite Toyota New Zealand ordering up large before the old model went off-line.
The good news is that the wait has been worthwhile, the new’un not only now thoroughly uprated and (the single-cab model anyway) 5-star ANCAP compliant, but also, on the strength of the launch drive on and off road, a far more practical not to mention (believe it or not) compliant and comfortable proposition.
As the first significant round of changes the Land Cruiser 70 Series has seen in two years, the 2017 model meets EURO 5 emission regulations with the introduction of a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and adopts Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Active Traction Control (A-TRC), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Brake Assist (BA) and reversing camera across the five variant line-up.
Starting from $75,780, the Land Cruiser 70 Series has both single and double cab variants available in LT and LX grades. The Troop Carrier now adopts the Wagon name and is available as an LT grade; the ultimate blank canvas with two seats and van-like cargo space.
The upgraded model retains Toyota’s legendary 151kW/430Nm 4.5-litre V8 turbo diesel engine but features improvements in performance and efficiency due to the new piezo injectors. Combined CO2 emissions are down to 281g/km alongside combined fuel consumption reductions of between eight and 10 percent decrease from the outgoing model.
Single cab models also get better range courtesy a close to 50 percent increase in fuel capacity from 90 to 130 litres, while the LT Wagon continues with two 90 litre fuel tanks.
Prices are:
Land Cruiser 70 LT Single Cab $75,780
Land Cruiser 70 LT Double Cab $79,380
Land Cruiser 70 LX Single Cab $81,980
Land Cruiser 70 LX Double Cab $85,580
Land Cruiser 70 LT Wagon $84,980
To read the full story in the February 2017 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (January 20) or purchase your own hard copy at the Adrenalin store.
