Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series to get major upgrade

A major upgrade is coming for the long-running Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series range within about 12 months.

However, while the MY22 technical update should bring long-overdue safety improvements and increased payload capacities for Toyota’s aged but still popular workhorse line-up, it’s unlikely to include the switch from V8 to V6 diesel power as in the new Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series.

Clues for the make-up of Toyota’s next update to a model that dates back to 1984 come from our investigations following news that the federal government’s new pole side impact design rule ADR 85 will kill off a number of models including the Lexus CT, IS and RC models when they come into effect for all new passenger cars, vans, SUVs and light commercial vehicles by November 2022.

We asked Toyota how the new safety requirement would affect its range of top-selling light commercial vehicles, which the government classifies under the NA category, including the HiLux and LandCruiser 70 Series.

“Currently no Toyota vehicles in the NA category will be affected by the regulation change due to be implemented in November 2022,” said a Toyota spokesperson.

When pressed further, Toyota said: “The LC70 will not be affected by the regulation change to ADR 85 due to be implemented in November 2022 due to careful forward planning. We will provide updates in due course.”

We then asked Toyota if that’s because the popular dual-cab ute, Troop Carrier and wagon versions will receive the same safety upgrades that have allowed the volume-selling 70 Series single-cab to achieve a fleet-friendly five-star ANCAP rating since 2016.

It responded: “When the latest update to LC70 launched in 2016, Toyota announced that it was offering the single-cab chassis with a five-star safety rating, with other variants receiving substantial upgrades including the adoption of safety features such as VSC/TRAC, BA, EBD and HAC.

“As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we have plans to continue to update the specifications of this model in the next major update, the details of which will be revealed in due course.”

That makes it likely that 70 Series four-door ute, 78 Series Troopie and 76 Series wagon models, all of which remain unrated by ANCAP, will inherit the extensive safety and chassis upgrades introduced for the single-cab five years ago.

But there is another possibility that could explain how no 70 Series models will be affected by ADR 85, and that’s a range-wide factory GVM (gross vehicle mass) upgrade to at least 3.5 tonnes, which would mean the LC70 is longer classified as a ‘light goods vehicle’ (NA) but a ‘medium goods vehicle’ (NB).

A GVM upgrade is a common aftermarket modification involving an independently engineered and tested suspension solution that allows ute and SUV owners to increase the payload and in some cases towing capacity of their vehicle beyond its manufacturer’s limits.

Currently the 70 Series has an official GVM figure of 3060kg (wagon), 3300kg (Troopie and dual-cab) and 3400kg (single-cab/chassis), which is not far short of the 3500kg needed for it to be categorised as a medium commercial vehicle.

Whether Toyota also upgrades the 70 Series’ 3500kg towing capacity, which matches the 200/300 Series LandCruiser’s, remains unknown at this stage. But that could be influenced by whether the new full-size Toyota Tundra pick-up becomes a global model sold in Australia, given 4000kg-plus towing is the primary reason for its being.

What’s almost certain not to be part of the next 70 Series upgrade is the 300 Series’ all-new 700Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6, given Toyota’s track record of investment only when required.

Implementation of the strict new Euro 6 emissions regulation, which the 70 Series’ 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel does not meet, doesn’t come into effect in Australia until 2027.

Toyota sells upwards of 10,000 LandCruiser 70 Series utes annually in Australia, making it one of the world’s biggest markets for the lucrative LCV, and sales are on track for another 10 per cent increase this year.

It sold 15,000 LandCruisers here last year, and so far in 2021 the 200 Series wagon accounts for 63 per cent of sales, the LC76 wagon 19 per cent, the LC70 utes 12 per cent and the two-door LC78 Troopie five per cent.

Toyota Australia last updated the 70 Series in August 2020, when base pricing increased to $68,950 and additions included a 6.1-inch touch-screen, sat-nav, voice recognition and Bluetooth, two USB ports, a 12-volt outlet and cup holder.

In 2016, apart from the range-wide fitment of mandated stability control, Toyota upgraded the 70 Series’ diesel V8 to meet the Euro 5 emissions standard enforced from November that year.

Other range-wide additions at the time included traction control, hill start assist, brake assist, electronic brake force distribution, front seat belt pretensioners, passenger seat belt reminder, cruise control, auto-locking front hubs, a new fuse box and revised gearing to reduce fuel consumption.

But the single-cab scored a stronger ladder frame, side curtain airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, new seats, under-dash padding, relocated steering link and all-new body panels.

Before that, anti-skid brakes joined the 70 Series line-up in 2012, and twin front airbags and telescopic steering wheel adjustment arrived in 2009.

Toyota has been studying an all-new replacement for the 70 Series since at least 2013 but in 2019 said there was “no end date” for continued upgrades to the current model. So don’t hold your breath for a fully redesigned rival for the new Land Rover Defender, Mercedes-Benz G-Class or INEOS Grenadier.

LandCruiser is Toyota’s longest-running nameplate, with its origins dating back to the BJ of 1951, before the 4WD was renamed LandCruiser in 1954.

Australia became Toyota’s first export market after early predecessors of LandCruiser 70 Series — the FJ25, FJ45 and FJ43 – were employed by construction magnate Leslie (later Sir Leslie) Thiess during the construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme.

The 70 Series is a vital model for Toyota in Australia, which has accounted for 20 per cent of about 1.5 million global sales since 1984. Around 300,000 examples of the 70 Series have been sold here since 1985.