The 70-Sequence Toyota Land Cruiser will rejoice its fortieth birthday in 1985, and it stays stunningly well-liked in lots of international markets. It sells properly sufficient that Toyota continues to put money into the mannequin. It is gaining a brand new five-speed handbook transmission, nevertheless it’s shedding its V8 engine.
Launched in 2007, the 4.5-liter turbodiesel V8 will stay in manufacturing till Toyota fills each excellent order. The model has fairly the backlog to work via: It stopped taking orders for the engine almost two years in the past. The ultimate examples of the V8-powered Wagon, Troop Service, WorkMate, and GX fashions shall be inbuilt September 2024, whereas the 79-Sequence will lose its eight-cylinder engine in late 2025.
Toyota defined the choice to ditch the turbodiesel V8 was “inevitable resulting from altering laws.” Sean Hanley, the vp of gross sales, advertising and marketing, and franchise operations for Toyota’s Australian division, stated that “the one different was to stroll away from this mannequin — and that was not an choice.” Toyota has bought 346,742 models of the 70-Sequence in Australia since 1985, together with 171,010 with the V8 engine.
Trying forward, the 70-Sequence will completely be supplied with a 2.8-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder introduced in 2023. Borrowed from the Hilux pickup, it develops 201 horsepower from 3,200 to three,400 rpm and 331 pound-feet of torque between 1,600 and three,000 rpm. For context, the outgoing V8 developed 202 horsepower at 3,400 rpm and and 316 pound-feet of torque at 1,200 rpm. Beginning in October 2024, the turbo-four shall be linked to a beefier evolution of the V8’s five-speed handbook transmission with particular ratios. Toyota made the primary, second, and third gears shorter for higher off-the-line efficiency, and it fitted an extended fifth gear for higher gas economic system and fewer noise on the freeway.
Pricing data and efficiency specs shall be introduced later in 2024. Whereas the 70-Sequence is likely one of the oldest SUVs available on the market by a mile-wide margin, its ruggedness and its off-road functionality are timeless. It is notably extremely sought-after on the Australian market, and the Purple Cross depends on the 70-Sequence in nations with tough roads. Nothing suggests we’ll see the mannequin right here, nevertheless.