Toyota Brings The 70 Series Land Cruiser Up To Date

If you think the J200 Land Cruiser is too chiseled and new, and “they don’t build them like they used to”, then you’ll be surprised to find out they actually do.

The Land Cruiser 70 Series, a 32-year-old design, is still for sale in some markets and Toyota just raised its standards by bringing it up to date. The Japanese car manufacturer has significantly re-engineered the single cab chassis, making it achieve a five-star ANCAP safety rating (check the video down below).

If that isn’t impressive enough, Toyota also fitted the model with a larger and stiffer frame, additional airbags, 12 revised (and thicker) body panels, and new front seats – among a plethora of other safety and modern improvements, such as a full electronic safety package.

Yup, Toyota brought the 70 SeriesT in the 21st century and fitted with a wide array of nanny systems, including stability control (VSC), active traction control (A-TRC), hill-start assist control (HAC), brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution.

Under the hood, the high-torque 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 was revamped as well and it now features piezo-electric injectors and a diesel particulate filter, which reduces fuel consumption by 10.1 percent. It also develops 202 hp and 430Nm (317 lb-ft) of torque, all while returning 10.7 litres/100km (22 MPG US).

"These extensive engineering and specification updates guarantee the future for the LandCruiser 70 Series and its unrivaled combination of reliability, towing, payload and off-road ability," Tony Cramb, Toyota Australia's executive director sales and marketing, said.

Sadly, this particular 70 Series is available only in Australia, with prices starting at $62,490 ($47,419) for the single cab variant.