In the long line-up of four wheel drives on the market, there’s the soft-roaders, off-roaders and any number of SUVs more than adequate for the school run.
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Then there’s the Landcruiser.
First making an appearance on Australian shores in the late 1950s, the Landcruiser has become a mainstay of mining and farming for good reason.
It is a brutal beast dressed down for a hard day’s work.
And Toyota’s new 70 Series continues that fine lineage.
It comes with some whizz bang updates - but not enough to tip it into Toorak tractor territory.
Electronics make an appearance with vehicle stability control, active traction control and hill start assist as well as brake assist and electronic brake force distribution across all models.
The engine too has been given a spruce up.
The 4.5 litre turbo V8 diesel produces 151 kilowatts and 430 Nm of torque in a flat peak torque curve running from 1200 to 3200 RPM.
The five speed manual box comes with a 15pc taller fifth gear ratio making highway work less jarring and cruise control has been added to ease foot ache.
Toyota is quoting combined cycle consumption of 10.7 litres per 100 km and 9.4 l/100km on the highway.
The drawback on the new powerplant is the Euro 5 emissions control which adds a diesel particulate filter positioned low behind the powerplant.
It runs an automatic regeneration cycle designed to kick in at road speeds but has a manual override if you are doing miles of low speed work.
While the DPF may be the price of addressing environmental considerations it presents obvious problems for many agricultural sector users.
Fortunately the carrying capacity hasn’t been compromised with any upgrades - so you can cart over a tonne on the single cab model depending on the tray design and lug along another 3500kg.
A 130 litre fuel tank serves most models except for Troopies which get two 90L tanks.
All models get the electronics upgrade, cruise and a few minor fixes like seatbelt pre-tensioners but the single cab range gets a real makeover.
It now meets 5 Star ANCAP safety ratings, gets a stronger frame, three additional airbags, passenger under-dash padding, pretty decent, but tough seats and new body panels including a cool looking bonnet scoop - what Toyota calls a ‘power bulge’. Right.
Underneath it is all still built for a bashing and the single cab has the steering link now hidden behind the front axle.
Like all its predecessors the LC70 almost manages to drive itself up and down serious slopes and navigate severe rutting with ease.
In testing the single cab feels a lot more refined but not at the cost of performance - it is still a beast built for the bush.
Toyota says it is the “only enduring heavy-duty 4WD workhorse in the Australian market” with 20 per cent of all 70 Series machines produced are sold here and a large number of them are doing hard yards in the bush.
The top of the line GXL single cab retails for $66,490 before government and other on-road costs, while the dual cab chassis GXL comes in at $68,990.
It is not all plain sailing though.
Air conditioning is a $2761 option on all models - and that is sure to cause some choppy responses for buyers of a ute built for the outback.
