Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series Trims And Cab Configurations Explained

Summary

• The Toyota Land Cruiser 70 series has remained virtually unchanged since its debut in 1984.
• Toyota intentionally kept the design unchanged to keep development costs low while maintaining the same quality and standard.
• The Land Cruiser 70 series is available in various trims and configurations, but still lacks luxury features and has a sparse but functional interior.

Toyota is a brand that has been known to take its time in building new vehicles. When a new model is released, it is expected to at least have a life cycle of 10 years with various revisions before being finally replaced. The Land Cruiser is one of the nameplates that strongly embodies Toyota’s philosophy as a company as it retains its original purpose since the beginning. But there is one model that has virtually remained unchanged for four decades.

The 70 series Land Cruiser (J70) is an iconic utility vehicle that has been in production since 1984. Toyota has kept producing the 70 series Land Cruiser and it can be purchased in 2023 as a brand new vehicle. It has also been re-introduced in Japan as a 2024 model. As with any vehicle, it can be built to a customer’s spec but with only a few options available and configurations available.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturer websites and other authoritative sources, including Toyota and various dealer information from different regions.

Unchanged Since 1984

The 70 series Land Cruiser made its debut in 1984 to replace the J40 Land Cruiser that had been in production for 25 years. It was built to be a rugged off-road vehicle with only the necessities needed to go through tough terrains. It was meant to serve as a multi-purpose vehicle that could be used for agricultural, industrial, expeditionary, and even rescue purposes. Its exterior also reflected its purpose with its rugged and boxy look which has remained unchanged.

Changes For 2024

The design of the J70 Land Cruiser remains unchanged even after so much time has passed. People complain that all Porsche 911s look the same and the Mercedes G-Wagen still looks like the original. This statement also applies to the 70 series Land Cruiser. It now has a few smoothened edges, newer materials, mechanical updates, new lights, and some interior updates. But once put together and placed side by side, you’ll have a hard time telling which one is the new vehicle and this was an intentional move by Toyota.

By doing this, they can avoid additional development costs that plague new cars. Since it is made to serve as a utility vehicle with no other purpose, it also has no luxury features and only makes do with what is necessary. But the best part is that it makes use of simple but modern mechanical parts that also make them easy to repair.

Various Trims And Configurations

The model designation system used by the 70 series Land Cruiser has been in effect since 1999. This system was so easy that Toyota hasn’t bothered to change it and still uses it in the latest cars. These are the 78 (troop carrier), 79 (pickup), 76 (four-door wagon) introduced in 2007, and finally, the 70(short wheelbase) which is only available in the Middle East. There are four cab configurations available for the 70 series Land Cruiser. These are:

Land Cruiser 70 Trim Levels

The 70 series is sold in different regions like Africa, Australia, and the Middle East where they’re needed the most. In these areas, they’re offered with just one or two configurations with no trim levels to choose from. The Middle East gets Wagon (LC76) and is also the only region that gets the short wheelbase version (LC70). South Africa gets the pickup (LC79) in either single or double-cab chassis while Nigeria gets only the double-cab versions. The newly re-introduced Japanese version will only come as the four-door wagon known as the AX (LC76).

If you want the most configurable 70 series then you have to buy from its biggest market which is Australia. Aussie versions have the four cab configurations but also get three trim levels to choose from which are Workmate, GX, and GXL models. These trims barely add anything to the Land Cruiser but they do get some changes.

• Workmate: This is the workhorse trim with an all-black bumper and grille and 16-inch steel wheels.
• GX: This version is only available with the single cab chassis but gets fender flares, front mudguards, and 16-inch alloy wheels.
• GXL: This trim adds the same features as the GX but takes it a little further with some extra convenience features. These features include central locking, chrome roof drip rails, chrome bumper and electric side mirrors (wagon and troop carrier only).

(Source: Toyota)

Sparse But Functional Interior

The aforementioned trims do not affect the interior quality of the vehicle. In all regions, the 70 series comes with gray vinyl seats as standard with gray fabric seats for the GXL/AX. Everything else comes standard in every model, trim, and configuration. The interior has received some updates to the gauge cluster, center infotainment, and some slight material updates but that’s about it.

These are the basic amenities needed for it to function and they are:

• The 6.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Bluetooth, Wired Apple Carplay, and Android Auto
• Reverse camera

Available Accessories

While there aren’t many choices for the interior, there are some accessories available for the 70 series. These accessories mainly help to improve the capability of the Land Cruiser when going off-road.

• Canvas seat covers
• Black steel bullbar
• Clear bonnet and headlight protectors
• Heavy-duty roof racks
• Tow-bar, ball, trailer wiring hitch, and winch
• Wrap around steel side rails
• LED lights and light bar
• Uniden radio and antenna
• Wheel chocks
• Various pickup trays finished in steel or aluminum.

The 70 Series Is Available With Four Engines

The standard engine across almost every region is the 2.8-liter inline four turbo diesel which makes adequate power and is more than enough for the task needed. Japan uses this engine as its only option while other regions get some other engine options also. South Africa has three engine options, the turbo V-8, a 4.0-liter V-6, and a 4.2-liter inline-six all standard with a five-speed manual. The Middle East and Nigeria only get the V-6 engine but different transmissions, Nigeria gets the five-speed manual while the Middle East gets the six-speed auto.

Engine Specifications

(Source: Toyota)

Finally, Australia only gets two engine choices which are the inline-four and and V-8. The inline four gets the six-speed auto while the V-8 gets the five-speed manual. All versions of the 70 series send power to a permanent four-wheel drive system. In total, there are four engines and two transmission choices available for the Land Cruiser 70 series across all regions, but only the inline-four gets the automatic. No matter what powertrain, trim, or configuration you choose, the Land Cruiser 70 has a towing capacity of 7,700 pounds but needs the proper equipment to do so.

Still Not Sold In The U.S.

The North American market has had access to Land Cruisers for decades, but the most recent J300 series isn’t offered here. However, it is being compensated with the smaller J250 Land Cruiser but the 70 series was never offered in America. It was originally sold in small numbers in Canada from 1984-1987, the most recent production version 70 series is being sold in Canada via Toyota Industrial Sales but is only made available to the mining industry. As of 2023, Japan finally got one again but it still isn’t offered in the U.S.

Pricing

Prices when converted to USD have an average MSRP of $45,000 which is right around where they should be. Japan seems to have an MSRP under $40,000 for its version but the bottom line is America hasn’t had one and may likely never get one except through individual imports. The 70 series is a simple utility vehicle that has retained its purpose from day one without deviation and is still in high demand in certain regions of the world.