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By
ALISTAIR KENNEDY
9 April 2007
Toyota has upgraded its LandCruiser 70-Series range with the
addition of a V8 turbo-diesel engine and a new wagon variant. It has
also received a minor facelift with a new grille, headlamps, front
fenders and front bumpers.
There are two distinctly different versions of the
big Toyota 4WD, the 100-Series and the 70-Series. Both are tough,
go-anywhere vehicles with the more civilised 100-Series generally
found in the suburbs while 70-Series is aimed at buyers from
outside the cities such as farmers, miners and tour operators.
The previous 4.2-litre six-cylinder diesel and
turbo-diesel engines used in the 70-Series have now been replaced
by a new common-rail 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel engine. Euro 4
compliant, it generates 151kW of power at 3400rpm and a whopping
430Nm of torque from just 1200rpm through to 3200rpm. These
numbers are 23.7 per cent and 13.1 per cent up on the power and
torque respectively of the previous six-cylinder turbo-diesel
engine.
In spite of the larger engine fuel usage is
marginally down on that of the superseded six-cylinder with a
combined figure of 11.5 litres per 100 kilometres from the cab
chassis and 11.9L/100 km from the wagon and Troop Carrier
versions.
All LandCruiser 70-Series models come with a
five-speed manual gearbox and a two-speed transfer case. The
part-time 4WD system has manual free-wheeling front hubs.
Body options are cab chassis, wagon and Troop
Carrier, the latter available with either three or 11 seats in the
Workmate variant or with five seats in the GXL grade. The new
four-door wagon, previously only available with the 100-Series, is
also a five-seater with two front buckets and a three-seat rear
bench.
New features with the 2007 upgrade include an
engine immobiliser and MP3-compatible CD player.
We’ve yet to drive the V8 70-Series ‘Cruiser
but from our previous test we’ve found it to be an extremely
competent working truck with a reasonable level of comfort given
its rugged credentials. We look forward to testing the new V8 and
will produce an extended report at that time.
The new Toyota LandCruiser 70-Series range with
prices (excluding on-road costs) is:
Workmate Single Cab cab chassis: $53,490
GX Single Cab cab chassis: $55,490
GXL Single Cab cab chassis: $56,490
Workmate Troop Carrier: $59,990
GXL Troop Carrier: $61,490
Workmate wagon: $53,990
GXL wagon: $57,490
Air conditioning is a $2570 option on all models.
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Marque Publishing Company
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