Toyota has boosted the attraction of its venerable 70 Sequence Land Cruiser with the inclusion of the fashionable 2.8 GD-6 engine and six-speed computerized gearbox from the up to date Hilux.
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Toyota Land Cruiser 76 2.8 GD-6 Station Wagon LX Quick Details
- Value: R999 900
- 0-100 km/h: 10.50 seconds
- Prime velocity: 150 km/h
- Energy: 150 kW
- Torque: 500 N.m
- CAR gasoline index: 11.52 L/100 km
- CO2: 258 g/km
When CAR first examined a Land Cruiser, NASA had simply launched its first area shuttle Enterprise, the primary instalment of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky movie franchise had hit the silver display, Nadia Comaneci scored the primary good 10 scores in gymnastics on the way in which to a few gold medals on the Montreal Summer season Olympics, and Messrs. Wozniak and Jobs had shaped a small firm that may grow to be Apple Laptop.
The yr was 1976 and the Land Cruiser Troopy examined in October that yr made use of 4.2-litre naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine that despatched 86 W and 284 N.m of torque to all 4 wheels by way of a four-speed guide gearbox. Sufficient for a 0-100 km/h dash of 20.50 seconds and a gasoline index of 20 L/100 km.
The mere undeniable fact that the design of the 70 Sequence can hint its roots again greater than 40 years and continues to be in demand at this time is a outstanding motoring achievement. The extra luxurious 60 Sequence would go on to grow to be the 80, then 100, 200 and now 300, which have had their justifiable share of the market. The extra utilitarian Cruiser fashions that began off with 45 and 55 designations and ultimately grew to become the 70 Sequence would stay for many who most popular their off-roading with fewer frills.
The largest modifications to this design, bar a number of beauty enhancements, have taken place within the engine bay, with petrol and diesel-powered straights sixes of various capability, the famed 4.0 V6 from the Hilux/Fortuner and most not too long ago a decade in the past the inclusion of the 4.2 turbodiesel V8 from then range-topping Land Cruiser 200.
For the 2024 mannequin yr, Toyota’s ditched the more moderen sq. headlamps in favour of spherical models with side-mounted indicators and a black plastic grille in a nod to the 70’s ancestors just like the discontinued FJ Cruiser. There’s additionally a beefy “step” bumper which, because the title suggests, is giant sufficient to face and even sit on, and the bonnet incorporates a outstanding energy bulge, which rises from simply atop the grille earlier than dipping simply earlier than the windscreen.
Land Cruiser badging is now positioned on the entrance fenders versus the entrance doorways, and the 70’s over fenders have been left in black plastic as an alternative of the painted examples on its predecessor. 5-spoke alloy wheels stay and at the moment are completed in a darker hue versus the silver wheels earlier than. The entrance wheel hubs can nonetheless be locked manually. The remainder of the outside is just about unchanged. Inside, the very first thing fanatics will discover is a steering wheel lifted from the Hilux/Fortuner. Similar to the older variations, there are not any satellite tv for pc controls for the infotainment system or journey laptop – the latter accessed by way of a pin within the instrument panel that solely shows the odometer or journey A or B. Making up for the essential laptop are the fitment of volt gauge and oil strain gauges – each are typical Land Cruiser fare.
New to the cabin are storage bins across the computerized gear lever, with one for a smartphone under the lever and a single drink holder aft of that. Rounding off the cabin is a brand new infotainment display, with wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay by way of an built-in USB-A port, and twin USB-C cost ports within the facia, which is in any other case unchanged from earlier than. The entrance seat cushions and backs are manually adjustable, however with no peak adjustment.
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With all of the seats in place, the baggage bay accommodated 832 litres price of our ISO blocks Fold the 60:40 cut up rear seats and there’s 1 408 litres of utility area. The capacious boot does impression rear kneeroom, which sits at 510 mm in our tandem six-footer seating measurement. However the actual social gathering piece within the up to date Land Cruiser 70 Sequence is its coronary heart. The four-cylinder GD-6 will likely be met with scepticism by the diehards, however you’ll be able to’t argue with the truth that it practically matches the range-topping 4.5-litre turbodiesel V8 by way of energy (1 kW much less) and has 70 N.m extra torque.
On the street, regardless of its 2 281 kg heft, the Land Cruiser 76 managed to dash to 100 km/h in 10.50 seconds and overtaking from 80 to 120 took simply 8,17 seconds. Throughout testing, with the Cape’s infamous south-easterly wind battering the old-school profile of the 76, there was a big thrum within the cabin, which limits conversations between passengers. These large aspect mirrors don’t assist on this regard, both.
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The Land Cruiser’s on-road manners stunned us given its ladder-frame chassis and leaf-spring rear suspension system, with appropriate ranges of poise in an unladen state. Though the steering inputs are large (lock-to-lock requires 4 turns), it supplies all of the suggestions mandatory, particularly off the overwhelmed observe.
Talking of which, we’d go as far to say that there’s little or no that can come near matching the Land Cruiser 76’s off-road prowess. Aggressive method and departure angles (33 and 23 levels respectively) and a 230 mm floor clearance assist profit from the hill descent management, entrance and rear lockable diffs, and naturally the guide switch case. Dwell axles entrance and rear are additionally Land Cruiser staples, and their presence is reassuring off the overwhelmed observe.
Throughout our rigorous testing procedures and arduous off-road shakedown, the Cruiser returned a decent 12.83 L/100 km. On our real-world gasoline route, potential patrons will likely be happy to notice that we obtain a determine of 9.67 L/100 km, equating to greater than 1 000 km the 130-litre gasoline tank.
We suspect that a lot of the people out there for this Land Cruiser 76 will likely be legacy patrons who would possibly wish to add to their present Cruiser assortment, or just wish to day by day drive one and get greater than 400 km price on a full tank. The revised exterior additionally twisted the necks of these within the know throughout our check interval and drew admiring glances from older motorists and off-roaders whereas we had been bundu-bashing.
Within the present local weather of well-equipped off-roaders, the evident lack of mod-cons could also be irksome – there would possibly even be a number of objects that the CAR check staff would recognize, corresponding to park distance management (a reverse digital camera is normal on the VX grade, as is a nudge bar, extra sound deadening, leather-based upholstery and upgraded Rockford Fosgate audio system) and auto-locking doorways.
Toyota’s determination to drop the fashionable 2.8 GD-6 and a six-speed computerized within the Land Cruiser could also be seen by some as a masterstroke, or a intelligent transfer to maintain the Land Cruiser title going robust. Nonetheless, judging by the quantity outdated Cruisers nonetheless doing the rounds at this time, there’s little doubt we’ll nonetheless be seeing GD-6 fashions round for a minimum of one other 40 years.
