Toyota announced that the Land Cruiser 70 will be sold in Japan as a brand-new car. This version of the well-known SUV has mostly stayed the same since it first came out in 1984. The Land Cruiser 70 is also sold in South Africa and Australia. Even though the new 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser on its way to the US may look like it came from the 1970s, the Land Cruiser 70, which was just brought back to the Japanese market, is a real piece of history. Certainly, this is a brand-new Toyota, just like every other SUV the company makes. But if you look closely, you’ll see that this Land Cruiser model has mostly stayed the same since it was first released in 1984. When it was first released, the Land Cruiser 70 was a smaller, tougher version of Toyota’s 4×4. It looks like a box, has a ladder-frame chassis, and doesn’t have many nice features. As time went on, the popular Land Cruiser models got roomier and fancier, but the 70 model stayed a reliable workhorse. For decades, it has been sold all the time in places like South Africa and Australia. In 2014, a small number of them were brought back to Japan. It’s back, and it looks great now. Toyota has added some new features and updated the headlights and taillights over time, but the body panels have mostly stayed the same. There is a modern-looking infotainment screen as well as safety features like stability control and even some driver assistance. On the other hand, the inside looks basic for a new car, with an old-fashioned climate control system and a transfer case that can be shifted. A 2.8-liter inline-four turbo-diesel with 201 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque is the only engine that can be bought in Japan. It has an automatic six-speed transmission and limited-range four-wheel drive. Toyota plans to sell around 400 Land Cruiser 70s in Japan every year. The base price will be around $32,000. You can be sure that Toyota is committed to keeping the classic spirit of its famous 4×4 vehicles, even if the idea of an all-electric Land Cruiser or even the newest hybrid version doesn’t appeal to you.
