OVERVIEW

THE world’s best car designers – from Guigiaro to Gandini, Fioravanti to Pininfarina and Bertone to Michelotti – have international acclaim and are beloved by passionate car enthusiasts.

Toyota’s workhorse, the FJ series that started in 1955 with the J20, doesn’t have a big-name designer. Its design brief is akin to an origami exercise, flat steel then folded with flat glass windows.

Despite the lack of any visual appeal on the same stage as car designers’ creations, Toyota’s FJ has sold more than 10 million units in 170 countries since the 1950s – not bad for a single-purpose ute.

Seven decades later, it’s updated with a model that has all the things you probably didn’t think you needed, including a much higher price that at almost $85k looks like a ridiculous tag on what is basically a 40-year-old vehicle.

In its latest version, the 70-Series loses four of its cylinders – it is now optional to the ongoing V8 (soon to be discontinued) turbo-diesel – and borrows a version of the 2.8-litre unit from siblings including the Hilux.

To sweeten the deal, the 79-Series (the cab-chassis utes within the 70-series model) gets an automatic transmission (no manual) and the V8 has a manual, with no offer of an auto.

Changing the heart of the workhorse is a sensitive move, particularly as operators had a genuine fondness of the lusty V8.

Has replacing that mill with a ‘baby’ four-cylinder oiler detracted from the appeal of the 70-series? Will the automatic-only four prove better for fleet users?

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS

So the 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel has ended its exclusivity in the 70-series range, now sitting alongside the 2.8-litre four until next year.

The V8 is mated only to a manual to hand the incoming four-cylinder version some interest from fleets, city users and people who have yet to master three floor pedals.

From the V8 to the 2.8, the expectations weren’t high. Yet the four proved more than adequate and barely suffered in areas of performance that matter to most end users.

There is no lack of strong off-road ability and, in the soft-sand test, the auto – by the characteristics of the transmission – actually made it easier to drive and less likely to bog. I’ll just share that it did bog but then that’s not unusual for me.

The V8 has 151kW/430Nm and the 2.8 is 150kW/500Nm, so the smaller engine is clearly competitive.

The four-pot also has some advantages with weight, being 55kg lighter than the V8 version, and yet still capable of a 1-tonne-plus payload (more than the V8) and a tow rating of 3.5-tonne. All this helps it in the dirt.

On the road it’s a 70-series and it still feels like a 40-year-old truck. Getting up into it can be a chore and even sitting in it is a trip back through the years, with seat comfort levels that are barely adequate and ergonomics that are hardly altered from the beginnings of the ute series.

The four-cylinder works well against traffic but there’s no disguising that under acceleration it’s working hard and complaining through the engine noise that’s unmuffled by the agricultural body design.

It will cruise quite comfortably at 100km/h, however, where there’s no visible (and aural) engine stress.

Against that is the work required by the driver to keep it straight. It succumbs easily to tramlining, ruts and bumps with some annoying steering kickbacks. That wouldn’t be too bad but the vagueness of the steering box means it can be easily overcorrected, aggravating its course down the road.

Add to that, it’s 5.3m long and isn’t designed for your local supermarket car park. Parked along the side of a country town road, it’s obviously not going to be a problem.

Toyota claims 9.6 litres per 100km for average fuel consumption for the 2.8 while the test (mainly suburban and highway with some off-road in sand and on gravel) returned 12.5 L/100km. The tank is 130 litres so it’s a 1000km-plus tourer.

The V8, by the way, is rated at 10.7L/100km as an average.

FEATURES:

The cabin is, as mentioned, a mirror of long-lost decades but in its favour, it’s workable and easily repairable.

Waking up in the 2020s means Toyota has added some niceties such as a different plastic shroud to the centre console that allows some (small) personal storage areas, two cup holders and two USB-C plugs.

There’s also a 6.7-inch infotainment screen and a radio with AM and FM and connectivity to Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Forget any desire for sat-nav.

The radio is pretty much useless as its speaker clarity and volume have problems competing with the mechanical orchestra under the bonnet (and through the floorboards). You also have to remember to manually pull up the radio antenna, otherwise there’s just crackle on the speaker.

The glovebox is tiny (and the vehicle’s manual takes up most of the available space), while space for anything else is poor unless you park it in the passenger footwell or on the back seat.

Space in the rear is good for three adults with the only downer being the climb to that level. By the way, there’s no baby-seat top tether so it’s not a family-friendly ute.

SAFETY:

The 70-series hasn’t been crash tested for years and so is unrated.

Toyota has, however, lifted the safety equipment with standard so there’s pre-collision with pedestrian  and cyclist detection, intersection assistance, lane departure alert, road-sign assist (visual colour-themed warning on the instrument panel), auto high beam (using the new model’s LED headlights) and downhill assist control.

There’s no reverse camera on the 79 cab-chassis as that’s up to the bodybuilder fitting the tray.

OWNERSHIP:

Toyota has a five-year, unlimited distance warranty.

Capped-price servicing will cost $525 every six months or 10,000km. The program lasts for five years or 100,000km.

Pricing has risen in the past year, with the V8 GXL 79 jumping to $87,600 (plus costs) from $79,200 a year ago. That’s a $10,400 hike for not much extra.

The four-pot is a new entry and will save $4100 over the V8, which is about 5 per cent of the total price, making it a difficult argument to suggest the 2.8 will save the operator money, especially as the fuel consumption is similar and there’s no difference in service costs.

RIVALS:

There’s not much out there to compete with the 79 series, but if you’re on the lookout, consider:

Jeep Gladiator (petrol only, 693kg payload) at $78,250 plus costs for the Night eagle; Ram 1500 (petrol, 1043kg payload) from $119,950 plus costs.

PRICING:

Toyota Land Cruiser GXL 79 Series dual-cab cab-chassis tested: $83,500 plus costs