MELBOURNE: Never too old to get an update. That's the thinking behind the hardy and long-lasting (40 years in fact) Toyota LandCruiser 70.
Toyota has expanded its heavy-duty LandCruiser 70 Series range in Australia with the addition of a five-speed manual gearbox option for all variants bar all grades of the single-cab chassis and the entry-level Workmate version of the Wagon.
Mated to the LandCruiser 70 Series’ 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, the new manual powertrain joins the existing six-speed automatic and is priced from A$77,200 (RM219,000) for the Troop Carrier Workmate.
Toyota added the new four-cylinder automatic powertrain to the LandCruiser 70 Series lineup in late 2023 as part of a wide-ranging upgrade for the popular four-wheel drive workhorse and earlier this year, discontinued the previously available V8 turbo-diesel manual powertrain.
Toyota Australia vice president for sales, marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley said the addition of the new manual option for the LandCruiser 70 Series would broaden the appeal of the iconic four-wheel drive and help satisfy the demands of those who prefer a manual gearbox.
“When we discontinued the V8 LandCruiser 70 Series earlier this year, we know there were some customers lamenting the absence of a manual gearbox in the range, so we wanted to ensure we were able to offer all our customers a range of powertrain options and this new manual fits the bill perfectly,” said Hanley.
“The strength, capability, and towing and off-road performance of the four-cylinder automatic powertrain has already been very well received by customers and the new manual option will further broaden that appeal,” he said.
The new 2.8-litre manual powertrain generates a maximum power of 150kW/201hp from 3,200-3,400rpm and 450Nm of torque over a wide peak band of 2,400-3,000rpm. The manual transmission offers unique gear ratios and strengthened components to suit the usage of the LandCruiser 70 Series.
Compared with the previous V8 manual LandCruiser 70 Series, the new manual gearbox has been designed to make the most of the four-cylinder engine’s higher torque output with shorter first, second and third gears to aid start-off performance, and a longer fifth gear to help improve fuel economy and reduce engine noise when cruising at highway speeds.
A new flywheel compatible with a 12-inch clutch has also been adopted for the new powertrain, providing excellent clutch slip resistance, while a triple synchronisation mechanism has been added for the first gear to enhance shifting operability.
Along with the range of durability-focused engine upgrades applied to four-cylinder grades in late 2023, manual variants further add a dust seal to the rear end plate to prevent ingress of foreign matter to the release bearing.
Apart from the deletion of the front console box due to the packaging of the manual gear shifter, and downhill assist control, all variants equipped with the manual transmission offer the same level of equipment and share the same Gross Combination Mass (GCM) and towing capacity as their automatic counterparts.
