Such operation was motivated by nothing but the simple public will in that country. Land Cruiser 70, which could be considered its sixth generation, had been dropped only from the Japanese portfolio ten years ago. African and Mid-Western countries kept selling it regularly, specially after the ‘2007 facelift. And this must have been what motivated the enthusiasts to keep claiming: since it was still in regular production somewhere, it would not be a problem for Toyota to import it once again. And this is exactly the dream which has come true a few weeks ago: not only will the automaker attend the wishes of many fans, as it also takes the opportunity to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this very model.
Like the pictures show, the biggest external difference regards the seven-year-old facelift. This is very common in emergent countries because it helps the automakers to keep selling an outdated model for a little longer – the real intention is to promote minor equipment and pricing updates, and use the retouched design mostly to attract the public once again. In emergent countries, this is a way for the automaker to get additional time until the aging vehicle receives an all-new substitute. When it comes to Japan, however, it is sure that people will be way more surprised with seeing the entire vehicle at Toyota dealerships once again than with minor styling changes. It will be offered for at least one year, with prices that remain to be known.
Everything else is the same, which means this is essentially an early-80s vehicle. More than the overall design, it appears in details, like the small and square windows, the very short rear compartment and some cost-reduction decisions: the first one’s short wheelbase resulted on reducing the rear doors, so as to follow the fenders. Since the pick-up is longer enough to avoid this problem, using the same parts resulted on a big metal portion between wheel and door, whose only function is to fill that space. Nothing that diminishes Land Cruiser 70’s capabilities, though: the vehicle will return to Japan in multiple body options, just like before: five-door SUV, crew-cab pick-up and cargo SUV. Toyota intends to sell 200 units per month.
As far as the interior is concerned, there are only two surprises: an infotainment system, which already became omnipresent in today’s cars, and an electric-drive winch to increase its off-road potential. The latter takes a huge advantage of Land Cruiser 70’s old-school construction, whose foundation is a body-on-frame structure. Other technical specifications are related to the engine, which is a 4.0-liter V6 that reaches 231 cv –interesting to see a Japanese car completely oblivious to downsizing these days, right? – and burns gasoline, with no diesel option. Besides, there will be only a manual transmission with five speeds and one clutch (which is around half of what is used in nowadays), and all-wheel-drive as standard.