2025 Toyota LandCruiser 76 Series manual review

The big news in 2024 for fans of Toyota’s legendary 70 Series range of workhorses was that the fanboy favourite 1VD-FTV V8 diesel engine was being axed.

In its place we now have the 1GD-FTV 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel engine. And making things worse, the manual gearbox was being replaced with an automatic! For many fans the sky was falling as the V8 was a great engine and, to them, there was no way that an engine with half the cylinders could take its place, despite the fact that the smaller donk produced more torque in showroom stock trim.

Initially available with just a six-speed automatic transmission, our drives of the four-cylinder 70s proved them to be better performers than the manual V8 but, as always, there’s more to driving a V8 than just the output.

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Jump forward to 2025 and the last remaining LC70 V8s are rolling out of Toyota showrooms… but the stick-shifter has made a comeback with a new five-speed manual gearbox now offered behind the 2.8 engine alongside the automatic option.

Personally, I like manual gearboxes, especially in a Toyota workhorse. The manual has always been the go-to transmission for the 70s over 40 years of the model’s evolution and as good as the auto is for most driving situations, I still like doing things the old way; I enjoy being able to climb into the cab, depress the clutch, put the key in the ignition barrel and turn it to fire the engine up, select a gear, release the clutch and off I go.

The 70 Series is one of the few new vehicles remaining that offer such simple pleasures.

We were keen to try out the new 2.8/manual combination so got our mitts on this LC76 GXL with less than 50km on the clock as soon as we could. The 2.8/manual is available in all 70 Series body styles including the 76, 78 and 79 models.

JUMP AHEAD

• Gearbox and powertrain
• Interior
• Driving performance
• Safety
• Verdict
• Specs
• Pricing

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Gearbox and powertrain

The five-speed manual gearbox is not the same unit used behind the V8 engine; this is the H153F gearbox while the V8 used the H152.

This new gearbox has been optimised to make the most of the 2.8L engine’s higher torque output with shorter first, second and third gears to aid off-the-mark acceleration, and a longer fifth gear to help improve fuel economy and provide more relaxed cruising at highway speeds.

The H132F’s ratios are 4773:1 in first, 2.597:1 in second, 1.570:1 in third, 1.000:1 in fourth and 0.775:1 in overdrive fifth. The final drive ratio is 4.100:1.

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The revised ratios do what they are designed to do, giving the 76 plenty of pep off the mark and through the gears, and relatively relaxed touring revs.

However, it can’t match the performance of the same engine with the six-speed auto which has a 4.300 final drive ratio that provides zippier off-the-mark performance as well as double overdrives with a 3.732:1 top gear allowing the engine to run at lower revs on the highway.

The manual 76 clicks over a smidgen above 2000rpm at 100km/h on the highway in top gear, and leaves the driver looking for another cog. A sixth gear would be nice but it’s not a deal breaker. Shifting is smooth and simple and the clutch action is light and easy to cope with in stop-start city traffic.

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The 1GD engine loses 50Nm in its adaptation to the manual gearbox and it is tuned to make its peak torque at higher revs than it does when mated to the auto, but you don’t feel the loss when driving the unladen wagon.

In terms of performance, the GDJ 76 would smoke our VDJ 79 to 100km/h although, in its defence, our 79 is running on performance-robbing taller-than-stock tyres. Put bigger tyres on the 76 and you’d get the same result of reduced acceleration.

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Interior

The 76 Series is a relatively compact 4x4 wagon if you were to compare it to an LC300, Y62 Patrol or even the new Prado.

In fact, the five-door wagon body is essentially the same one that debuted on the original Toyota Prado more than 30 years ago but was never officially sold in Australia until 2007. It’s narrow and tall with plenty of room for four passengers, and will accommodate five at a squeeze. It’s also short, making it easy to park in city locations.

The rear cargo space is as boxy as the Cruiser’s exterior making it functional and usable. The rear seats fold forward to increase the capacity if they are not needed. There are four tie-down points in the back but nothing so fancy as a 12v power outlet.

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Luxury items, if you could call them that, are limited to cloth seats, a rear-view camera, power windows, power mirrors and cruise control, as the test vehicle is a GXL model.

The basic sound system gets four speakers and Bluetooth connection but there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connection, and no sat-nav. The screen image is poor and couldn’t cope with modern mapping, the image from the rear camera is average.

Storage in the front part of the cabin is woeful with two small cup holders not big enough for a decent-sized water bottle, a shallow and small console bin and narrow door pockets, again unable to take a water bottle.

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Driving performance

Like all the 70 Series models, think of the 76 as a blank canvas on which to create your ideal touring vehicle with plenty of aftermarket inclusions.

As a GXL it also gets front and rear locking differentials which should be more important to 70 Series owners as this latest version of the model retains its rugged off-road capability. It’s built tough for all your adventures and the model is heavily supported by the aftermarket for all your off-road mods.

The engine delivers plenty of torque for climbing in high or low range and having the ability to hold the low gears with a manual is great for steep descents. Pick a gear and the Cruiser will crawl and climb just about anywhere.

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The coil front and leaf rear live axles are relatively stiff in terms of articulation and the rear end in particular easily picks up a wheel and makes you use the rear diff lock to maintain progress. The car does have electronic traction control but this is disabled as soon as you select low range, so those factory lockers become very important when off road.

Safety equipment

Safety-wise the LC70 range remains an antiquity and many buyers of this style of vehicle will appreciate this lack of fussy driver intervention. Aside from the usual things like seat belts, front airbags, ABS and ETC, the only thing that will bug the driver is a lane-departure warning beep.

Also appreciated is that the cruise control is old school, with no intervention and operated by an easy-to-operate stalk instead of buttons.

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Verdict

A big plus for the manual gearbox is that it comes in $2K cheaper than the automatic where both transmissions are offered in the 70 Series line-up.

It’s great that Toyota has seen fit to offer 70 Series buyers the choice of manual and automatic transmissions and has not forced us into autos as is happening everywhere else in the car industry. Both gearbox options work very well with the 2.8 engine in the 76 and the choice will really come down to personal preference.

Those who tow and fleet buyers will likely go for the auto for ease of use, but for traditional 70 Series drivers like myself, the return of the stick shift is a much appreciated option.

Specs

Pricing