Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series 70th Anniversary edition: Off-road test

The Toyota LandCruiser has been with us for 70 years. Seventy years of hard work, off-road holidays, mud, snow, sand and memories that have changed lives.

While designed and manufactured in Japan, this iconic 79 Series seen here in 70th Anniversary trim, is as Australian as cold beer and a warm pie.

One of the first things you’ll see driving in to any country town, is a 79 Series LandCruiser. Same goes for any mine site, farm or four-wheel drive destination. They aren’t just popular in Australia because they look cool (Instagram users might disagree), they are popular because they just work in harsh Australian conditions.

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To celebrate the milestone, Toyota has released a very limited run of 70th Anniversary LandCruisers, with only 200 of the single cabs, as tested, being sold. The additions are largely cosmetic, with items such as historic retro badging, upgraded seats and a lovely centre console with additional cupholders.

While that might not sound like much, when you’re starting with such a basic vehicle, the 70th Anniversary model is the best 79 Series Cruiser ever released. We spent the week ploughing through mud, over corrugations and cruising the highway to see what all the fuss is about.

What's so special?

As per the 76 Series LandCruiser we also reviewed, this 79 Series 70th Anniversary model receives a swag of goodies that are exclusive to this range.

Considering there are only 200 utes available in this limited-edition run, it’s safe to say they will sell quickly, if there’s even any left at this stage.

You’ll instantly notice 70th Anniversary badging inside and out, black 16-inch wheels, and a black front bumper and flares. This gives the old-school Toyota a bold and aggressive appearance, over what is essentially a farm truck.

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You’ll also spot the retro-styled grille, LED daytime running lights and some black trim around the factory halogen headlights, which are neat touches.

Inside the ute you are greeted with ‘premium seats’ from GXL variants, retrimmed in a leather-style vinyl covering. There are two additional cupholders, bringing the total to three (woohoo); some faux wood trim on the dash; and piano-black trim around the air vents.

The steering wheel has been updated and looks the part, but I’m not sure about the wooden insert at the top of the wheel, which becomes slippery when your hands are wet.

Powertrain and performance

It’s a known package in Australia and has been largely left alone over the years. The 4.5L single-turbo V8 diesel engine is a lazy operator, making power right from idle. It has a lovely V8 bark when pushed, and push it does as large capacity turbo-diesel V8s tend to do.

It’s something that can be easily upgraded too, thanks to the wealth of knowledge in the aftermarket industry on what safely and easily wakes up a sleepy VDJ.

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You get a five-speed manual gearbox, part-time 4WD system with high and low range selected via a transfer case lever, and front and rear diff locks activated by a dash-mounted rotary dial. These are old-school credentials, but a formula that works well both on- and off-road.

Considering the V8 produces just 430Nm, you’d think it is a bit underdone, and to a degree it is slightly asthmatic in the upper rev range. However, it’s a brilliant motor for low-range off-roading and towing, producing smooth power delivery while sounding glorious in the process.

It’s not known yet how much longer we’ll have this engine package available in the 70 Series range, so I genuinely enjoyed the opportunity to pilot it in this exclusive 70th Anniversary trim.

Cabin and accommodation

There’s not a lot to talk about here, other than you have ample head and leg room, and that the upgraded ‘premium’ seats found in this 70th Anniversary model are basic yet comfortable enough for the job.

One thing I wasn’t a fan of was the lack of visibility around the cabin's B-pillar – you basically have to stick your head out of the driver’s side window to check blind spots.

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Another annoyance is the factory side mirrors. After a run on the highway, I had to adjust them fairly regularly, but there’s no button or switch to handle that task as you’d imagine.

The stereo in the 76 Series we reviewed in the May 2022 issue could be best described as woeful – well, the offering found in this 79 Series single cab is worse again. It’s almost there for decoration, as you can barely hear it over the V8 engine … which I’d prefer to listen to, truth be told.

On-road ride and handling

As you’d expect of an unladen heavy-duty single-cab utility, the 79 Series drives like a truck. The ride is better than expected, but still rough. Throw a few hundred kilograms in the tray and this would naturally change. While it rides like a tractor, it’s not annoyingly bad – it’s actually rather fun.

What isn’t fun is the steering, the same peeve I had with the 76 Series. The turning circle is a joke, I had to do a three-point turn trying to navigate a Maccas drive-through, that’s how bad it is.

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Steering feel is also primitive, with loads of free-play and an amazing amount of turns lock-to-lock in the process. I can’t really work a way around this, so it’s something you will just have to learn to live with.

If it was my vehicle, I’d be upgrading the suspension and fitting larger tyres straight off the bat. This should not only improve the on-road handling, but give you the option to select a more suitable spring rate for your needs. A quality suspension kit should give you a much-needed increase in wheel travel, something the big Cruiser lacks in factory trim.

Off-road

It’s often the little things that let a vehicle down, and something that was a constant annoyance was the positioning of the rear number plate mounted beneath the Toyota tray. It looks like an afterthought and, on such an expensive vehicle designed for hard work, that’s pretty poor. If you use this vehicle for its intended purpose, you will damage and eventually lose the rear plate, purely due to its poor positioning. I’d be moving this straight away.

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Lifting a wheel is all part of the fun when driving a stock 79 Series LandCruiser, but thanks to those factory electronic diff locks, front and rear, you can basically drive up walls without slowing down.

It’s a basic vehicle, which is a good thing for customisation. You can create anything using the 79 Series as a base, from a tradie rig, to a rock crawler, to a desert tourer with a canopy on the back.

This is a major reason why the 79 Series has been such a success in Australia: It’s strong, practical and easily modified, as well as being well supported by Toyota dealerships and independent mechanics nation-wide.

Practicalities

Being a single-cab ute, this vehicle is the definition of practical, with a massive tray and payload designed to carry anything. However, being a single-cab two-seater, it’s also extremely impractical for tasks like lugging passengers. That’s a call you’ll have to make to see if a 79 Series will work for you.

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This model was fitted with a Toyota tray, which adds $4443.87 to the already rich $80,050 asking price this 70th Anniversary model commands before drive-away costs. It’s a solid tray, weighing 357kg and reducing the payload capacity of the 79 Series from 1220kg down to 868kg.

Other than the as-mentioned terrible number plate mount, the tray is rock solid and its dimensions are huge. Towing capacity is 3500kg, as you’d expect, and the entire 70 Series range of LandCruisers are solid performers when it’s time to hook up a trailer or caravan.

Verdict

With only 200 units of this limited edition 70th Anniversary 79 Series single-cab LandCruiser available, you just know this vehicle is going to become a collector’s item.

Sure, you are really only getting cosmetic upgrades, but they are tasteful and impactful in making this 79 Series something special. I can’t wait to see one decked out with a big canopy on the back, ready to hit the outback.

It’s not perfect, but I’m glad to see Toyota is still investing in a platform that was originally released here in 1984. If you need a no-frills heavy-duty single-cab 4WD utility that will go forever without complaint, there’s not much else like it on the market today.

2022 Toyota LandCruiser 79 single-cab 70th Anniversary edition: Specs