Not every Toyota LandCruiser wagon is a sophisticate. Meet the spartan LC76…
In a world where electric vehicles are accepted and autonomous driving is part of our future, some vehicles don’t just buck the trend, they positively reject it. Like hermits, they decry modern technology and head for the bush. The rougher the better. Such a vehicle is the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series wagon, or LC76 as it’s widely known. While the 300 Series LandCruiser scales new heights of tech, the LC76 offers a relatively simple combination of V8 diesel pulling power and immensely capable 4×4 system to carve an age-defying niche.
Time to go hard-core
The 2022 Toyota LandCruiser LC76 wagon is a member of a family of hard-core 4×4 workhorses dubbed the 70 Series.
There’s also the LC79 single-cab, which is the biggest seller, the LC79 dual-cab and LC78 Troop Carrier. The 70 Series traces its Australian history back to 1985 when it replaced the 40 Series. The LC76 arrived in 2007.
Since 1985, the family wagon we usually think of as the LandCruiser has progressed from 60 through 80, 100, 200 and the just-launched techno-beast that is the 300 Series.
While you won’t get into a 300 for under $100K, the LC76 will set you back $67,400 plus on-road costs for the WorkMate and $72,175 plus ORCs for the GXL we’re testing here.
That’s based on the manufacturer’s list price; the open market has a way of pushing things quite a bit higher at the moment.
No doubt the LC76 sounds a bargain compared to the 300, and if you’re only interested in pure off-road mountain goat ability then you’ve got a case.
We say that because the LC76 has a simple and effective mechanical package that includes a hefty 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 engine, a five-speed manual gearbox (no auto option), part-time 4×4 with high- and low-range and locking front and rear diff, all riding on live axles and a ladder-frame chassis.
But there is a massive gulf in equipment levels that indicates just how close to 1985 the LC76 (and its 70 Series brethren) remain.
The GXL’s equipment list includes front fog lamps, 16-inch alloys, aluminium side steps, a remote key, cruise control, power windows, air-conditioning, satellite navigation with SUNA traffic channel, AM/FM radio, Bluetooth streaming (all via a 6.1 touch-screen introduced in 2020), a CD player, three USB ports, reach- and rake-adjustable steering column and, erm, that’s about it.
The external mirrors are adjusted manually, there’s no height or lumbar adjust for the driver’s seat and there is one cup holder in the entire vehicle. Apple CarPlay or Android Auto? You’re dreaming.
You might think, ‘Okay I can live with that’, but the safety story is even thinner, as we’ll get into in a second.
But just to wrap the dollars and sense stuff first. The LC76 carries a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. It is serviced every six months or 10,000km and is covered by capped-price servicing that tallies up to $2160 for the first six services.
But the next four services will cost you more than $3000!
Paper-thin safety
We said the safety story with the 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series GXL wagon was pretty thin. It’s paper-thin by modern standards.
Dual front airbags, stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes and… that’s about it when it comes to big-ticket items.
Some of the kit that is there is from another age.
For example, there’s only a lap belt for the centre-rear passenger and no head restraint. The headlights are halogen rather than more powerful LEDs.
There’s no autonomous emergency braking (AEB), no lane keep assist, no rear cross traffic alert. Hell, there’s no reversing camera or parking sensors. In this vehicle you’re very much on your own.
There’s also no ANCAP rating. Only the LC79 single-cab gets that and it’s a full five stars based on 2016 protocols.
None of the other 70 Series models got a rating because only the 79 boasts a group of key features including a stronger ladder-frame and the addition of side curtain airbags and a driver’s knee airbag and under-dash padding.
The good news is the 70 Series is in for a significant upgrade within the next 12 months that’s tipped to boost safety.
Nothing complex
There’s nothing too complex about the 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series GXL wagon technical package.
At the base of the LC76 is a box-section steel ladder-frame with cross braces bolted to a squared-off steel body that has 60/40 barn doors and a full-size spare tyre hanging off the back.
Inside, there are two bucket seats up front, with a bench mounted quite close behind. It can fold or flip forward (after removal of the two outboard passenger head restraints).
The 1VD-FTV 4461cc V8 engine has been a LandCruiser staple since 2007. It comes in single-turbo form in the 70 Series and with two turbos in the 200 Series wagon.
Based around a compacted graphite iron block and aluminium alloy heads, it’s a direct-injection engine with double overhead cams, 32 valves, gear and chain drive and a particulate filter.
It makes 151kW of power at 3400rpm and 430Nm of torque from 1200-3200rpm. The fuel consumption claim is 10.7L/100km across the range.
We averaged just under 12L/100km with plenty of highway running. Combined with the 130-litre tank that gets you 1000km between full refills.
The five-speed manual has short gearing – 1800rpm in top gear at 100km/h – that makes first redundant in most on-road situations and allows you to launch in second. It really comes into its own off-road, where it can amble along in first on compression alone.
Speaking of off-road, the part-time 4×4 system comprises both high- and low-range, active traction control, front hubs that can be locked manually or automatically and front and rear locking diffs. The entire system can be operated via a lever in the cockpit.
There is no shift-on-the-fly function. If you want to change from 2Hi to 4Hi you have to stop. Hill start assist helps with moving off on steep ground.
Completing the mechanical package are live axles front and rear, coil springs up front and leaf springs at the rear, hydraulic power-assisted recirculating ball and nut steering and ventilated disc brakes front and rear.
So to some key LC76 numbers. It is 4910mm long, 1870mm wide, 1940mm high and has a 2730mm wheelbase (the shortest of any 70 Series).
Next we get to a 70 Series anomaly. Since the V8 was introduced the front track was widened so it fits in the engine bay. In the case of the LC76 GXL, the front track is 1555mm and the rear 1460mm.
It does cause issues in soft sand especially, because the rear tyres aren’t running over the compacted surface created by the front and can more easily get stuck. There are kits to fix this issue, but really Toyota should have addressed it at development.
Anyway, more figures. The running ground clearance is 230mm, the wading depth is 700mm (although the LC76 comes fitted with an A-pillar-mounted snorkel), approach angle is 33 degrees and the departure 23 degrees.
The LC76 GXL weighs in at 2265kg, has a GVM of 3060kg and a GCM of 6560kg. The braked towing capacity is an excellent 3500kg.
Memories
Being handed the keys of the 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series GXL wagon conjured up unhappy memories of the last 4×4 throwback I tested, the previous Land Rover Defender.
It was so bad it got a fail (43/100) and after a few days battling with this recalcitrant antique I gave up, parked it in the driveway and stole my wife’s Mazda2.
Land Rover fans baked me for admitting that then and they’ll no doubt bake me again now.
Well, go and drive the LC76 wagon and you’ll discover a vehicle doesn’t have to lose its strengths in the process of addressing its weaknesses. It’s a superb off-roader but it’s also not a complete and utter chore to drive on-road.
That big engine is tractable, enthusiastic and sounds chunky good. The manual change and clutch weighting is tuned for humans and not circus strongmen.
The ride is surprisingly comfy in a rollicking sort of way. Inputs are very rarely sharp or shocking.
You make progress with some semblance of sense. There’s a commanding view forward, sideways and rear, through massive sheets of glass.
But let’s not get carried away. The steering is slow and only approximate – turn the wheel and it will go vaguely where you want to go – and the basic handling tune is early-onset understeer.
Around town it’s not the easiest car to manoeuvre, something exacerbated by the 12.6-metre turning circle and the lack of audio and visual aids.
There’s plenty of audible intrusions in the cabin, be it engine, road, tyre, wind or gravel splatter. The LC76 doesn’t really do NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) damping. You really live the experience.
In the case of our test car, it was exacerbated by the accessory rack rattling away in the wind.
The cloth-trimmed front seats are neither generous in size nor support, the rear bench is scrunched up too close to the front seats to allow adequate legroom for adults.
The good thing is this leaves masses of luggage area that can be personalised with stowage lockers, drawers and the like for those long trips far from civilisation.
Speaking of storage, there’s not much. The door pockets are so small it’s a wonder Toyota even bothered. But there are ash trays front and rear. Good grief!
At least there’s no shortage of floor space to throw stuff. And the GXL even gets carpet on the floor. The WorkMate is hose-out.
Obviously, where the LC76 really shines is tackling serious off-road challenges. It’s got the ground clearance and articulation to back up the engine and 4×4 system.
Appropriately challenging obstacles were dispensed with easily, the LC76 chugging up and over without breaking stride. I admit to getting bogged once when an apparently hard-bottomed water crossing proved brittle under 2.3 tonnes.
Thanks, Brett, for towing me out, using his LC79 of course!
Horses for courses
It’s easy to understand why the 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series wagon and other models in the range are such favourites out in the great Aussie countryside.
The LC76 is built solid, it goes almost anywhere and if it does break, there’s usually a relatively simple way to fix it. If only it still used carburettors…
But most of us don’t live in the country, or at least in places where traffic gridlock is not a common part of life.
So as much as the LC76 is an admirable off-roader, it’s moderate on-road skills and inexcusably inadequate safety equipment make it a vehicle most of us shouldn’t contemplate owning as an everyday drive.
To cross the Simpson? Now that’s a different story.
How much does the 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series GXL wagon cost?Price: $72,175 (plus on-road costs)Available: NowEngine: 4.5-litre V8 turbo-dieselOutput: 151kW/430NmTransmission: Five-speed manualFuel: 10.7L/100km (ADR Combined)CO2: 248g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested
Keyword: Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series Wagon 2022 Review