Toyota Land Cruiser LC70 Ute — mum gives it the sign-off.
There’s something so romantic about the 70 Series Land Cruiser. No, they’re not affordable, no they don’t have any creature comforts, and no, they are not too comfortable to ride in, in factory trim. So, the big question is, why then? Why is the LC70 Land Cruiser platform sold out and only available on backorder at every dealer in New Zealand? Why is the used car market demanding a premium, over and above what they are new? Grab a hot chocolate or whatever warm drink you’re feeling these days, and let’s have a wee chat about it.
Alright, you’ve all seen the high-dollar influencer builds online, you’ve seen the LC70 platform on farms throughout New Zealand and the world, and you’ve seen every concrete layer and his Golden Retriever with one. They’re everywhere, and everyone wants one, but, just why? This may or may not be going where you’d think it’s going — this is our opinion as a motoring journalist, and as a Land Cruiser enthusiast. Biased? Well, potentially a smidgen.
We’ve had both the ute and the wagon variant of the 70 Series over the last couple of weeks, thanks to Toyota. I’ve had long-term Hilux company vehicles, and we’ve got Hilux and Land Cruisers in the family, so I was seriously looking forward to driving these back to back. I had driven an all-factory V8 ute in the past and regrettably felt underwhelmed with it (in factory form), so was eager to compare the new 2.8-litre 1GD-FTV engine to the famed, eight-cylinder big dog the internet loves so much (and, well, us).
I had heard good things about it from reviews online so when the keys came our way for a gunmetal gray double-cab ute, complete with flat-deck and the world’s best factory steel wheel, it’s safe to say our still-shiny Red Bands were trembling.
Ohhh, factory lockers front and rear — lovely, we’ll need to try those out on the farm later but first, let's make use of those new cupholders, head out to Piha and see how the ute performs on twisty and wet roads — the prize being a coconut latte at the other end. I can’t help but feel the factory-fitted 95-profile, 225-wide Dunlop does not do the Land Cruiser platform wonders on the road, or without a load. It’s a commercially-rated tyre, but the amount of side wall movement is ah, how should we put this, mind-bending. Corners have to be planned three business days in advance, with charts stolen from your grandad’s decrepit yacht that has been sitting beached at his local beach for the last 27 years.
However, the saving grace — the transmission. Oh, and the new engine. It’s incredibly torquey, with bundles of power down low, making hilly terrain an absolute breeze. It’s better than the V8 in factory form, but we’d have to try this engine in a manual variant to truly compare it — without a torque converter. Coconut latte unlocked, the next mission was to get this ute out onto the farm. Luckily, we’ve got one in the family — off to mum’s place to try out the lockers and to see what she thinks, as she’s more qualified than I am to comment on a ute’s function, on a farm.
Front and rear lockers engaged, hay bales placed on the back, overweight Labradors at the ready — it was time to see if we could get the ute stuck. We couldn’t. No tyre pressure adjustments were made, just the engagement of 4WD and the locking differentials in various stages. Well folks, I think we found the use for this ute — here we were, thinking people bought these to go and buy coffees, and to post photos on Instagram.
“It’s the ultimate farm ute,” Mum tells us, in her opinion after spending some of the day in it. For credibility sake, she owns a KUN26 Hilux with over 300,000kms, that I clean once a year around Christmas when it leaves the farm. In her eyes, the function and lack of creature comforts are what she’d actually pay for. Vinyl floors dirty? Hose the buggers down with water from the horse trough — perfect.
It was all starting to make sense now. In factory form, as it sat, the tyres are rated to tow her horse trailer. It can carry the dogs, the hay, the load of gravel, the kids to school, and grudgingly collect your coconut latte on a Sunday morning if that’s what you’re yearning for — oh, and it’ll likely do it for the next 40-plus years without any problems, idling away happily as you open the gates, again.
The incredible part about the ute platform is that they’re so easily modified to whatever loadout you’re keen on. It could be a complete camping setup, farming, or engineering/builders setup — the way it is from the factory is more than capable, yet lends itself to customisation. We’re still not sure why the track-width on the rear axle is so narrow, but we might just figure that out one day. However, what you’re paying for in our eyes, is the platform. It has solid axles front and rear, front and rear locking differentials, and the aftermarket and factory support for upgrades and parts supply is staggering. Sure, the top-spec GR Hilux is quite a bit cheaper and features a heap more creature comforts, but it’s an IFS vehicle and not as rugged.
The LC70 Land Cruiser ute, would you own one? Go on, you would.
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