Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series Ute 2023 Review

We’ve reached a crossroads with the ancient but loveable Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, which is in such high demand that the order book remains snapped shut, and yet the 4x4 workhorse will soon be upgraded with long-overdue safety and tech systems. It’ll also get a new four-cylinder diesel/auto option with more grunt and better economy than the manual-only V8 oiler you see here. You can still buy one of these 2023 LandCruiser 70 utes from dealers for $100,000-plus, but should you bother? Shouldn’t you now wait and try your luck with the inevitably more expensive – and probably even less attainable – 2024 LC70? Well, no. If you must have one, then go for it.

At a time when pricing transparency is scrutinised by the Australian government’s consumer watchdog, and car companies are forced to print drive-away prices alongside their rubbery recommended retail list prices, you can throw all that out the window of the 2023 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series.

All you get on the Toyota website is “please contact your preferred dealer” and a statement about the dire supply situation, which means you can’t place an order but you can, umm, actually buy one from various dealers with only a few kilometres on the clock (making it a ‘used’ car) – if you’re prepared to pay more than $100,000 for it.

The official list price for the LC79 GXL Single Cab Chassis on test here is $76,650 plus on-road costs, but listings on carsales at the time of writing show the market price to start from about $105,000 plus statutory charges such as stamp duty. You might pay a bit less for the lower-spec GX or WorkMate, more for the equivalent LC70 dual-cab.

A fair bit of what you’re paying for here is intangible. Heritage, reputation, reliability. You’re really buying a light truck designed for hard graft and conversion. Miners, farmers, tradies and 4x4 enthusiasts all swear by them.

A big attraction is the proven 4.5-litre V8 single-turbo diesel that drives through a five-speed manual gearbox and part-time four-wheel drive system with locking diffs and low-range. This 1VD-FTV unit, too, is ripe for conversion to boost its 151kW/430Nm outputs.

Uniquely in today’s automotive landscape, you also get a tough ladder-frame chassis, live-axle front and rear suspension, 316mm of ground clearance, 3500kg braked towing capacity and a 1295kg payload now available with the recent GVM (gross vehicle mass) upgrade to 3510kg.

This MY23 update also brought a switchable autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system, which adds to the basic safety spec – a contentious area with LC70 over the past decade – comprising traction/stability control, hill start assist, electronic brake-force distribution with ABS and brake assist, dual front airbags, a driver’s knee airbag and side curtain airbags.

And thanks to ladder frame reinforcements applied only to the fleet-friendly single-cab version back in 2016, the two-door ute tested here is the only 70 Series that comes with a five-star ANCAP safety rating, albeit one that expires soon.

The GXL on test here is the only model grade with cloth trim on the ute’s bucket seats and door panels, and with carpet. The dash holds a 6.1-inch touch-screen display including sat-nav with traffic updates, a USB input (adding to two lower charging ports) and Bluetooth connectivity.

Our review car has the optional steel tray and towing kit (tow bar, ball and wiring harness), while the 16-inch alloy wheels, snorkel, side steps and chrome applied to the front bumper, grille and roof drip rails are standard.

There’s lots to like about the 2023 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, tested here in LC79 GXL Single Cab Chassis guise, but its work ethic stands it apart.

Basic, rugged, honest, agricultural at heart. Place it into a rural setting and the LandCruiser ute will revel in the daily routines like the faithful family dog. Give it a quiet open road to stroll along, room to turn, loads to shift, paddocks to cross, and all will be well.

The stock engine is brawny at low to medium revs, easily up to the task of carrying close to the maximum payload and untroubled unless it’s taken out of its comfort zone, like attempting a quick and slick overtake. The diesel’s throatiness and bellow are beautiful noises.

The ride is cushiony, visibility great, halogen headlights effective, cabin refinement better than you might expect.

The seats are spongy and comfy, the analogue instrument gauges easy to read, the steering wheel fully adjustable and refreshingly free of switchgear (just a separate stalk for cruise control). You’ll smirk when you work out that you need to lower the windows and position the door mirrors by hand.

Other throwbacks to another era raise a smile and fall comfortably to hand: the long manual gearstick, sliding temperature controls, high-mounted digital clock, powered antenna with very handy height adjustment. You can lock the glove box. Put on a CD. Hell, you can even light a cigarette and stub it out in an ashtray.

This doesn’t feel like a car you’ll trade in before the warranty expires. Of course, you may have already waited a couple of years to get into it. But even so, the 70 Series feels like it will stay in the family and be passed down through generations.

Take the 2023 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series out of this relaxed rural setting, pack it off to the big smoke, and it doesn’t transition well.

The steering is vague at best and the turning circle simply enormous at 14.4m, with four complete turns of the tiller from lock to lock. City traffic breaks its stride, the easy, languid gait disappears, the confident manner lost.

Fuel consumption is high, cruelling the 13.3L/100km we averaged out of town. The relatively easy manual shift and clutch action become a chore. Parking is a joke.

Compromises in the cabin, the sheer lack of mod cons, start to wear thin. The doors are simply too close for comfort, there’s no arm rest on the left side of the driver’s seat, no easy landing pads for phones or loose change, no lights on the lower console to locate charging points etc at night, nowhere to store bigger stuff except out in the open tray.

Don’t bother looking for automatic headlights or wipers, auto-down window control on the passenger’s side, one-touch indicators, map lights, vanity mirrors, a reversing camera or sensors. The two-speaker stereo is weak; conversations via Bluetooth can become a shouting match. The infotainment screen is small. The hard plastic surfaces are easily knocked and scratched.

Toyota is all too well aware of this, of course. The incoming 2024 update is bringing a bigger and clearer central dash display, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, a trip computer, lane departure alert, road sign assist, automatic high beam and, yes, a redesigned centre console area to properly hold your phone and other small things.

Don’t you just love the way car companies say they’ve worked hard to redesign the interior for “improved ergonomics, visual ease and practicality” – as if that wasn’t a priority before. Come to think of it, with LC70, maybe it wasn’t…

In case you haven’t heard, there’s an EV revolution coming. And there’s an electrified four-cylinder version of the Toyota LandCruiser ute you see here – without a CD player or a ciggy lighter – standing at the top of the slippery slope…

We’ll pass judgement soon enough on the incoming 2024 overhaul for the LC70, which brings significant change but doesn’t mess with the primary focus – that it’s a workhorse, fit for purpose.

We’ll also wait for emissions regulations to kill off the V8 diesel in a few years and see where that leaves Toyota’s incredibly popular – and increasingly expensive – light truck, which turns 40 next year.

The question to ask today is: What are you really waiting for?

2023 Toyota LandCruiser LC79 GXL Single Cab Chassis at a glance:Price: $76,650 (plus on-road costs) – and then some…Available: Now, as a near-new purchaseEngine: 4.5-litre V8 turbo-dieselOutput: 151kW/430NmTransmission: Six-speed manualFuel: 10.7L/100km (ADR Combined)CO2: 281g/km (ADR Combined)Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2016)

Price & Equipment

Safety & Technology

Powertrain & Performance

Driving & Comfort

Editor's Opinion

What we like

Not so much

Become a carsales member and get the latest news, reviews and advice straight to your inbox.