Body-on-frame, live axles with leaf springs, a manual transmission, and -above all- a big lump of a naturally aspirated diesel engine with a mechanical injection pump. If you like an utterly basic and simple truck that will get you anywhere, then this is the one for you.
A hard working representative of the venerable Land Cruiser 70-Series, as introduced in 1984. More specifically, the professional, heavy-duty line of the business.
The registered legal maximum GVM is 3,035 kg (6,691 lbs). Given its curb weight of 1,981 kg (4,367 lbs), the payload capacity is 1,054 kg (2,324 lbs).
As for me, the best part is under its hood: Toyota’s 1HZ diesel engine. An inline-six with a displacement of 4.2 liter, cast iron block and head (SOHC 12v).
All this leads to a very relaxed and relaxing 131 DIN-hp @ 3,800 rpm.
To put things into perspective, parked behind the Land Cruiser is another diesel powered Toyota, registered as a commercial vehicle: a 2006 RAV4 2.0 D-4D with a panel van-conversion.
The RAV4 is powered by an inline-four with 2.0 liter displacement (DOHC 16v), common rail injection, turbocharged, intercooled. Maximum power output 116 DIN-hp. And even that number is quite conservative for such an engine.
Parts for this truck -if needed- are available at dealerships and local smithies around the globe, regardless of how remote the area is.
Related articles:
Curbside Classic: Toyota Land Cruiser 70-Series – Built For Hard Yakka
CC Outtake: 1995 Toyota Land Cruiser KZJ73 3.0 Turbo Diesel LX – Light-Duty J70
Yes indeed that is my kind of truck, right down to the full floating rear axle. Even the steering wheel is on the “correct” side.
A reminder that while Henry Ford had the idea of a simple, rugged vehicle sold and supported all over the world, it has been Toyota that has made that idea a reality in the modern world.
I have a terrible dilemma about a truck like this. This is the kind of truck that really appeals to me. And this is the kind of truck that would be one of the most useless things I could possibly own in my life.
“This is the kind of truck that really appeals to me. And this is the kind of truck that would be one of the most useless things I could possibly own in my life.”
That about sums up my old 4Runner right now Jim 🙂 its one use case right now is I take it out to go work on my circle track neon at my friends place, as a function of my tools already being loaded in it, and because I have to consciously make an effort to drive it once a month or so.
JP, you summed it up for me as well. I’ll put Panthers on that list too- every so often I’ll put a bid in the IL state version of eBay for an old state police CV and be happy when I lose it. (Mostly because even if it’s 1500 I still have to ask my wife to drive downstate.)
The car of outback Aus, and still sold, albeit with coil front end and the V8 diesel.
Typical of CC, I’ve learnt a new thing. I always thought the straight six was the old pushrod 2H motor, dating back to the late ’50’s: I didn’t know the 1HZ was OHC.
Apparently, these un-turboed 1HZ’s (and the 2H’s) are most sought after by true mud-pluggers for their simplicity and unbreakability, though interestingly, it’s the ancient turbo 2HZ-T that’s considered the ultimate anvil.
The heavy-duty J70s were officially imported here back then, among them the pickup in the article. A few years later they were withdrawn from our market, the 4.2 liter diesel engine couldn’t meet the emission standards any longer.
The heaviest Toyotas on our market now are the HiLux (2.4 D-4D only) and the Land Cruiser 150-series, aka the Prado (2.8 D-4D only). Hino trucks are not offered.
Landcruiser diesels are pretty much bullet proof and a true 1tonne ute, there really is nothing else in this segment.
This is also the favored platform for technicals. The pickup body is rare in the US since the majority of grey imports come from Australia where the 70 series usually has either a flatbed (tray top in Australian) or the troop carrier body. I’ve only seen one RHD Landcruiser 78 with a pickup box and it was a flat sided aftermarket affair.
Once again, CC reminds me of a long ago vehicular experience. In 1997 I first tried California’s Rubicon Trail with my own Land Cruiser, an FZJ80 (gasoline 4.5 liter six in the US). My plan was to go in the easier and mostly downhill side from the West, meet up with a large Toyota off road group, in the middle of the trail and head out again before nightfall. Much easier said then done. The trip down was much tougher than expected in my stock LC, and my companion in an older stock LC decided to park and ride with me. So there was only one vehicle down through the tougher parts and would be only one coming back up. So at the meeting place, I took stock of my options. One of the folks there, from Canada with a black BJ70, the short wheelbase SUV version of this pickup, had one of the new cellular phones, about the size of a brick, analog of course. We proceeded to drive (me as passenger) in the BJ up every little peak in the vicinity in an attempt to get a signal, so I could call my wife and let her know not to worry if I didn’t get back till the next day. There was no signal, but the BJ was impressive crawling up near 45° slopes at idle. Good truck … and with high quality aftermarket suspension, as comfortable articulating over rocks as my stock, longer wheelbase coil-spring 80 Series.
Edit for the record: that should have read “the easier side … from the EAST”.
The 3rd picture reminds me of the Jeep Comanche (MJ). Another rare pickup based on a SUV.
Even before I read your post, I saw it too.
I absolutely see what you mean, but the heavy-duty 70-series never even came close to being an SUV. Note that there also was the light-duty 70-series, see link at the bottom of the article.
Interesting find – plenty of these in New Zealand, but I’ve never seen a factory pickup tray and had no idea Toyota offered one. Ours are mostly flat-decks.
Thinking back, this might well be the second 70-series with a pickup body and Dutch plates I’ve seen in the metal. The first one was many moons ago, a white one, the driver stopped for asking for directions (pre sat-nav/smartphone era).
Which means the other factory 70-series pickup is the one in the article.
Most common was the SWB with the FRP top.
I’ve never seen one of these Land Cruiser pickups in Canada, but I’d be happy to give one a home. Simple, basic, and tough – all you need in a truck.
Nice rig. It is utterly shocking how Land Rover has managed to keep their reputation intact among the masses as THE vehicle for crossing uninhabited, remote, dangerous and forbidding terrain. Who would actually choose one instead of any Land Cruiser?
Indeed.
“A Land Rover will take you anywhere you could possibly think to drive it; a Toyota will do that, and also get you home.”
When I owned my Land Cruiser (1995-2008) many non-car friends called it a Land Rover. I guess they had picked up that name from National Geographic shows or “The Gods Must be Crazy”, and it stuck. It’s not like Land Rovers were ever that common in the US, and even when they started re-importing them in the ‘80’s and they became better known, it was under the Range Rover brand.
Fun? Jeep Wrangler.
Old money – horse hauling crowd – you like to wrench? Land Rover Defender.
Work? Toyota Land Cruiser.
Also note that Land Rover never went beyond 2.5 liter displacement in the diesel Defenders. The last ones of the series had a 2.2 liter Ford diesel, prior to that a 2.4 liter FoMoCo oil burner.
Also our Nissan zamyads with Z24 engines can carry up to 5 metric tons of weight without any complains.
Land Cruiser trucks are used extensively in Mauritania to haul merchandise via dester tracks to remote villages or across the frontiers to Mali and Algeria.
they are charged up to three metric tons.This is three times the advertised payload.
The only modifications are beefed up leaf springs. all running gear are stock Toyota.
How such an overload capacity can be explained?, did Toyota intentionally overdesigned this truck?
Johannes, not related to this article but I came across this site that I thought might interest you if you haven’t seen it already – Cinecars.nl. Their Facebook page had a very interesting 28 minute video on Dutch Driving in 1959… Just FYI. Jim.
https://www.facebook.com/CineCars/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARB7w4uYYm4W7pKF2PGZV0es4QmH6h8kQbsKM4_Q6hd__CYYEGRMb6C8iA2pJmeousiVyA72_P7o78BX&hc_ref=ARSESdI5c4DN7kbLALcxVFXWohv9PpQScRLZNwLjkIhK0DavHSCi5qaFUwRIEsdpupw&fref=nf&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARA_5hAbIKZrI9cjcQWmTbapBaOVJXeMhd3ZpnrjqcCtWvPOkHjVTlfB-B332vQFjeE3CMRHKDmb5P2TlMuM-QRkyGVGHmfA4pACZFFUENl-vLxKEWRUWV_WX9swzhylx0EvEAszcHpDfEFUcGla9ZOn2rcfSmxoA2-CWWVK3kENRL3KzWLj28wMp-ubFxMisELUYCihAG_ddfsAoNZC77ExrzzlNQGO9ZCijkLQ8NAT8jy1BNr2QrUNIcbnKRhtKUCRVjlsUTxt4-wyulSBMuJYj9JtPVEcZJjvODRzy6NRATn3jDO5YGkJ-ZCMV5eoOQTbdo_vN8qMBciI5MeVW6ic8JAK0ozj4_MBh2p34ybe4WatdJ0g_KFOa34slGHJ
Thanks Jim, that was great fun! I’ve never seen that video before. Many Volkswagens of course, but also a good number of American cars and trucks! If you were wealthy in the fifties and sixties, you bought an American car.
Hub van Doorne had a Buick in the fifties. It inspired him to develop the Variomatic, leading to an affordable car with an automatic transmission for the people. So I’ve read.