The Land Cruiser J70 is a classic that you can still get new

In 1984, just before its 25th birthday, Toyota finally dared to replace the legendary J40. That Land Cruiser had proven to be an unstoppable robber, laughing right in their faces, even in the most extreme parts of the world. South America, Africa, Australia, they ran off with the Land Cruiser. The J40 inspired tough guys in the Australian outback to say this: “If you want to go into the outback, take a Land Rover. If you want to get back, take a Land Cruiser.”

It is not easy to match or even surpass such a reputation. We can now conclude that we succeeded, because the Toyota Land Cruiser of the J70 generation is still being built and is by far the longest-produced Toyota of all time. There are 38 candles on his birthday cake this year. The outdated technology soon made it obsolete for the European market, and advancing emission regulations closed the door for good. For a simple Dutchman, a new J70 was a distant dream, but now that an entrepreneur with guts has decided to import them from Japan in small numbers, things are different. If you are in the market for a Land Cruiser, then you are suddenly faced with a diabolical dilemma: do you choose the modern luxury of the latest generation, or for the solid simplicity of the ancestor?

Like a new one

It is a special experience to take a seat behind the wheel of a J70 whose odometer has not yet reached 10. Your nose immediately tells you that there is no turning back here. This car smells like a new one. The dashboard shines, all materials feel impeccable and every thread and seam of the upholstery is where Toyota intended. The same on the outside, the Land Cruiser shines like a car can only shine before it shows its first signs of use. Only the angular shapes, the lighting by means of a light bulb with a glass in front, mirrors with only glass in them and honest steel wheels with round holes betray the age of the design. The same story in the interior: under your buttocks there is fabric in a brown shade that was completely hip in 1984, the clocks are large and analog and the gear lever is even bigger, as if it wants to remind you that you still have to do the old-fashioned self-service here. to change gear.

This new J70 is available in four flavors. The 71, which is a short wheelbase and enclosed cab, the 78 which is available as a closed long wheelbase three-door and the 79, a long wheelbase single or double cab pick-up, or the 76 we drive, a medium wheelbase five-door . Under the hood is a petrol-fired four-litre V6 that does not know what ‘kilowatt hours’ are, but is all the more familiar with the concept of ‘kilowatt’. He has 176 of these in stock so that he can effortlessly move himself and everything on his towbar. The terrain under the wheels is hardly a factor.

There is no question of hybrid with this Toyota, no matter how much that technology is established in the rest of the family. However, the 1GR-FE V6 proves that the J70, despite its age, does keep up with the times. The V6 with variable valve timing is lighter and stronger than its in-line six predecessors and also provides better weight distribution. In terms of reliability, this block has already made its mark in the HiLux, the Tundra, the FJ Cruiser and later generations of the Land Cruiser. There are countless examples with half a million miles – not kilometers – on the clock and then you have to bear in mind that those cars are not exactly used on silky smooth Dutch asphalt.

Speaking of which: that asphalt immediately feels less soft as soon as the J70 starts to move. Every brand-new car has to be broken in so that everything can come ‘loose’, but this Toyota has not yet had that chance. Moreover, no matter how brand new, it is built on an old-fashioned ladder chassis with heavy leaf springs and it stands on sturdy all-terrain tires. Comfort and sportiness were not on the priority list of the engineers who developed the J70 chassis. Pulling power, sturdiness, ground clearance and protection against rocks and deserts, that was important.

That explains the feeling that the chassis of the J70 gives you, and that is reflected in the operation. The steering is indeed assisted, but does not excel in feeling. You sometimes have to look for gears and the clutch requires fit leg muscles. It all doesn’t sound very nice, with the stepless automatics and countless driving modes in mind that modern cars present us. The J70 mercilessly evokes sensations that modern cars protect the so vulnerable driver from. And that happened surprisingly quickly. As the miles go by you will appreciate the feeling. You will learn why this car has been immensely popular for forty years in the jungles of South America, the deserts of West Africa and the outback in the heart of Australia. The indestructibility of the J70 can be heard throughout the drivetrain. This gives a confidence that today’s motorists hardly experience.

In 25 years…

Entrepreneur Jan Ottevanger of Gray Collection in Klundert, Brabant, saw reason enough to import the J70 to the Netherlands. The J70’s don’t fly out of his showroom, mainly because of the price. However, there is definitely a market for it. “To be honest, driving a car like this with a yellow license plate is hardly possible,” he says. “My clients are mainly entrepreneurs. The buyers are usually people who have been driving a J70 for 25 years or more. Those cars have often driven 500,000 or more kilometers. Then they come to me for a car that they know for sure that they can use it for another 25 years without any problems. I love that. ‘See you in 25 years!’ I say. I think the J70 is beautiful. I do understand the reasons why the official importer no longer supplies this car, but I think it deserves a chance. I heartily give it to him.”

If only the government were so cordial, many Land Cruiser fans will sigh in despair. Land Cruiser driving is an expensive hobby. If you go to the dealer tomorrow and take a new Land Cruiser 2.8 D-4D Comfort home, you will receive an invoice of a good 93,000 euros. Not much later, a blue envelope from the Tax Authorities follows, which wishes to receive more than 200 euros mrb from you every month.

The D-4D may be a diesel engine, but in the Land Cruiser he still likes a liter of – increasingly expensive – diesel about every 11 kilometers. If you are an entrepreneur, and you can live without a backseat, it will be a lot more fun. In that case, you only have to pay a good 30 grand for a Land Cruiser, and the tax authorities are satisfied with five tens a month. In terms of price, the J70 is really more of a new than an old car, because it starts from 45,000 euros excluding VAT. The conversion to gray license plate is then added. If you prefer yellow, you have to count on around 130,000 euros – thanks to the bpm – to get a J70 in your driveway. Cheaper than a new one? hell no.

Choose with your heart

The choice for an old car that costs as much as a new one, or more, can hardly be called rational. Such a car simply does not fit within our national frugal way of thinking. But maybe it’s good to look over the horizon after all. Keep in mind that the J70 is very solid and has a reputation that it can hardly be broken. He takes you everywhere. Think of the rugged Ozzies and their winged saying about Land Cruisers and the Outback. Choose a car that always brings you home safely; A choice couldn’t be more rational.

Or better yet, choose with your heart. The fact that you can still purchase an iconic classic like the J70 new is unique. Do it with your loving heart, out of sentiment, do it out of sympathy for all those people in Africa and Australia who see their J70 as a life saver, or do it because your company needs a rock-solid workhorse. Our advice: do it if you can and if you want to. Any reason can be a good one. As long as it is still possible and allowed is a new one