Toyota quashes four-pot LandCruiser rumour

TOYOTA Australia vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley has quashed rumours that the 70 Series LandCruiser will receive the 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine from the HiLux when it is updated later this year.

Mr Hanley said he was not aware of any plans internally to separate the money-can’t-buy ‘70’ from its tried and tested 4.5-litre V8, despite claims to the contrary made in a report by Japanese publication Best Car Web as well as the obvious torque, fuel economy and emissions benefits of downsizing to four cylinders.

The LC70’s VD-series (4461cc) turbo-diesel produces 151kW and 430Nm in Australian delivered models and is matched exclusively to a five-speed manual transmission. The combination offers claimed combined cycle fuel consumption of 10.7 litres per 100km and CO2 emissions of 309 grams per kilometre.

According to Best Car Web, the LandCruiser would be fitted with the 1GD-FTV HiLux-sourced engine paired exclusively to a six-speed automatic. In the Australian market HiLux, HiAce and LandCruiser Prado variants, the unit develops 150kW (-1kW) and 500Nm (+70Nm), consumes 8.4L100km (combined) and emits 242g/km of CO2 (combined).

It is expected that, if true, the update would bring no change to the 70 Series’ braked towing capacity, currently 3500kg.

“I’ve heard the rumour … and I can say that it hasn’t come from within our organisation, and I say that being a holistic organisation, a global company. There is no foundation to the rumour that I am aware of,” said Mr Hanley.

“What I will say is that if you go back over history, you will see that we have introduced smaller capacity engines before, and often when it was unpopular to do so. And these engines have proven themselves, often in a market where six- and eight-cylinder engines were the norm.

“And history proved that people did change over to four-cylinder cars, they transitioned as the technology proved itself – and they’re still buying four-cylinder cars today.

“My second point is that people are still buying the LandCruiser regardless of what powertrain we put in it, because the technology has advanced a lot in four- and six-cylinder engine technology – and in turbocharging, electrification, and hybridisation. There’s a lot of advanced technology we can choose from.

“And I believe that Australian consumers will go to whatever powertrains we offer on one provision – it continues to provide the ability to do the things they want to do with their car. They won’t necessarily care what’s under the bonnet, as long as it is proven to be capable.”