What to do about the Land Cruiser 70 series?

He would like to suggest a few changes to the legendary Land Cruiser 70 series, says

The current Toyota Land Cruiser 70 series has been around for a very long time – 37 years to be exact. And with very good reason: it is truly a no-nonsense off-road work-horse vehicle. Very basic and very tough, it appeals to a broad spectrum of customers. The roots of the 70 series can be traced right back to the start of the Land Cruiser model from Toyota. It’s the longest-running model series for Toyota and has surpassed the 10-million-vehicles-sold mark. The Land Cruiser has its origins in a military requirement in the early 50s for the Japanese Police Force. The first series of Land Cruiser was referred to by the name “BJ” and “FJ”, and the name “Land Cruiser” was first used in 1954 in response to the “Land Rover” from Britain. In 1955, the second series was introduced – referred to as the 20 Series and 30 Series. The 20 had a short wheelbase and two doors, while the 30 was a long-wheelbase four-door wagon. In 1960, the next series was launched, and that catapulted the vehicle into global stardom. The 40 Series came in many different shapes and sizes, covering short and long wheelbases, soft top, pick-up, and wagon derivatives. To this day, this now legendary vehicle can still be found on roads the world over. IN 1967, TOYOTA ELECTED to produce a more comfort-orientated version of the Land Cruiser in wagon form, and the 50 Series was born. Over the years, this vehicle gave way to the 60, 80, 100, 105, 200, and just recently, the 300 Series models, as well as the lighter-duty Land Cruiser Prado range. The 40 Series soldiered on next to these more luxury models as the hard-core work-horse model for almost a quarter of a century. In 1984, a major upgrade happened with the launch of the 70 Series. Bear in mind that the term “70 Series” refers to many different versions within the range with model numbers from 70 to 79. Another 15 years would pass before the next major upgrade was implemented. The 70 Series name was retained, but the vehicle changed significantly in many ways. The most telling was the change from the tapered nose with round headlights to the square nose with rectangular headlights that we have currently. In its current guise, the 70 Series consists of the very limited shortwheelbase model 71 in hard and soft top, the 76 model four-door mid-wheelbase wagon, the 78 model two-door long wheelbase “Troop Carrier”, and the 79 model single and double-cab pickups. Available engines include the 4,2 ℓ straight six non-turbodiesel, 4,5 ℓ V8 turbodiesel, and the 4,0 ℓ V6 petrol. The 4,2 ℓ is the engine of choice for countries and applications where diesel quality and vehicle complexity is an issue. Here in South Africa, we have all three versions. The recently replaced 200 Series Land Cruiser featured a twin turbo version of the 4,5 ℓ V8 diesel. With the new 300 Series, this engine has been discontinued in the big wagon, and rumours abound as to what’s going to happen to the single turbo version in the 70 Series. I OWN a 76 Series wagon with the V8 single turbodiesel engine. It has enough power and torque to make light of any challenge, but it pales in comparison to modern smaller diesel engines in the likes of the current Hilux. The manual-only gearbox is also a challenge around town. Fuel consumption and emissions are best not discussed but are becoming a real issue. It’s clear Toyota have no plans to discontinue the 70 series, but they are going to have to do something about that V8 engine. It’s not an option to use the new V6 3,3 ℓ twin turbodiesel engine from the 300 series. It’s highly complex and, I suspect, may be quite sensitive to diesel quality. If I was Toyota, I would use the 2,8 ℓ four-cylinder GD6 engine from the Hilux or Fortuner. It’s a far simpler engine than the 300 Series V6. Compared to the current 4,5 ℓ V8, the GD6 has near identical power output (150kW vs 151kW) and a lot more torque (500Nm vs 430Nm). It’s also available with a six-speed automatic gearbox, which is my preference. With emissions and fuel consumption in check, this combination could very well ensure many more years of 70 Series Land Cruiser enjoyment. And while you’re at it, Toyota, how about cruise control and steering wheel controls for the radio?