BMW 218i vs Toyota Landcruiser 70 Series

What's the difference?

The badge might say one thing, but the 2 Series Gran Coupe sticks to the time-honoured template of being a compact yet comparatively practical three-box, four-door sedan, complete with a big boot.

More importantly, it drives and behaves like a BMW – which means sufficient-to-strident performance depending on grade, athletic dynamics and pleasing refinement on one hand, as well as a stiff price and a hard ride on the other.

A true BMW in name and nature, then..

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

It looks like a house brick, it drives like a busted truck, it has less safety gear than a go-kart and fewer standard features than a shopping cart, yet there’s still so much to like about the 2026 Toyota LandCruiser 76 Series.

It’s fun to drive (if you know what to expect), it’s highly functional (for the job-site or camp-site) and one of the best 4WDs straight out of the showroom. And in GXL guise it makes a lot of sense as a work wagon or a touring vehicle.

Sure, Toyota pushes the boundaries of brand loyalty – consistently doing the bare minimum to keep buyers coming back for more – but in the case of the 76, I don’t mind that because this is one of the old-school 4WDs that should always be available.

BMW is calling the F74 a new-generation 2 Series Gran Coupe, and there have been obvious and even profound changes throughout and underneath, including to some of the sheetmetal.

But this is not an all-new car by any stretch, with the glasshouse, doors and roof amongst many other body items carrying over from the F44.

That now remarkably Kia Cerato-esque nose ushers in new LED lighting motifs and an updated kidney grille, but whether they sit easily with the rest of the car is debatable. Redesigned tail-lights, different colours and new alloys make up the majority of the exterior changes.

Betraying the latest 2 Series Gran Coupe’s newness claims are near-identical dimensions, with that redesigned front end and bumpers contributing to a 20mm increase in the F74’s 4546mm length, while revised suspension and damper settings help account for the 25mm boost in height (to 1445mm). The BMW’s 1800mm width and 2670mm wheelbase remain the same.

There’s a higher level of newness to be found inside.

The 76 Series is boxy and blocky at 4910mm long (with a 2730mm wheelbase), 1870mm wide and 1940mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 2300kg.

This is a straight-up-and-down 4WD wagon whose hard edges have been somewhat softened through the most recent significant upgrade.

The cabin retains its spacious but spartan look and feel. Function wins out over form here.

The five seats sport a hard-wearing grey cloth trim which fits in nicely with the 76 Series’ spirit of utility.

During the media presentation at its launch, BMW described the 2 Series Gran Coupe as being almost as large as a 1990s E46 3 Series, and it is in all major dimensions except wheelbase.

Plus, being a front-drive-biased/transverse engine proposition instead of rear-wheel drive should make it roomier than the F74’s iconic ancestor.

The sense getting in is that this is certainly not too low or cramped as per a more-traditional coupe, with plenty of space for legs and shoulders, while even the optional sunroof fitted to our 218 left us with headroom to spare.

The redesigned dash is a visual and operational treat, with crisp, clear instruments, a logically presented and intuitive centre display screen offering fast and easy operation, excellent ventilation and ample storage. Full marks here.

Better still, attaining the perfect driving position is possible for most people, on brilliantly supportive front seats. This is the stuff BMW does right.

Improvement suggestions for the next update? Some people may complain about the somewhat less-than-premium feel of some of the lower-lying plastic trim; not everybody will love the swatches of colour stitching (we love it); why does the steering wheel have to be so wide-of-rim? Side and rear vision is restricted by fat pillars, rising shoulder lines and a shallow rear window; and there is quite a bit of road noise that enters the cabin at speed.

Still, even the back seat is sufficiently spacious for most users, with the sole exception of taller folk having to negotiate a sloping rear roofline. If you’re below 180cm, this should be fine. Most amenities minus overhead grab handles are also fitted.

Further back, the boot is surprisingly accommodating, with 430 litres of cargo capacity that’s enhanced by a 40:20:40 split-fold backrest, and the aperture should be big enough for bulkier loads, but the lack of a spare wheel will be bad news for many buyers. The supplied tyre-repair kit is just not good enough.

But, you know what is good enough? The engines BMW builds, that’s what.

The 76 cabin is practicality maximus, albeit with a basic interior that feels like it was delivered here from the 1970s by a disco-ball-equipped time machine.

It is unashamedly purpose-built for work and in GXL guise this five-seat wagon is well-suited to job-site duties and/or touring life.

The cabin layout has a nice familiarity about it and it’s an easy space in which to quickly become comfortable.

All controls are easy to locate and operate – dials or buttons as per most Toyota cabins – and the 76 Series has a new multimedia screen. But it’s nothing to get excited about. It’s too small, too dark and it’s difficult to operate. So, that’s a fail.

The cabin is roomy, however, even if storage spaces are few and far between and some of them are small or awkwardly shaped or both.

There are two outboard cupholders, a narrow centre console bin, a cupholder and narrow smartphone spot to the left of the gear stick and door pockets. There is also a shallow shelf for something below the front passenger's outboard air vent.

It's a spartan interior, but as plain as it all is, it fits in with the 70 Series ethos of being functional.

Cloth seat and door trim retain that rough-and-ready feel the model is renowned for and there are expanses of hard plastic surfaces everywhere to endure whatever work and life can throw at them.

The carpet floor in our test vehicle was topped with rubber mats.

Storage spaces up front include a glove box, centre console with lid, dual cupholders between the driver and front passenger, pop-out outboard cupholders and door pockets big enough for a water bottle.

Rear-seat passengers each get a seatback map pocket… and that’s about it.

Front seats are as comfortable as you’d expect in a 76 Series, offering adequate rather than exceptional levels of support and comfort, and the rear seats are squeezy for adults, so better left to children.

Payload is listed as 1210kg and the expansive squared-off rear cargo area could probably cop most of that weighty burden. That space can be expanded to fit even more work or camping equipment if you tumble-fold the 60/40 split second-row forward.

Access to the rear is via the 60/40-split barn-type tailgate.

As a reference, the Ineos Grenadier Trialmaster offers very comfortable Recaro seats at the front, as well as slightly more space and comfort in its second row and more amenities throughout its cabin (as well as quirky touches, such as aircraft-style switchgear and the like).

The 2026 Toyota LandCruiser 76 Series in GXL trim, with a 2.8-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine, five-speed manual gearbox and diff locks as standard costs $77,800 (RRP).

As tested, this five-seat vehicle costs $79,293.10 (RRP) because it has an EBC brake kit (module) ($242.50, RRP, estimated fitted), wiring kit, brake controller (harness, $394.95 RRP, estimated fitted) and a towbar ($855.65 RRP, estimated fitted)

Standard features include a 6.7-inch multimedia touchscreen system (with Bluetooth as well as wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), AEB, cruise control (not adaptive), a reversing camera, lane departure alert, speed sign recognition, hill-start assist, power-operated wing mirrors and 16-inch alloy wheels.

Exterior paint choices include 'French Vanilla', 'Graphite', 'Merlot Red', 'Silver Pearl', 'Eclipse Black', 'Midnight Blue', and 'Sandy Taupe', which is on our test vehicle.

For reference, the 76’s closest rival, the Ineos Grenadier Trailmaster (with a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine), offers much more in terms of standard features onboard but has a starting price around the $120,000 mark, before on-road costs. A Ford Everest Tremor 4WD 3.0 V6 diesel auto costs around $76,590, BOC, and easily tops the 76 in terms of features and refinement and a Nissan Patrol Warrior (with a 5.6-litre petrol V8 engine) has a price-tag of $110,660, BOC, and also easily tops the 76 for features, refinement and all-round driveability.

Three F74 powertrain choices are available for Australia in 2025. And none even remotely reflect what their respective badges imply on the boot.

The 218, for instance, is not powered by a 1.8-litre engine, but BMW’s long-lived B38 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol unit. Making 115kW of power at 6500rpm and 230Nm of torque between 1500rpm and 4600rpm, drive is channelled to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (7DCT).

With a kerb weight of 1420kg, the 218 has a power-to-weight ratio of 81kW per tonne, helping it achieve the 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.6 seconds, on the way to a 230km/h top speed.

Not enough? The 220 features the ubiquitous B48 2.0-litre (not a 2.2-litre) four-cylinder turbo petrol engine/7DCT combo, pumping out 150kW at 6500rpm and 300Nm from 1450-4500rpm. Tipping the scales at 1525kg for 98.4kW/tonne, its 0-100km/h time is 7.3s and top speed is 250km/h.

Want more? Stretching to the M235 xDrive sadly doesn’t mean a 3.5-litre in-line six, but a modified B48 2.0L/7DCT duo, delivering 233kW at 6500rpm and 400Nm from 2000-4500rpm to all four wheels. Result? Weighing just 50kg more than the 220, it boasts a heady 148kW/tonne, for a 0-100km/h of just 4.9s and a 250km/h v-max.

As with all of the UKL2/FAAR transverse-engine front-to-AWD platform models from non-electric Minis through to sub-X3/3 Series BMWs, you’ll find MacPherson-style struts up front and a multi-link independent rear end out back.

If you’re reading this outside of Australia, you may notice that none of the current F74 models offer mild-hybrid tech, in contrast to their European counterparts. And don’t go expecting any manual gearboxes either, unfortunately.

This 76 Series GXL has a 2.8-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine producing 150kW from 3200–3400rpm and 450Nm from 2400–3000rpm and a five-speed manual gearbox.

It has part-time four-wheel drive and auto-locking hubs, and this GXL variant has locking front and rear diffs as standard.

OK, so is the 2 Series Gran Coupe cheap to run?

BMW reckons the 218 and 220 will average 6.3 and 6.7 litres per 100km, which means combined average carbon dioxide emissions ratings of 143 and 152 grams/km respectively.

Filling the 49L fuel tank with 95 RON premium unleaded, that translates to around 775km in the 218, and 730km in the 220 between refills.

Predictably, the M235 xDrive uses more, at 7.7L/100km for a CO2 rating of 176g/km. That’s a distance of about 635km.

Over our launch run, which took us from Sydney’s Circular Quay to Wollongong, the 218’s trip meter was reading in the high 8s and about 10 for the M235.

Official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel consumption is listed as 9.6L/100km.

Fuel consumption on my test was 11.4L/100km and that was recorded after a variety of driving (suburbs, highway, back roads and bush tracks) with a full day of 4WDing thrown into the mix.

The 76 Series uses diesel and has a 130-litre fuel tank. Driving range is 1354km (based on the official fuel-use figure) and 1140km (based on my fuel-use figure on test).

Earlier, we mentioned that the 2 Series Gran Coupe is way more expensive than fine alternative sedans like the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla.

And while that still stands, there is a remarkable solidity and refinement difference between those and the BMW that helps justify the premium. And nowhere is this more evident than from behind the wheel.

Sat on body-hugging seats and clutching that (too chunky) steering wheel, there is a sense of sporty occasion, backed up by quality trim and an aroma of expensiveness.

For a turbo three-cylinder car weighing 1.5 tonnes, the 218 does a lot with a little, offering spirited off-the-line acceleration and pleasingly lag-free throttle responses at lower speeds. You’d never call it fast, but it is a quick point-to-point urban mover. Only the unavoidable three-pot thrum lets you know you’re in the lowest mechanical spec. And, also, the delay at freeway speeds in building momentum when overtaking.

Which is why, for less than five per cent extra, the 220 with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo would probably make a better buy. Sadly, that isn’t on sale yet in Australia, so we missed out on driving it during the Sydney launch. But in the scores of other BMWs and Minis we’ve tested this in, it’s a cracking little powertrain.

Whether the big leap (nearly $25K worth) to the M235 is worth it depends on how fast you drive and how much you value/need AWD. This is a terrifically muscular machine, since it provides rapid performance via a tidal wave of power, even with the lightest flex of your right foot. On-point and on-brand, this fun and fiery flagship possesses the grand-touring spirit that the rakish design and tech-heavy engineering promise.

To that end, in both the 218 and M235, the steering makes the driver feel connected to the car, resulting in precise and controlled handling. The driver-assist safety tech is beautifully calibrated and nuanced in its intervention, and the brakes are second-to-none.

What is also on-topic for a BMW is the firm suspension, despite the adaptive dampers fitted as standard equipment.

It isn’t stiff or overly uncomfortable, but bumps are certainly always felt, and they’re accompanied by fairly constant road-noise drone over some surfaces.

As such, you’re constantly reminded that dynamic athleticism is the priority here, rather than sumptuous comfort. We’ve experienced much worse from BMW, but a magic-carpet ride isn’t what’s in store for the 2 Series Gran Coupe owner.

So, what’s our verdict then? The 218 is a rorty little tryer that never fails to involve the driver, while the M235 ushers in an elevated level of acceleration, grunt and grip. We suspect that the 220 will be the Goldilocks-zone happy medium.

For (largely) better as well as for (occasionally) worse, these drive and feel like a BMW should.

It’s a lot of fun, but be prepared to drop any expectations of comfort and safety and simply enjoy the all-in experience of driving a vehicle that steers around like an old school mini-bus and exhibits the ride and handling characteristics of a sugar-cane harvester.

From the massive throw of the big gear stick and old-armchair-like cloth seats to the low-key rumble of the turbo-diesel engine and commanding driving position, spending any drive time in the LC76 is a shedload of fun.

This is not an insubstantial wagon and it’s unwieldy on suburban back streets and parked-in city lanes, especially if you're used to driving zippy urban-friendly SUVs.

When you drive it, the 76 feels tall and narrow, but it still somehow feels well planted on the road, unless you're driving over-energetically, and you soon get used to its lumbering attitude.

Visibility is impressive all-around and that turbo-diesel offers ample responsiveness when you need it to, Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the deep rumble of the ol’ V8 but it’s pleasing, nonetheless.

Steering is truck-vague, there is body-roll when you pitch it into sharper corners and the brake-pedal action is spongy, rather than direct.

The five-speed manual gearbox is well matched to this four-cylinder engine and with the taller fifth gear sorted out a few years back the LC76 overtakes with ease and is an easy drive on open roads. Though Toyota has fine-tuned the gearbox to better suit this engine, I wouldn't mind another gear in this thing.

The 76 is noisy because it's a tall, boxy wagon that monsters its way through the air as opposed to slipping smoothly through it like a 4WD ninja. And there's wind-rush around this 76's big wing mirrors and its chunky snorkel (mounted on the driver-side A-pillar in our test vehicle).

It always feels like a window's open or a door's not shut properly in the 76 because this wagon is as draughty as an old house. But those quirks are part of this wagon’s charm and I don’t mind them, at all.

Anyway, to the off-road bit.

This is a purpose-built 4WD wagon and it remains as brutally effective off-road as it's ever been.

As standard, the 76 has part-time four-wheel drive and auto-locking hubs. And in GXL guise it has locking front and rear diffs as standard.

Off-road angles are 33 degrees approach and 23 degrees departure, as well as 290mm of listed ground clearance and a 700mm wading depth, which all check out.

Its suspension set-up – coil springs at the front, leaf springs at the rear – yields a comfortable ride over poorly maintained back roads and corrugated gravel tracks.

Low-range gearing is great and there's plenty of torque available at low revs and the 76’s 4WD set-up offers impressive flexibility when you're in low-range 4WD.

The 76 also has front and rear diff locks (dial-operated from the driver seat and standard on the GXL), as well as driver-assist tech, such as hill-start assist, to call upon.

The 76 has live axles front and rear and wheel travel is decent, so you're generally able to stretch a tyre to the dirt for more traction.

It’s worth noting the 76's wheel tracks are still set at different widths from front to rear – 1555mm wide at the front (because of the line-up's now discontinued V8 engine and large radiator) and 1460mm wide at the rear – but that’s of little consequence in general daily driving or even 4WDing.

This 4WD rides on bush-friendly 16-inch alloys, shod with light-truck construction Dunlop Grandtrek AT1 (265/70R16 115R). Good size rubber and there’s a full-size spare as back-up.

Unbraked towing capacity is listed as 750kg while braked trailer capacity is 3500kg. The 76 Series has a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 3510kg and a gross combined mass (GCM) of 7010kg.

For reference, the Ineos Grenadier offers a GVM of 3550kg and a GCM of 7000kg, so it’s a close weight race with the 76.

In terms of ANCAP safety ratings, the 2026 Toyota LandCruiser 76 Series 2.8L is unrated.

Standard safety gear onboard includes two airbags (one each for the driver and front-seat passenger), as well as driver-assist tech such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB, including pedestrian detection and daytime cyclist protection), cruise control (it’s not adaptive though), traffic sign recognition, lane-departure warning (overly sensitive and beeping annoying but minus intervention), automatic high-beam headlights (now LED), hill descent control and a reversing camera.

But it’s missing blind-spot alert, rear cross-traffic alert and driver attention warning.

In contrast, even though the Grenadier is not overloaded with safety gear and driver-assist tech it does have six airbags, reversing camera, rear parking sensors, a tyre pressure monitoring system and front parking sensors. But, again, the Grenadier costs more than the 76.

Here, however, is where BMW can do a bit better.

While the five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty is where most premium brands are, it falls short of several Asian alternatives. Roadside assistance is for just three years and there is no capped-price servicing.

Service scheduling is also condition-based, meaning the vehicle will alert the driver when a service is imminent. This may not suit everybody, and we always recommend at least every 12 months or 10,000km, just to be on the safe side.

BMW does offer pre-paid service packs that take in basic maintenance for the first five years at $2369 or $3782, including brake-pad replacement, which works out to be about $475 and nearly $760 annually respectively. There is also a cap on mileage during that time frame: 80,000km.

The 2026 76 Series is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty.

Service intervals are scheduled for every six months/10,000km (whichever occurs soonest) and it has to be said that those intervals are short compared to other vehicles.

Cost per service for the LC70 is $545 for five years or 100,000km (up to the first 10 services) for a total cost of $5450.

For reference, Ineos offers a five-year/unlimited km warranty for the Grenadier, with servicing scheduled at 12-month/15,000km intervals at a total approximate cost of $4626.