Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series wagon 2007 review

It has its fair share of old fashions — outside, inside and underneath.

There's that square-jawed body style, a bit like a tourist jeepney bus to Penang. There's a most workmanlike, straight-lined interior. There's manual free-wheeling hubs up front and leaf springs out the back.

But the LandCruiser's 70 Series wagon will sell on substantial substance.

Explore the 2007 Toyota Land Cruiser range

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• Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series wagon 2007 review
• Toyota Land Cruiser 2007 review
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• Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series 2007 review

Anyhow, the style argument should be secondary for a go-anywhere, any-weather machine. Jeep's four-door Wrangler wagon has a no-nonsense body and the forthcoming Hummer H3 also harks back to the days when four-wheel drives were serious machines for (mostly) serious adventurers.

This is the first wagon variant of the 70 Series for Australia; until now the range was limited to cab/chassis ute and Troop Carrier. As with that pair, this four-door version is a workhorse first, recreational machine second. Part of its job is to replace the discontinued base LandCruiser 100 Series wagon.

This four-door 70 Series starts at $53,990 for the Workmate and there's a fancier GXL at $57,490. Utes start at $53,990 and the Troop Carrier at $59,990.(Airconditioning is a $2640 option, the only other option is differential locks.)

The five-seater LC76 wagon sits on a 2730mm wheelbase, compared with 2980mm for the LC78 Troop Carrier and 3180mm for the LC79 cab/chassis. All run a standard four-wheel-drive system with two-speed transfer case working through the two rigid, live axles, a five-speed manual gearbox, recirculating ball and nut steering plus 16-inch wheels.

Best of the deal is the engine used across the range — a 4.5-litre, turbocharged and intercooled diesel V8.

Modern turbocharged diesels are great engines, quieter and more flexible than ever.

The appeal is tripled with a V8. Not only is there that deep rumbling sound, there is extra torque for all sorts of jobs, city or country.

Here this common rail diesel motor produces 430Nm of torque from 1200 to 3200rpm, enough to rattle recalcitrant stumps. Power is 151Kw at 3400rpm.

Toyota reckon this engine allows for marginally better fuel consumption (and fewer emissions) than the two outgoing straight six-cylinder diesels, naturally aspirated or turbocharged.

Fitting the V8 has helped dictate changes to the 70 Series machines' style, all-new from the windscreen forward. The LandCruisers' track is wider so there's a new bonnet, new front guards, headlights, grille and bumper plus a wide bonnet bulge for air to the intercooler.

There is also a standard snorkel and on GXL models, along with some chrome touches, there's a little fancy guard flaring to accommodate the wider alloy wheels on GXL versions.

Changes inside are limited to a CD player with MP3 capability for all models and repositioning of the airconditioner blower. Otherwise this is pretty much back-to-the-future with traditional dashboard, instruments and controls that date back a decade or so. It is old school but, as usual with Toyota, bolted down right and tight.

There are no airbags but GXLs score carpet, remote locking and power windows. There is also decent accommodation with good headroom throughout and a full-size rear luggage compartment; the spare wheel sits on the outside of the bigger of two barn doors at the rear.

So there are no real surprises climbing up into a GXL 70 Series wagon.

Maybe the seat's a bit high for taller drivers and maybe the gearshift here on this one was a bit notchy, maybe the stereo speakers are a bit tinny but for the most this is all familiar Toyota territory.

That V8 fires up with a polite throb, sounds like it means business from the outset with a mini-Kenworth attitude. With all that torque arriving pretty early (and peak power not far behind) a driver can run through the five gearbox ratios smartly, with care not to have the rear tyres protesting from a too-smart take-off.

For the V8 does not need a big dose of revs to keep moving and can sound a little perturbed when run hard through to the 4500rpm redline.

Better to short-shift and let all that torque do the work. This is handy around the town, down the highway and out in the scrub for once rolling, the diesel is quite flexible.

Over a mixed week of work, from suburbs to scrub, the 70 Series wagon returned just over 12 litres for 100 kilometres.

In the bush the Cruiser's engine and gearing gives the driver a tonne of confidence — whether facing a steep, scrabbling climb, walking over creek boulders or pointed down a steep descent. (This one had front and rear differential locks, a $2735 option, but given this wagon's innate off-road abilities those locks would be for real serious work.)

This is a machine which inspires confidence, a go-anywhere machine that will tackle the worst of terrain without concerns about body panel or personal damage.

Good ground clearance, excellent engine and transmission, square body corners and basic, easy-to-understand controls mean a driver can get on with the job of driving without wondering about the worth of fancy electronic aids.

There are compromises. Back on the road the Toyota 70 Series wagon is not as sweet as fancier SUVs. The ride height accentuates a bit of body roll and understeer, the rear leaf springs are not as smooth riding as a 100 Series set-up.

It is more trucklike than carlike. But that's the trade-off for a four-wheel-drive wagon that delivers no-nonsense four-wheel-drive ability — with the bonus of that smart V8 diesel.

The 70 Series wagon will not appeal to many of the new crowd of SUV buyers. For the traditionalists and those really needing to get places, this LandCruiser has substantial appeal.