Genesis G80 vs Toyota Landcruiser 70 Series

What's the difference?

Remember those extra-long Australian luxury sedans like the Ford Fairlane and Holden Statesman/Caprice?

The patriotic choice in an era where that mattered and further protected by tariffs on imports that made them barely any more expensive than a base mid-sized Euro like a BMW 318i, they dominated the top end of the market with their sheer size outside, vast space inside and big-six or V8 grunt.

Like they used to say, there is no substitute for cubic inches.

Well, the spirit of these beloved local social-climbing classics lives on in just one modern car in 2025, the Genesis G80. Over three generations since 2008, it has been Hyundai’s tilt at the premium establishment, in much the same way as the Fairlane and Caprice were, and Toyota’s Lexus luxury brand still is.

We take a dive into the latest petrol-powered range-topper version, the 3.5T All-Wheel Drive (AWD) Sport Luxury (SL), which gives off more than its fair share of vintage HSV Grange vibes.

Part of the undeniable charm of Toyota’s 70 Series LandCruisers is the fact they don’t change much, if at all. Sure, the much-loved V8 has been dropped from new 70s in recent years, and it now has LED headlights and a new multimedia system, but otherwise not a lot has been altered. And that’s good.

Because, in a world where everything is so slick, and everyone is so worried about offending someone, the 70 stands out as unapologetically being simply what it is: a boxy truck-like live-axle 4WD.

It's not pretty, it's not comfortable and it offers few, if any, real concessions to occupant safety. But it's very capable off-road and has a ton of potential as a handy touring vehicle.

Toyota has a bad habit of doing the bare minimum with its new-release vehicles, yet the loyalists keep coming back for more and new Toyota fans keep turning up, as well.

It seems this kind of ‘do nothing’ approach works wonders in terms of maintaining the appeal of something like the HiLux or 70 Series line-up.

But does it really? We tested the 2026 Toyota LandCruiser 76 Series in GXL trim to find out.

Read on.