Jaecoo J8 vs Toyota Landcruiser 70 Series

What's the difference?

The Jaecoo J8 is an odd car.

It’s hard to place exactly where it sits in the market. It’s premium, but very affordable. It's very big but only has five seats. And it’s petrol only, at least for now, in a world that is obsessed with hybrid or electric power.

You’ve probably never heard of Jaecoo. That’s alright it’s only new, but it’s a fresh Chinese brand with big ambitions. A more accurate description is it’s Chery’s premium sub-brand.

And the J8 is its new flagship SUV that has found a little niche that's been left in Australia’s overflowing SUV segment.

It’s about the same size as the Kia Sorento or Hyundai Santa Fe family SUVs, but the J8 is five seats only and ditches the third row for a big boot.

The interior wouldn’t look out of place if it had a three-pointed star on the bonnet but the price tag will have you thinking you can buy two for the price of one.

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.