EVERYONE knows the Toyota Land Cruiser. In its various iterations, it’s been around for nearly as long as CAR magazine. But it has always held somewhat limited appeal – the single-cab bakkie served farmers and overlanding companies, while the station wagon held family appeal (albeit in an unrefined package by modern standards). To bridge this gap, the manufacturer has launched a double-cab version. It sports the same payload of 920 kg as the single cab, but provides seating for five. On paper, it looks like the ideal compromise.
The 4,2-litre straight-six diesel continues the trusted Toyota mandate for this design of vehicle by avoiding the higher-stressed turbocharged and intercooled route, here sticking with natural aspiration. It produces 96 kW and 285 N.m. The non-turbo setup should prove reliable, especially in very hot African climates.
With Land Cruisers, it’s mostly about the engine and transmission. Once you’ve lifted the heavy bonnet and peer into the bay, you are met with lots of metal, a shiny black air cleaner with snap-off clips and bright plated piping. It’s old-fashioned, long-lasting, difficult-to-melt stuff with very little plastic in evidence. The starter motor looks like it could be removed with a small shifting spanner, although the alternator and air-con compressor might take a little longer. The small windscreen-wiper motor is also easy to reach and everything appears designed to be removed (how-ever unlikely) anywhere in Africa. Further back, a five-speed gearbox is easy enough to use with a very positive – if long – shifting action. Coil springing up front and leaf springs at the rear support the live axles.
The window glass looks flat but is, in fact, slightly curved to reduce unwanted reflections. The windscreen is mounted almost upright and the vehicle sits tall, which obviously affects drag at speed. But high speeds will not be a top priority for owners of the 79 and the elevated seating gives great visibility. A door switch performs central-locking duty and there is no auto locking or unlocking. The immobiliser that requires a tab to be inserted into a slot (like the Tazz of years ago) is very old school and, while these are undoubtedly reliable, it could be an irritation and some may want to know how to bypass it. The doors don’t close easily and have to be firmly pushed, while archaic cable-operated slide controls steer the air. The one modern feature is the audio/navigation system, but this has small, fiddly buttons. It does, however, sport USB and aux-in ports, and even an Audi-esque SD card slot. ABS (except in low range) and dual airbags are also standard features, while the instrumentation includes battery voltage and oil pressure gauges.
Although acceleration is, shall we say, modest, you can travel at 120 km/h on smooth roads without discomfort. Steering turns lock-to-lock are high at 4,2, and the feel is rather vague due to the recirculating-ball design that lacks the positive, direct feel of rack and pinion. Still, it only becomes an annoyance in strong, gusty wind conditions. For serious rock crawling, it helps to cushion your hands from to-and-fro jarring of the steering wheel.
The Land Cruiser must have a compulsory oil change at 5 000 km; thereafter, the intervals are set at every 10 000 km as per Toyota’s usual conservative servicing schedule. There is a three-year/100 000 km vehicle warranty with an optional service plan. Strangely for such a vehicle, the 1 HZ engine uses a rubber-toothed timing belt, but replacement is required only every 150 000 km and is likely to be fully over-engineered to put owners’ minds at rest. While some Land Cruiser variants have dual 90-litre fuel tanks, the 79 DC makes do with a single 130-litre fuel tank giving a range of around 880 km.
The front and rear diff locks are activated by a knob next to the steering wheel and free-wheel front hubs can be automatically or manually engaged. The wheels are split-rim steel versions, nostalgically finished in battleship grey paint. Tyres are 16-inchers by 7,5 Yokohama Super Hajaris and should be especially efficient in muddy conditions. Some will consider them too narrow for decent grip on wet asphalt and switch immediately to wider tyres. Curiously, this tyre is not even mentioned on Yokohama’s website. The spare wheel is mounted in the load bay for easier access. A possible problem for serious off-roaders is that the front and rear tracks are different (the front is 95 mm wider than the rear), meaning that the rear tyres have to do some additional clearing work through mud or sand.
Test Summary
This is the vehicle for cross-country adventures. It retains the Land Cruiser legendary off-road ability and rugged design, but injects a generous dose of practicality in terms of seating comfort and on-road ability into the mix. We proved this by travelling from Cape Town to Oudsthoorn and back in one day on just over one tank of fuel with a full complement of passengers. This trip returned 12,3 litres/100 km, which is pretty decent as the average speed was about 110 km/h owing to the compromised aerodynamics. The 79 proved surprisingly adept at this task and should therefore meet any serious farmer’s needs for a multi-purpose workhorse.
