LandCruiser ute ditches the V8.
Story Bruce McMahon Photo Toyota
Toyota’s LandCruiser ute is part legend, part enigma and all workhorse. The basic design is 40 years old, with a bare-bones cabin. It’s a noisy ride and costs close to $80,000 on the road. Yet this ageless Toyota retains a cult-like status among farmers, tradies and adventurers for its tough approach to work, in particular off-road work, and its general durability and reliability.
In 2025 one major change to the old 4WD workhorse is that the 4.5L V8 is gone, replaced by a 2.8L, 4-cylinder engine mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission in single-cab utes. Dual cabs get a 5-speed manual option.
Minor changes in the 79 Series Cruiser include cosmetic work on the grille and headlights, but this mild refresh does little to disguise the ute’s decades-old, high-stepping, bluff body shape. Entry-level Workmates run on sensible steel wheels, while the GX and GXL models sport handsome, 17-inch alloy wheels and beefier 265/70 tyres, adding a little extra muscle to the stance.
Haul up into the GX 2-door’s cabin and you’ll find wind-up windows (with old-school quarter vents), manually operated exterior mirrors, a small (and confusing) multimedia centre touchscreen (no volume knob), plus a swag of hard plastics. The automatic transmission lever sits in a new console with one cupholder, and there’s a small centre console bin and glovebox. There’s some space behind the seats, but no door pockets. The instrument panel’s retro display has a side column for trip computer and the like, while the steering wheel houses buttons for volume controls plus an ever-useful switch to turn off the lane-keeping buzzer.
Drivers sit high in this hose-out, workmanlike interior that has few bits and bobs to go wrong. Yet, surely Toyota wouldn’t be cutting into profit margins too much by adding the Camry’s auto-on headlights for instance, or a set of decent stereo speakers from the Kluger to help fight wind and road noise?
More light truck than family ute, the 79 Series LandCruiser rides on a ladder chassis frame with live axles and 2-speed transfer case. Sitting 316mm off the dirt, with front coil and rear leaf springs, it will carry 1,380kg and tow 3,500kg. Gross vehicle mass is 3,510kg.
The new engine and transmission combination – as found in the HiLux – lives up to the V8’s standards, while making the 2025 Cruiser ute much easier and more relaxing to drive. Some may miss the old V8 rumble and roar and that snick-snick of manual control over gear ratios – and fuel savings will be minimal – but this smoother drivetrain pairing is a welcome advance and around 60kg lighter than the V8.
The turbocharged 2.8L diesel puts out 150kW of power – just 1kW less than the old engine – and 500Nm of torque, a decent 70Nm more than the V8. Torque is spread from 1600rpm to 2800rpm – good for moving off and slow speed off-roading. And the responsive 6-speed auto is well organised to make best use of the Cruiser’s output, while the manual shift option is smart and decisive. But it’s no sporting drive, particularly down a wet bitumen road or in traffic. With a high centre of gravity, weight around 2.5 tonne with full tank and passengers, plus that often unwieldy recirculating ball steering and off-road biased tyres, the GX LandCruiser single cab-chassis demands some proper respect from the driver. Disc brakes all around are welcome for road control.
Whether on the highway, gravel roads or paddock tracks, this latest iteration of the LandCruiser 79 Series is a reasonably civilised ride, comfortable over good and bad roads. However, it is never quiet, the audio speakers are lousy, the infotainment touchscreen is last decade and the cabin is not well-appointed nor that spacious for a modern ute. The factory reckons fuel economy runs at 9.6L/100km, but in the outback it’ll be more like 11.5L/100km. (At least there is a 130L fuel tank.)
When the track turns tough, the 4-cylinder GX LandCruiser comes into its own – particularly with optional front and rear differential locks. Good ground clearance, sensible body with minimal overhangs, excellent torque and gearing allow the ute to climb and crawl with confidence over all manner of surfaces. It does this even with a big load and even with the vehicle’s front track – the distance between the wheels – wider than the rear.
The LandCruiser ute is an old-fashioned, expensive legend that continues to appeal for its ever-reliable working credentials, despite this latest move to a 4-cylinder power plant.
This story excerpt is from issue #162
Outback Magazine: Aug/Sep 2025
