How popular is the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series?
Media and marketing can often skew the perceptions around certain makes and models, making them appear more popular than they are. We find out if the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series is as popular as modern media would have you believe.
Depending on who you ask, the Toyota Land Cruiser is either past its expiry date or still the best thing since sliced bread. This will naturally depend on where the person you're asking lives; in and around the city, the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series doesn't make much sense, but out in the more rural areas, farmlands and bush, there's not much that comes close to the legendary Toyota Land Cruiser.
Related: Toyota Land Cruiser 79 vs Volkswagen Amarok vs Ford Ranger: Which one has the lowest running costs?
The infamous 'Cruiser was recently updated to see the model range include a smaller but equally powerful 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine. Not only does this engine run quietly and smoothly, but it helps reduce the overall fuel consumption of the utilitarian vehicle. This 2.8 engine is paired solely with a 6-speed automatic gearbox, further enhancing the appeal of this variant in markets where traffic is encountered or where consumers are just looking for a little less fuss.
Is the Land Cruiser 70 Series popular?
To answer this question, we turn to the monthly NAAMSA sales reports. These reports look at the sale figures for models in a brand's range and give an indication of how well the model fares against the opposition. The Land Cruiser is primarily available as a station wagon and as a pickup or bakkie in both single and double-cab configurations. The station wagon is a rather unique offering and has no direct market competitors. The pickup, with its rather unique approach, only truly competes against the likes of the Ranger, Amarok, D-Max, Triton, and similar single and double cab offerings.
The Land Cruiser 76 Station Wagon is the less popular of the range, usually only moving a handful of examples each month. Sales figures for the Land Cruiser 79 in both single and double cab configurations are also not astronomical, ranging between 100 and 400 units per month. This makes it less popular than the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, and Isuzu D-Max but puts it on par with the likes of the Nissan Navara and Volkswagen Amarok and convincingly higher than the Mitsubishi Triton.
