Toyota Land Cruiser 76 test drive: make sure to check these features out.

The Toyota Land Cruiser is not only popular locally but all over the world due to its capabilities and overall reliability in the harshest of conditions. The latest model is no different as it retains most of the original recipe, however, sees a new powertrain fitted for even more power and torque. This is an important aspect to take into consideration when looking at used Toyota Land Cruiser 76 models.

 

Related: What is covered under Toyota Land Cruiser 76 manufacturer car warranty?

 

The 70-series Land Cruiser also offer customers a choice of single-cab and double-cab pick-ups which is named the 79 but is near identical to the 76 wagon model except for the body style. Also on offer are the more luxury focussed Prado and 200-series models which feature independent suspension systems to be more compliant under daily road use.

 

1. Auto-lock wheel hubs

Locking hubs were developed for four-wheel-drive vehicles to low the front wheels to rotate freely when the driver didn't require propulsion on all four wheels. This mitigated wear and tear when travelling at high speeds and throughout corners on vehicles such as the 70-series Land Cruiser that employs solid axles at the front and rear. Traditionally the driver would have to exit the vehicle to individually lock the front wheels when they required four-wheel-drive. With auto-locking freewheel hubs, this is no longer required.

 

2. Refinement updates

Do you forget that your headlamps are switched on? While for some drivers this is no big issues, for others it can become cumbersome to return to the vehicle to switch off the lights when the notice they forgot them on, even worse returning to the vehicle the next day and find that the battery has run flat. With the new Lights-On Remind Warning buzzer, this is something of the past.

Another new feature on the current 76, that was not there previously, is the standard spare wheel cover. While this might seems like a purely aesthetic update, the cover protects the wheel and the bolts which keep it in place from the elements.

 

3. Powertrain

One of the biggest updates to the 70-series Land Cruiser was when Toyota decided to fit a diesel V8 instead of the straight-6 which made it famous in the past. The 4.1-litre, naturally-aspirated, straight-six diesel that came in earlier models is capable of 96 kW and 285 Nm of torque. Now the 76 comes fitted with a 4.5-litre, turbocharged, V8 diesel motor, coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission and produces 151 kW and 430 Nm of torque.

 

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