Toyota recently added its popular 2.8-litre diesel motor to the Land Cruiser 70 Series, and it appears to have divided opinion among fans; however, now that there's a more frugal motor in the range, the Land Cruiser now plays in the same segment and admittedly more modern, but less robust options such as the new Volkswagen Amarok and the Ford Ranger. While not rivals in a traditional sense, the Land Cruiser is now a similar price to the Amarok V6 Style 4Motion and Ranger Wildtrak X 4WD while also featuring diesel engines, so let's see how their respective running costs compare.
Related: Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series (2024) first drive review - Smaller engine, more appeal
The figures
Toyota Land Cruiser 79 2.8 GD-6 double cab | Volkswagen Amarok 3.0TDI V6 double cab Style 4Motion | Ford Ranger 2.0 BiTurbo double cab Wildtrak X 4WD | |
Engine size | 4-cyl, 2.8-litre turbodiesel | 6-cyl, 3.0-litre turbodiesel | 4-cyl, 2.0-litre turbodiesel |
Power/Torque | 150 kW/500 Nm | 184 kW/600 Nm | 154 kW/500 Nm |
Gearbox | 6-speed auto | 10-speed auto | 10-speed auto |
Seats | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Airbags | 2 | 7 | 7 |
Kerb weight | 2 245kg | 2 192kg | 2 384kg |
Towing capacity (braked) | 3 500kg | 3 500kg | 3 500kg |
Fuel capacity | 130-litres | 80-litres | 80-litres |
Claimed consumption* | 9.7 L/100 km | 8.4 L/100 km | 7.5 L/100 km |
Service plan | Opt | 5-year /100 000km (maintenance) | Opt |
Price | R 1 009 000 | R 1 030 100 | R 1 039 500 |
*Claimed fuel consumption
Comparing the trio
Purchase price
The models we have chosen for this comparison are competitors in terms of off-road ability and pricing. Monthly instalments are calculated throughout 72 months with a 10% deposit and no balloon or residual. The interest rate is set at 12%.
We have added the price of a 5-year/75 000km maintenance plan to the Ford(R27 060.65), and the cost of a 9-year/900 000km service plan to the price of the Land Cruiser was quoted at R65 854.36 once off, or R3 219.18 per month, but for our purposes, let's bundle it together. The Toyota plan is valid for 9 years/90 000km, but it is important to note that this is a service plan, not a maintenance plan as an option on the Ford and as standard in the Volkswagen. The benefits of a maintenance plan, particularly when looking at our standard five-year ownership cycle, for these comparisons is that items such as brake pads and discs are covered (among others), representing a significant cost within the ownership cycle.
Toyota Land Cruiser 79 2.8 GD-6 double cab
The Cruiser will work out at R18 912 monthly with the instalment parameters over 72 months.
Volkswagen Amarok 3.0TDI V6 double cab Style 4Motion
The Amarok will work out R18 125 monthly with the instalment parameters over 72 months.
Ford Ranger 2.0 BiTurbo double cab Wildtrak X 4WD
The Ranger will work out at R18 766 monthly with the instalment parameters over 72 months.
Fuel consumption
Our contenders all feature different drivetrains, with the Land Cruiser now featuring a turbodiesel engine and a 6-speed automatic gearbox from the Fortuner and Hilux. In contrast, the Amarok features a V6 turbodiesel motor paired with a 10-speed auto, while the Ranger features the same 10-speed automatic gearbox but a 2.0-litre bi-turbodiesel engine. All three feature four-wheel drive and will be very competent off-road. Still, when it comes to fuel consumption, from our experience, it is the Ranger that will be lightest on fuel, but not by much over the Toyota, and then the reasonably thirsty V6 in the Volkswagen. At the Land Cruiser launch event recently, the consensus was that 10.0 L/100km was achievable in the new four-cylinder model. At the same time, our experience in the V6 Amarok has yielded around 11.8 L/100km in testing, with the Ranger coming in. at around 9.8 L/100km in our testing.
Service plans
Service plans are optional in both the Toyota and Ford in this instance, while the Volkswagen sports a solid 5-year/100 000km maintenance plan. The Ford maintenance plan costs were quoted at R27 060.65 when writing, providing 5-years/75 000km of coverage. The service plan in the Toyota , at the time of writing, would cost an additional R65 854.36.
Verdict
Looking at the data, the competition is far closer than we had anticipated, considering how different the powertrains within the range are. Over a five year ownership period, we would anticipate that the Ranger, in this instance, would be the cheapest vehicle to run by virtue of its fuel consumption advantage, but its margin of victory is slim at best.
