Almost a year after Toyota Australia halted orders for the Land Cruiser 70 Series GXL Wagon and temporarily suspended imports of the entire 70 Series line, the Japanese automaker has found a solution. The previous suspension was to await new engines that meet stricter emission standards. This engine is now ready, for the first time integrating an AdBlue injection system, which allows Toyota to confidently resume exports to Australia.

However, customers seeking the Land Cruiser 70 Series will receive both good and bad news.

The good news is that the sales ban on the automatic 76 Series GXL Wagon, effective from 2025, has been lifted. Dealerships have started accepting orders for all automatic versions of the 76 Series Wagon, 78 Series Troopcarrier, and 79 Series Cab Chassis. Production will restart in august. The bad news is that manual transmission versions are still not available for sale.

Toyota Land Cruiser 70 right-hand drive version. Photo: Toyota

Since mid-2025, the supply of the 70 Series has been scarce. Although Toyota Australia proactively ordered large quantities before the factory ceased production, the disparity between supply and demand for this iconic off-road vehicle remains significant.

Now, equipped with a 2,8 L 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine meeting the new Euro 6d emission standard, along with a 20 L AdBlue tank hidden within the chassis, buyers can expect shorter waiting times for delivery, provided they are not looking for a manual transmission vehicle.

The AdBlue injection system helps purify the Land Cruiser's exhaust by converting harmful nitrogen oxides into inert, harmless gases.

While users will incur additional costs for AdBlue solution (or DEF - diesel exhaust fluid), this change does not affect the vehicle's power. Maximum output remains 201 horsepower at 3,000-3,400 rpm, and peak torque reaches 500 Nm at 1,600-2,800 rpm.

Toyota has not yet released new fuel consumption figures (nor the frequency of AdBlue refills), but at least one version will see a significant reduction in operating range.

Moving to the new version, the 78 Series Troopcarrier will no longer feature a 180 L fuel tank. Its fuel tank capacity has been reduced to 130 L, equivalent to other versions in the 70 Series family.

This means that if the average fuel consumption remains at 9,6 L/100 km as before, the maximum travel distance of the Troopy on a single full tank will decrease from 1,875 km to 1,354 km.

The 70 Series is now 42 years old, and Toyota has not yet announced a replacement generation. A big question remains whether the manual transmission version will ever be available for sale again.

Even in the 4x4 pickup and SUV segment, manual transmission vehicles currently account for a very small market share. Major automakers like Toyota are still weighing whether the cost of maintaining and upgrading manual transmissions to meet increasingly stringent emission standards is worthwhile, or if they should completely eliminate this option to optimize production.

My Anh (via Carsales)