The Big Daddy – Land Cruiser 79 V8 Has Landed
They say – Go big, or go home! Well, it doesn’t get any bigger than this. 4.5 litre’s of raw V8 diesel power. This, my friends, is the new King of the jungle.
Mzansi has been graced with various Land Cruisers over the years – The 70 series, in particular, had been powered by 2.4-litre petrol & diesel engines in the early days. The same engines were also used in the Hilux at the time. In 1990 the 4.2-litre diesel engine was introduced in the 70 series, and believe it or not – this engine is still used up to today! How’s that for longevity?! In Europe, the LC 70 was also available in the absolutely legendary 3.0 TD (Hilux KZTE) engine. One of my close mates still reckons the Hilux 3.0 KZTE is the all-time champion of any pick-up.
The 4.5-litre engine was introduced in 1993 and in 2007 the V8 turbodiesel was born. It’s taken all of 6 years to reach us, but for those that know the value of a Land Cruiser 70, I am sure it was well worth the wait!
For a trip down memory lane, and get an idea of the heritage behind the venerable Land Cruiser, visit this excellent page!
Discover the new Luxury Off-Roader
All new Toyota Prado 2024!
Toyota has pulled out all the stops in redesigning the Land Cruiser 250 (Prado) View more on this amazing off-roader loaded with the latest Toyota tech!
When I noticed the initial arrival of the Land Cruiser 79 V8, I couldn’t wait to pop the hood and have a look at the powerhouse underneath. Unbeknown to me, this was not your normal bonnet and I ended up having to brace myself just to get the hood up. Definitely, the heaviest bonnet I had ever lifted. If this was Bloemfontein, or some dorpie up North-West, the extra attention to the Land Cruiser 70 would be run of the mill, but here in Durban, people looked at me strangely – like I was a few bobs short of a bunny chow. But I knew, right here in front of me was a true legend. This machine has tamed a fair number of African hills over the years and is probably the most durable, indestructible off-road vehicle ever produced. Let me know what you think below! Enjoy the photos, and a short YouTube clip below – of an LC 70 uprooting a tree!
Vital Statistics Courtesy of Toyota SA
Land Cruiser 70 Series gets the much-anticipated new turbo-diesel V8 engine
- 151 kW at 3400 rpm
- 430 Nm of torque at 1200 rpm
- Flattest torque curve of all Toyota’s engines
The re-powered Land Cruiser 70 Series is the new torque king of 4WD vehicles, thanks to the adoption of Toyota’s legendary 4.5-litre 32-valve V8 turbo-diesel engine with common-rail direct injection and intercooler.
Three Land Cruiser 70 Series models – the 76 Station Wagon, the 79 Single Cab and the 79 Double Cab – are the latest recipients of this Euro IV-compliant V8 engine delivering 151 kW of power at 3400 rpm. Peak torque of 430 Nm is reached at just 1200 rpm and held all the way to 3200 rpm – the flattest torque curve of all Toyota’s engines. It boasts 55 kW more power and 145 Nm more torque than the naturally aspirated, indirect-injection, 4.2-litre, and straight-six diesel engine that still sees service in selected Land Cruiser workhorses.
The new 4.5-litre V8 turbodiesel engine is the first Toyota engine with a graphite-iron cylinder block. The use of graphite iron provides for low weight and a compact size, while resisting the high cylinder pressures of a turbocharged diesel design. The turbocharged and intercooled Quad Cam 32-valve Toyota 1VD-FTV engine uses high-pressure (common rail) D-4D direct injection.
The water-cooled turbocharger utilises a variable nozzle vane to ensure high engine output, low fuel consumption, and low emissions.
The 1VD-FTV engine has an air-to-air intercooler and dual electronic throttle valves.
The 4461cc engine has a 90-degree V angle, undersquare bore and stroke dimensions of 86.0 mm by 96.0 mm to maximise torque and a compression ratio of 16.8:1. The bank offset is 22 mm and the bore pitch is 97 mm, to create a compact block relative to the engine’s displacement.
Pricing of New V8 Range:
| Land Cruiser 76 Station Wagon 4.5 V8 D | R722,200 |
| Land Cruiser 79 Single Cab 4.5 V8 D | R645,400 |
| Land Cruiser 79 Double Cab 4.5 V8 D | R706,200 |
Pricing of The Rest of The Range:
| Land Cruiser 79 Pickup Single Cab 4.0 | R530,200 |
| Land Cruiser 79 Pickup Single Cab 4.2 D | R564,000 |
| Land Cruiser 79 Pickup Double Cab 4.0 | R599,600 |
| Land Cruiser 79 Pickup Double Cab 4.2 D | R628,900 |
What Can I Do With This Power?
How about uproot trees. No really…
i think you should win sales man of the year only toyota thats adding pictures and spending the effort and time on it good job. cant wait to get mine
(Blush) 🙂
Thanks for the wonderful feedback Travers. Please check back for more reviews, and posts!