For the first time ever, Toyota South Africa introduced The Land Cruiser 79 double cab with a six-speed automatic gearbox powered by the much respected and more fuel efficient, 2.8-litre GD-6 turbo diesel engine.
It is indeed great news for customers who love this model, which has always been on manual gearbox since inception in the 1950s. Now you can combine the ruggedness, sophistication and driving simplicity.
The Land Cruiser 79 is built to get you where you are going, may it be to Nyanga forest plantations, to Mutare’s mountainous roads, to your gold mine in Kwekwe or to your sugar cane farm in Chiredzi with very muddy roads.
All the double cab Land Cruiser 79 models are four wheel drive and feature a 4-position 4-wheel drive transfer lever, to give you the maximum control.
Making its debut in the Land Cruiser 70 series, is the Toyota’s celebrated 2.8-litre four-cylinder GD diesel powerplant, cranking out 150kW of power between 3 000 and 3 400rpm and an effortless 500Nm of torque between 1 600 and 2 800rpm, which is exclusively paired with a lightweight, high efficiency six-speed auto transmission.
The Land Cruiser 79 double cab is also offered in a 4.2-litre naturally aspirated diesel engine that puts out 96kW at 3 800rpm and 285Nm at 2 200rpm and a 4.0-litre petrol engine that puts out 170kW at 5 2500rpm and torque of 360Nm at 3 800rpm. Whatever your preference, you can’t go wrong with the Master of Africa.
I know for certain that there is a huge celebration from the ladies who didn’t fancy driving the manual models because changing gears is not a piece of cake for the majority of female drivers.
With the availability of this model now ladies can take children to school with this vehicle and shoot straight to the farm and delivery some necessities to the workers and drive back in time to pick them after finishing sports around 1600hrs.
It is already known that ladies are the “finance directors” at home and if you want to buy it immediately it takes two weeks from South Africa and the price tag l see is around R1,009,000 before export documentation, delivery costs and taxes in Zimbabwe.
I am yet to see any adverts of the same model in Zimbabwe to confirm if it is now readily available from the local dealerships.
Although the option for owners to convert their manual gearbox units to automatic was available in South Africa in the aftermarket for the J70s powered by a 4.5-litre V8 turbo diesel engine, but l doubt if it was officially approved by the Toyota parent company.
And more importantly it was too expensive for the majority of owners to afford it.
So l see that Toyota has sought of listened to the market demands and saved its customers from the exorbitant costs to turn the vehicle into automatic transmission.
This Land Cruiser 79 double cab now wears a bold, new front fascia with retro-inspired looks that hark back to the original model.
Classic circular headlights and LED fog lamps complement the new bonnet, front wheel arches, bumper and grille that proudly displays Toyota across it.
Prominent side indicators complete the front redesign.
The wheel surface coating has been changed to dark grey metallic paint, while the bumper and grille has been redesigned to feature a black finish – all reinforcing the sense of solidity on all models. The Land Cruiser 79 double cab looks as it performs.
The wonderfully traditional Land Cruiser 79 double cab interior retains all its functionality with standard items like air conditioning and electric windows (one-touch for the driver), but with a few distinctly modern touches.
The double cab features Bluetooth. All 2.8-litre models in the range get a new front console as part of the automatic transmission package.
The Land Cruiser 79 double cab’s interior maintains its classic style, while adding convenience to match the modern world. ease throughout the ride
The spacious interior has refined comfort that awaits the driver and the passengers offering plush seating, automatic air conditioning and intuitive controls.
It has abundance of storage space and connectivity options with three USB ports and invites convenience and relaxation.
The Land Cruiser 79 double cab has a ground clearance of 235mm above, allowing the vehicle to sail over obstacles with confidence, making it easy for you to explore everywhere.
Driver and front passenger airbags are standard on the Land Cruiser 79 double cab, while the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) prevents wheels from locking up when driving on slippery surfaces and the standard rear differential provides extra traction for the rear-wheels to help you negotiate out of sticky situations.
For security and peace of mind, all models are now fitted with an alarm/immobilizer system.
Further driver support systems in the form of Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Hill Assist Control (HAC), Traction Control (TRC), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Brake Assist (BA) and Downhill Assist Control (DAC) come standard on the 2.8 models.
However, for the “diehard” manual gearbox drivers you still can choose the 79 4.2D-4D V8 or the 79 4.5D-4D V8 manual transmission on this 79 series model.
I know the biggest question customers have is about the power between the 2.8-litre motor against the 4.5-litre V8? In fact, the 2.8-litre competes very well because it only produces 1 kW less (150 kW), but steps ahead of the larger unit by 70 Nm (500 Nm).
By the way it is actually lighter, more fuel efficient that means it is kinder to the environment. Another source of comfort for you is to be informed that generally the technology of engines is focusing on reducing the engine sizes.
The 2007 Land Cruiser 200 series was a 4.5-litre for the diesel engine and 4.6-litre for the Japanese petrol engine but the latest 2024 Land Cruiser 300 series diesel engine is a 3.3-litre and the petrol version is a 3.5-litre.
The 2014 Ford Ranger Wildtrak was a 3.2-litre on the diesel engine and the 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor diesel is now a 2.0-litre bi-turbo engine.
Therefore, the 4.2 and 4.5-litre V8 on this 79 double cab is surely going to be phased out eventually.
*Stanley Makombe has 24 years’ experience in this industry, provides online Car Sales Training and Business Coaching to entrepreneurs struggling to run profitably. He is writing in his own capacity and can be contacted on +254 743 900 590, on X @Stan_Carsales; email: stanley@stanleymakombe.com, www.stanleymakombe.com