Toyota Land Cruiser 70

Toyota Land Cruiser 70 will be around in the future as a possible hybrid

Seldom do we see a car brand being true to the roots of its legendary models when it comes to a reboot. But now, here is Toyota trying passionately to keep a legend alive. The Toyota Land Cruiser 70 will stick around for a lot longer than we thought, as Toyota may be planning to equip it with a hybrid powertrain.

Toyota Land Cruiser 70 engines

The Toyota Land Cruiser 70 has been around for nearly 40 years. Despite the modern Land Cruiser getting regular, albeit delayed, updates, the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 has not changed much since its birth. It still goes strong in some markets, including the Middle East and Australia. In most of the Gulf, the dependable 4.0-litre V6 petrol engine is offered, while some Middle Eastern and Australian markets also get a 4.5-litre V8 turbodiesel engine. The common trait that both these engines share apart from the will-survive-a-nuclear-apocalypse reliability is the fact that they are pretty ancient.

Toyota Land Cruiser 70

These engines are finding it hard to steer around the increasingly tight emissions regulations worldwide. It needs to have a modern powertrain to push the Toyota Land Cruiser 70 to live in the future. Toyota’s VP of Sales and Marketing in Australia, Sean Hanley recently told CarSales “there’s no departure of our product plans on 70 Series.” A talk about a new hybrid powertrain for the 70 series also is doing the rounds, which is going to be a challenge as it is almost 4 decades old. Sean also did not rule out the possibility of a downsized engine.

Toyota Land Cruiser 70

Of course, both these options may not put a smile on the faces of the purists who buy this vehicle. But think about it. If this is the only way we can see this legend in the future, while it can keep its reliability and durability intact, why not?

Keep track of the latest Toyota Land Cruiser prices in the UAE & KSA buyer guide.

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