Prospecton, Durban - Caught between the rock of falling rand value and the hard place of rising costs, Toyota has sweetened the pill of unavoidable fourth-quarter price 'adjustments' by adding some practical new features and a couple of cosmetic updates to its long-running Land Cruiser 70 Series workhorse.
The most important, mechanically speaking, is that 79 single cabs, 79 double cabs and 76 station wagons with V8 turbodiesels now have auto-locking free-wheel hubs - which means you no longer have to get out to lock the wheel hubs.
All 70 Series Cruisers also get a lights-on reminder with a buzzer - no more flat battery when you forget to switch the lights off!
The 79 double cab now comes with rear over fenders (that's the extra plastic trim around the wheel arch that allows for wider tyres without infringing roadworthy regulations) and 16" alloy rims instead of steel hoops - which actually makes life simpler for Toyota's parts managers because the single-cab models already come with the alloys and wheel-arch flares.
The Land Cruiser 76 V8 diesel station wagon now has a spare-wheel cover, while all 79 V8 diesel single and double cabs are now fitted with a spare -wheel lock.
PRICES
Land Cruiser 79 Single Cab
4.0 V6 petrol - R459 600
4.2 diesel - R489 000
4.5 V8 diesel - R559 400
Land Cruiser 79 Double Cab
4.0 V6 petrol - R519 700
4.2 diesel - R545 100
4.5 V8 diesel - R612 100
Land Cruiser 78 Wagon
4.2 diesel - R532 500
Land Cruiser 76 Station Wagon
4.2 diesel - R557 500
4.5 V8 diesel - R626 000