SPY PICS: Short-wheelbase Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series emerges

Short-wheelbase versions of the facelifted 2024 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series have been spotted in the Middle East and shared on social media in both hard-top and soft-top form, but at this stage it’s unlikely we’ll see the three-door LC70 in Australia.

Posted to Twitter and Instagram via the Oriba and Kurdistan Automotive Blog pages respectively, the facelifted 70 Series ‘shorties’ were spotted on the back of a car carrier and in a predelivery distribution centre in full production trim, including region-specific door decals.

The vehicle in the distribution facility was shown to have an automatic transmission, which at least in Australia’s facelifted 70 Series will be available exclusively with a new mild-hybrid 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine option, however, Middle Eastern markets have long favoured the old ‘1GR-FE’ 4.0-litre petrol V6.

Odds are the petrol V6 will be retained in those markets, but it remains to be seen whether it will be paired with an automatic transmission, or if the smaller four-cylinder diesel will be offered outside Australia and Japan.

While Toyota hasn’t offered a short-wheelbase 70 Series in Australia since the late 1980s, three-door wagon versions of the venerable LandCruiser continue to be available in the Middle East, but this is the first time we’ve seen a facelifted SWB LC70.

However, Toyota Australia has confirmed there are no current plans to offer a short-wheelbase 70 Series in our market, although a spokesperson stipulated the local division of the world’s largest car-maker was always studying the market for new opportunities.

A three-door version of the all-new Toyota Prado was rendered last week, showcasing what a modern Toyota shorty could look like, but its chances of reaching production are slim due to the upcoming reveal of a shorter-wheelbase off-roader tipped by many to be a reborn FJ Cruiser.

Meantime, the facelifted 2024 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series range is due to arrive in Australia from about October, in familiar two-door LC79 single-cab and LC78 Troop Carrier guises, as well as four-door LC70 dual-cab and LC76 wagon forms.

All four body styles will bring a fresh front-end design, more safety features and a new four-cylinder/six-speed auto powertrain that brings lower fuel consumption and more torque than the carryover 4.5-litre V8 turbo-diesel with five-speed manual.

However, Toyota Australia’s LC70 order book remains closed and won’t reopen until next year due to overwhelming demand and two-year delivery wait times for customers, most of which will now receive the upgraded model.

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