- Toyota shared a video of the three Land Cruiser 70 SWB examples.
- One is a manual diesel Convertible with a fold-down windshield.
- Around 90% of short-wheelbase production goes to Gulf countries.
The 70 Series is the star of the Land Cruiser lineup, having soldiered on largely unchanged for more than four decades now, which is the automotive equivalent of a geological era. The retro off-roader returned in Japan for the 2024 model year with a comprehensive facelift, though local buyers there don’t get the full range on offer in other markets. Alongside the pickup, Toyota also builds a short-wheelbase version of the SUV, and that variant is the focus of an official video review.
In the video, Toyota Racing W2RC/Dakar Rally driver Takamoto Miura and Land Cruiser Chief Engineer Masaya Uchiyama walk through three 70 Series SWB examples in detail.
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The first is a black narrow-body hardtop built mainly for commercial use. It rides on steelies and comes with a snorkel, manual hand-crank windows, and basic vinyl trim. The second is a wide-body hardtop in sand-toned paint, with fender extensions, power windows, and a suede/leather cabin with an infotainment display.
Photos: Toyota / Facebook and Land Cruiser Channel / YouTube
The real showpiece was a soft-top convertible whose front windshield unlatches and folds flat over the hood. Uchiyama explained that ranchers like this setup because it lets farmhands throw lassos straight from the vehicle on the move. The convertible also has a roll-over protection structure and side bench seats in the back, bringing total capacity to six or seven.
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The SWB is one of the rarest configurations of the Land Cruiser 70 Series. Its short footprint delivers exceptional maneuverability, which makes it the go-to pick for municipal police forces and for agricultural workers on cattle ranches.
The headline number, as you might have guessed, is the 2,310 mm (90.9 in) wheelbase. For context, that’s 120 mm (4.7 in) shorter than Toyota’s smallest European production model, the Aygo X, and only 60 mm (2.4 in) longer than the Suzuki Jimny’s wheelbase. The Land Cruiser SWB still dwarfs the little Suzuki overall, stretching to 4,235 mm (166.7 inches) long.
Photos: Toyota / Facebook and Land Cruiser Channel / YouTube
Like the rest of the 70 Series family, the SWB keeps the heavy-duty ladder-frame chassis. It also runs rigid live axles front and rear, with front coil springs and rear leaf springs.
More: The Land Cruiser 70 Was Built For The Outback, Toyota Just Made One For The City
Depending on the market, the SWB can be powered by a naturally aspirated 4.2-liter six-cylinder diesel making 129 hp (96 kW / 131 PS), or a 4.0-liter V6 gasoline engine putting out a healthier 228 hp (170 kW / 231 PS). The diesel gets a five-speed manual, the V6 a six-speed automatic. Either way, power runs to all four wheels through a 4WD system.
Photos: Toyota / Facebook and Land Cruiser Channel / YouTube
Chief Engineer Uchiyama revealed that approximately 90 percent of all short-wheelbase 70 Series production is exported to the Middle East, with the remaining 10 percent heading to select regions in South America and Asia.
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He admitted there are no immediate plans to add the short-wheelbase 70 Series to the Japanese lineup, but he’s a fan of its stubby layout and hopes for a domestic release down the line.
As for pricing, the three-door Hard Top SWB starts at 177,900 Dirham ($48,400) in Dubai, making it 10,000 Dirham ($2,700) cheaper than the equivalent five-door. Certain Middle Eastern markets only get the five-door SUV alongside single- and dual-cab pickup versions of the 70 Series.
