The Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series has been in production since 1984, and beyond being a certified classic, it’s a true workhorse. It runs mines and cattle stations across Australia and carries the Red Cross anywhere on Earth – with no roads required.
And of course, Toyota never officially sold one here in the States, so short of importing a 25-year-old example, you can’t have a new one. That scarcity is half the reason American enthusiasts treat it as a cult object. Now Sydney’s PVS Automotive has taken a 79 Series dual-cab and given it the full Urnieta treatment, inside and out. And, naturally, we’re in love.
An Icon at the End of an Era
The donor here is a 79 Series, the ute of the family (the 78 is the Troop Carrier, the 76 the wagon, the 71 the short-wheelbase). And it lands right as the 70 Series loses the thing enthusiasts loved most about it.
After nearly two decades, tightening emissions rules finally killed the 4.5-liter V8 turbo-diesel – a 202-hp, 317-lb-ft unit that felt like it would outlive us all. The last V8 utes were handed over at the close of 2025, and the range is now four-cylinder only, running a 2.8-liter pulled from the HiLux that gives up a single horsepower but claws back a healthier 369 lb-ft of torque.
The 79 single and dual cabs held onto that V8 the longest, which is why this dual-cab donor makes sense. Whatever sits under the hood, PVS leaves it to Toyota, so the truck drives exactly as it left the factory. This is only styling and equipment program, not an engine swap.
What PVS and Urnieta Actually Add
Quick badge note, because the marketing here makes it a bit confusing. Urnieta is the Chinese firm out of Dongguan that designs the hardware, and PVS is the Sydney shop that distributes it across Australia and New Zealand and assembles the build. The kit is engineered for the whole 70 family, so the same parts bolt to a 79, 76, 78, or 71 with no modification required.
On the ute, that means an Urnieta bullbar with winch mounting and skid plates, side steps, forged wheels, and a cab-mounted roof platform. All of which is built from SUS430 stainless and aluminum-magnesium alloy so the desert doesn’t eat them. The whole body then hides under XPEL self-healing PPF, which makes sense on a truck built to get scratched.
The Cabin Stays Honest
Inside, there’s a PVS steering wheel, the brand’s 9-inch MK4 headunit running navigation and media. Otherwise it’s basically a stock 70 Series layout, manual shifter and all.
Spec Sheet
Builder: PVS Automotive (Sydney, Australia)
Exterior Hardware: Urnieta (Dongguan, China)
Base Vehicle: Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series Dual-Cab
Drivetrain: Factory Toyota, unmodified (79 Series offered with 4.5L V8 or 2.8L four-cylinder turbo-diesel)
Exterior Kit: Front bullbar, side steps, roof platform, forged wheels, tray accessories
Bullbar & Roof Rack Material: SUS430 stainless steel and aluminum-magnesium alloy
Paint Protection: XPEL self-healing PPF (full body)
Infotainment: PVS 9-inch MK4 headunit
Platform Fitment: LC79, LC76, LC78, LC71
Pricing & Availability
PVS hasn’t published a price for the pickup build, and unlike the LC76 Urnieta wagon (offered as a finished vehicle at $200,000 plus GST), there’s no dedicated build page for the ute yet. For now, treat it as a build-to-order conversation. Head over to PVS Automotive’s website to spec the individual Urnieta components for your own 70 Series.
Recap
PVS Toyota LC70 Urnieta Pickup
Sydney’s PVS dresses a Toyota LandCruiser 79 dual-cab in Urnieta’s full off-road kit and XPEL armor, finishing the range’s hardest-working ute just as its V8 era ends.
