News / 4 March 2025 / Michael Taylor

Hardcore upgrades for one of South Africa’s favourite bakkies – Pricing and photos

South African company Ulterio Motiv is back at it again, creating new modifications for one of the country’s most popular bakkies.

Ulterio Motiv, which is best known for its six-wheel conversions of popular off-road vehicles, has once again turned its attention to the Toyota Land Cruiser 79, crafting a number of improvements that make the design more user-friendly while also cranking up its abilities to 11.

Owners of the Land Cruiser won’t need to break the bank to get these upgrades, either, as the cheapest option clocks in at just R10,950, excluding VAT.

What’s available

The first enhancement concerns the Cruiser’s brakes, which are relatively hard to operate given the bakkie’s workhorse nature.

“Owners and drivers alike will be well aware of the fact that you need quite a strong calf muscle to press the braking pedal on one of these off-road vehicles to bring it to a halt, especially when it is loaded or when it is towing,” said Ulterio Motiv.

Consequently, the company is offering to significantly lower the brake pedal force needed to bring the vehicle to a halt, which should make the bakkie a lot easier to live with over the long term.

Next up are a series of braided hoses, which are commonly seen on performance cars and are substantially more durable than the standard rubber units on the base Land Cruiser.

These hoses are more heat resistant and have a lower expansion co-efficient, meaning they will last longer and are less prone to rupturing under intense pressure, improving the reliability of an already-proven nameplate.

Another upgrade is a hydraulic brake booster package, which assists with the amount of pressure subjected to the car while carrying heavy loads.

This upgrade can be installed in a single day and works by harvesting pressure from the power-steering pump using a hydraulic actuator.

Finally, there’s a gross vehicle mass (GVM) improvement which ups the bakkie’s carrying capacity by a considerable amount.

“Land Cruiser 79s are one of the most sought-after vehicles when it comes to camping and overlanding,” said the company.

“Apart from the necessary equipment that is attached and build unto the vehicles, once all the food, fluids, gear, and passengers have been loaded, the vehicle’s weight can easily breach its 3,060 – 3,300kg (depending on the model) allowed gross vehicle mass.”

Ulterio’s upgrade will improve the 79’s capabilities with a new, legal payload capacity of 4,500kg, though it is noted that owners will need to apply for a C1 driver’s licence to be able to drive the vehicle should they opt for this package.

The service will also include all the registration work involved at the traffic department.

The good news is that all of these enhancements are available to the current-gen 79 models as well as previous iterations of the bakkie.

Pricing

The pricing for each of the Ulterio Motiv upgrades are as follows:

Braided hose kit – R10,950 (excl. VAT)
Brake booster – R18,950 (excl. VAT)
GVM upgrade – R32,950 (excl. VAT)

Obviously, this does not include the cost of the vehicle itself, which is as follows:

Toyota Land Cruiser 79 4.0 V6 Single Cab – R777,000
Toyota Land Cruiser 79 4.2D Single Cab – R841,400
Toyota Land Cruiser 79 4.0 V6 Double Cab – R877,600
Toyota Land Cruiser 79 2.8GD-6 Single Cab Manual – R900,300
Toyota Land Cruiser 79 2.8GD-6 Single Cab Auto – R930,900
Toyota Land Cruiser 79 4.2D Double Cab – R934,600
Toyota Land Cruiser 79 4.5D-4D V8 Single Cab LX – R970,500
Toyota Land Cruiser 79 2.8GD-6 Double Cab – R1,024,100
Toyota Land Cruiser 79 4.5D-4D V8 Double Cab LX – R1,054,800

This means consumers will need to spend at least R787,950 on the base model with the cheapest upgrade and up to R1,117,650 on the flagship LX with all the kit.