Is this the ultimate 70 series overlander............

[roscoFJ73]

Any ideas why it is not permanent 4WD? In this day and age part time 4WD does seem like ancient technology.

Because the overwhelming volume of 78/79 series are sold to the mining and oil companies for extended operations in harsh conditions.
While full time 4wd technology has improved,it will not stand up to the abuses dished out underground.Ask anyone who fixes them for a living.

All the alternatives have been tried and retried and the drivelines are just not up to it. In some places they go through 3 other vehicles to one 7* series.
One mechanic reported recently that the 79 series at his mine had a maintenance bill of $4000 dollars a month for each vehicle.Other vehicles that were tried ended up as landfill in 2 months.
Its not ancient technology if there is nothing around to replace it.

 

[roscoFJ73]

If the going gets though you can engage the centre diff lock on the go, no need to stop (loose momentum) to engage the hubs and select 4WD. For the £40k+ asking price you would expect then to have permanent 4WD, or at least be available as an option.

If you engage the hubs whenever you leave the hard top you can engage 4wd on the go at a decent speed.
Ive had my hubs enaged for about 7 months on this vehicle.My last 2 had them engaged for about 6 years each.