Teaser images out next Land Cruiser Prado look
Toyota will finally pull the covers off the next Land Cruiser Prado, the first in 13 years, next week. Having also just completed an onslaught of teaser images including the bottom picture here, and with Lexus having already shown its structurally identical GX sibling, it has also given our Auto artist a very good idea on how the new car will look. So these ultra-exclusive images reveal almost exactly how the newcomer will look.
Next Prado, or LandCruiser 250 in some markets, will take a very different styling angle. Bearing traits from ancient Land Cruisers and dare we say, taking a leaf out of the Defender Book of Styling, the newcomer will be a back to the future tribute to the great ‘Cruiser legend. Little was known about how the newcomer would look, but there‘s been a considerable amount of info about what’s under thar skin for a while already.
Petrol, diesel & hybrid for next Prado
We expect the next Prado to be propelled by a choice the familiar 2.8-litre turbodiesel, a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder, and a 4-cylinder petrol hybrid. Local models will be headed by the venerable 2.8 in the GR Hilux’s derv-only 165 kW 550 Nm get-up. Base models can be expected to get the 170 kW 330 Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol. And a step up to a 200 kW and 420 Nm version.
Expect the next Prado flagship to feature the new Toyota I-Force Max hybrid power unit. It adds 35 kW electric motor to the turbo 2.4-litre for a creamy 240 kW and 630 Nm. Packing a 1.9-kilowatt-hour battery pack, expect full-time four-wheel drive with a centre-locking differential. Remember that US Toyotas often feature different engines to rest of world models. The South African range could include two or three of those variants. The diesel, the hybrid and maybe a petrol engine.
Also expect next Prado to come in Gazoo Racing GR-Sport get-up alongside regular GX-R and ZX model lines. It will be built on Toyota’s new TNGA-F body-on-frame 4×4 vehicle architecture shared with Land Cruiser 300, Tundra and Hilux, Sequoia, and Lexus LX. Similar in width to the outgoing car, new Prado will share components with the 300 Series.nd intriguingly, also with the current, seven-year-old Hilux. The South African Hilux will shortly gain new four-wheel-disc brakes, wider axle suspension, and the larger footprint Australian bakkie.
Tonka Toyota next Prado returning to the US
Another major component of the next Prado plan will be its part in returning the Land Cruiser nameplate to America. Toyota killed the Cruiser brand off in US, when it opted not to launch the 300 there in 2021. “The Land Cruiser nameplate will return,” Toyota US sales boss Jack Hollis, suggests. An American Land Cruiser return is slated for 2024, but it will be the Prado rather than the 300. Slotting in below the new Sequoia and above the 4Runner, it will be more of an off roader in that market, versus the more luxurious Lexus GX.
While Prado is not sold there, it was the basis of the previous model US-only Lexus GX 460. The old GX shared the Prado’s body with unique front and rear styling and an upmarket cabin. The new Lexus GX has already been revealed. It enabled us to get pretty close to what we expect to be revealed next week.
Toyota does not want an all next Prado to interfere with strong current Land Cruiser 300 demand. So being, the new one will take a completely different ‘Tonka Toyota’ approach. Watch for it here on Wednesday! – Michele Lupini
Sketches: Michele Lupini
