Toyota will finally give the Land Cruiser Prado a full model change after around 14 years.
Toyota has released the first teaser of the all-new fifth-gen Land Cruiser Prado that will globally debut in the coming months. The new Land Cruiser Prado will share its underpinnings and powertrain options with the recently revealed third-gen Lexus GX SUV. This is a much-awaited update as the fourth-gen model had gone on sale internationally way back in 2009.
- New Land Cruiser Prado to sit on TNGA-F platform
- Will get multiple powertrain options
- Will be sold in North America for the first time
New Toyota Land Cruiser Prado: what does the teaser reveal?
The first teaser shared by Toyota shows a silhouette of the new Land Cruiser Prado next to a classic FJ40 Land Cruiser from the 60s. While not much is visible in this teaser, what can be confirmed is that the new Land Cruiser Prado will have a more upright and boxier look than the outgoing model. The silhouette is, in fact, very similar to that of the Lexus GX including the large glass house.
New Land Cruiser Prado to share underpinnings with the Lexus GX
As we’ve reported before, the third-gen Lexus GX will form the basis of the new Land Cruiser Prado SUV. Both SUVs will share platform, off-road gear, some interior elements and a few body panels as well, although the final design will have Toyota cues. There are talks of the new Land Cruiser Prado getting retro design touches like round headlamps, and a few design cues from older Land Cruiser models as well. There is no news of the powertrain options ye, but expect Toyota to offer multiple petrol, petrol-hybrid and diesel engines, depending on the market, with more than one gearbox option.
New Land Cruiser Prado will also be sold in North America
The new-gen Land Cruiser Prado will mark the first time the SUV will go on sale in the North American market, and it will be positioned above the popular Toyota 4Runner SUV. Toyota has never sold the Prado in the North American market, and the Land Cruiser 300 – which is on sale in India, the Middle East and other markets – never made its way to North America as a replacement for the Land Cruiser 200. Toyota is, however, likely to drop the ‘Prado’ suffix in North America and simply call it the ‘Land Cruiser’ instead.
New Land Cruiser Prado: will it come to India?
Certainly, but not soon. Like many other brands, Toyota’s SUVs are currently having unprecedented demand in almost every market, including ours, where the full-size LC300 has a waiting period of over two years. With the new Land Cruiser Prado going to newer and larger markets like North America, expect demand for the new SUV to be even higher than its predecessor. We expect the new Land Cruiser Prado and its Lexus sibling, the new GX to make its way to India in the distant future.
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