Toyota re-engineers Land Cruiser Prado

The new Land Cruiser Prado has been engineered to take the toughest conditions in its stride, says Toyota. That makes it “the vehicle that will take you anywhere and everywhere, and bring you back, safe and sound.”

It is the latest generation of a model that has built a reputation for strength, reliability and the ability to cope with harsh conditions.

The Land Cruiser family has evolved down the years into three parallel series:

• Luxury SUV: represented by today’s 300 Series, which is available in world regions, including Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific.
• Utility Focused: the famous 70-series which is celebrating its 40^th anniversary, available in African, Middle Eastern and Pacific markets.
• Versatile Option: the range that includes the new Prado, which is the principal model for Europe.

The first midrange model (also known as the Prado – Spanish for meadow or prairie) joined the global Land Cruiser range in 1985. Since that time, its evolution has seen it move closer in character to the more luxurious and larger Land Cruiser 300. Development of the 2024 Prado has seen a decision to bring the Land Cruiser back to its origins, focusing on its fundamental quality as a practical and affordable vehicle.

“We have changed our perception and believe that this Land Cruiser model should be offered as a practical and affordable off-roader,” says chief engineer Keita Moritsu. “We resolved that going back to our roots would be core to the Land Cruiser brand going forward.”

The result is an all-new model that offers strong, authentic off-road performance, underpinned by a new GA-F (global architecture) platform and frame; excellent functionality for carrying passengers and cargo; enhanced visibility for the driver; and simplicity, with parts designed to be easy to repair or replace with customised items.

The “back to origins” quality is also evident in the vehicle design, which fuses Land Cruiser heritage with modernity. The robust styling projects reliability, a timeless look and the kind of functionality associated with solid quality. 

“This is not simply a homage,” says chief designer Yoshito Watanabe. “It interprets these elements in a modern design that evokes the essence of a Land Cruiser.”

The Land Cruiser was born 72 years ago as the “Toyota BJ”, on 1 August 1951. Shortly afterwards it demonstrated its strength and capabilities by becoming the first vehicle to climb to the sixth station on the slopes of Mount Fuji.

Ever since, Toyota’s mission for Land Cruiser has been to provide people with a vehicle that will take them to their destination in safety and security, even in the harshest environments. The different experiences of customers around the world have proved invaluable in evolving the Land Cruiser’s essential strengths of reliability, durability and the ability to tackle rough road conditions.

Its enduring worldwide reputation has made it one of Toyota’s best-selling models, with more than 11.3-million sales to date, across more than 170 countries and regions.

Toyota provided the following detail in the design of the new Land Cruiser:

The design of the new LC Prado is a clear expression of the vehicle’s status as a fully-fledged off-roader that is inherently strong and stable.

Its essential reliability is reflected in the shape and composition of parts designed to cope with harsh conditions and be easy to replace if damage occurs. There’s a timelessness, too, in design simplicity that expresses quality and will not look out-of-date, and a sense of professionalism in the form-follows-function design of the kind found in top-quality professional tools.

Brought together, these elements create a fusion of heritage and modernity: this is a Land Cruiser that is rooted in its origins, yet meets the highest contemporary standards.

The classic LC Prado silhouette references the definitive lines of the early Land Cruiser models (the 40, 60 and 70 Series Land Cruisers are clear influences) with a strong horizontal axis, a long bonnet, upright windscreen, a short front overhang and distinctive trapezoidal wheel arches.

The proportions are also true to Land Cruiser’s design heritage, with a tight, box-shaped cabin set behind the car’s vertical axis to gain both interior space and comfort. The Prado’s overall length is 4,925mm, width 1,980mm and height 1,935mm; the wheelbase is 2,850mm.

The configuration and proportions of the frontal elements create a classic Land Cruiser look. Functional parts are grouped together towards the centre with high-set headlights to help avoid damage in tough driving conditions. 

The standard headlight options are a slim oblong triple-eye arrangement of LEDs or a classic round-eye projector bi-LED alongside vertically arranged turn indicators and daytime running lights. Again, with a view to avoiding damage, the front fog lights are deeply recessed in the bumper corners; the front and rear corners are chamfered (which also aids manoeuvrability); and the lower door sections have a scraped, concave surface.

Giving the driver the best view ahead and to the side was a design priority. This produced a bonnet shape with raised sides which make it easier to locate the vehicle’s corners, and a lowered centre section that improves the forward view, reducing the blind spot immediately in front of the vehicle. To improve the view to the side, the A pillar is set at a more upright angle, the mirrors are attached to the doors and the belt line has been stepped down – a reference to the classic Toyota BJ70 – by about 30mm compared to the current model.

The bodywork displays contrasting sharp hard and glossy curved surfaces for a simple, modern look with a sense of tension and high precision. The overall effect is of the Land Cruiser Prado having been carved from a single lump of pure metal. The car’s wide stance, flared front and rear wings and the tight body shape combine to emphasise stable performance.

At the rear, the lights are tightly grouped in vertically stacked combi-units.

A wide range of Toyota-approved accessories will give customers the chance to tailor their vehicle to suit their requirements, including roof rails, side steps and roof tents.

Aerodynamic detailing

The distinctive exterior design of the Prado incorporates a series of details that enhance the vehicle’s aerodynamic performance.

Spats are fitted ahead of the front wheels, reducing the airflow striking the tyres and directing air to help cool the brake discs. The spats are deformable, so can withstand rough road driving.

Interior

The interior layout of the LC Prado expresses a safe, functional look suitable for off-road driving with an emphasis on durability, high quality and measures to reduce fatigue.

The instrument panel and upper door mouldings have strong horizontal lines that make it easy to grasp the vehicle’s orientation in challenging conditions and make for an open cabin environment with excellent outward view for everyone on board. The panel’s cross-section is lowered in front of the front passenger, enhancing the open feel.

Information sources – the driver’s instrument combimeter and multimedia display are set high for easy visibility and there is a wide console area – a Land Cruiser characteristic – that keeps driving controls close at hand for quick and intuitive operation. The digital instrument display (9 or 12.3-inch according to equipment grade) presents meters and data with sharp graphics that are clear to read in all lighting conditions.

The multimedia system is accessed via high-definition touchscreen (eight or 12.3-inch). The physical shape of the switches and their operating methods have been unified – simple toggle or push controls – so the driver can operate them easily without having to look away from the wheel or change their posture. 

Professional rally drivers were consulted on the design of the combination of dial selector and push switch used for vehicle system functions such as the Multi-Terrain Select.

Knee pads and padded door shoulders provide protection when the going gets tough and the top of the door panel has a scooped profile so the driver has space for free elbow movement. The new steering wheel design reflects the solid, stable exterior styling, with wide spoke openings to help prevent fingers being injured in the event of steering kickback. The centre pad displays the classic TOYOTA logo, with function switches rationally organised on the left and right sections of the centre spokes.

A sense of precision and quality is expressed in the co-ordinated design of control switches and details such as the serrated patterns around the air vents and mode selector, the matching of thick upholstery materials with rope-like piping and trim parts that have the look of machined metal.

Throughout, there is a unified look to the interior, with consistent material quality, feel and appearance, communicating a strong character. Functional areas are flat and hard; touch points are soft and thickly covered with a sense of volume. Digital design techniques were used to combine different parts into a single unit, for example incorporating the combimeter and centre display within the large instrument panel so there is less segmentation.

Seating and upholsteries

The new LC Prado range offers seven-seat interiors. The front seats have a new design to provide strong support when driving off-road and are available with power adjustment. In addition, they also have thinner seatbacks, improving leg and knee room for rear seat passengers, and are available with integrated heating and ventilation. Thicker urethane cushions disperse pressure over a wider area of the occupant’s body and are shaped to promote the optimum pelvis angle, reducing the load on the waist and muscles.

The cushion sits on a hard lower layer, a construction that helps prevent the occupant’s posture collapsing when turning or changing lanes. The side bolsters project further, helping keep the body in place when horizontal forces are experienced, as when driving over rough surfaces.

The second-row seats are offered in a bench arrangement that divides 60:40, and on the seven-seat model the third row comprises two seats that can be folded flat manually or with power control.

Load space

Although a seven-seater, there is space behind the third-row seats for two 55cm suitcases. With the third row folded, there is room enough for three 86cm cases plus one 81cm and one 69cm.

The new LC Prado also gets a top-hanged rear door as standard, improving the ease of access with the availability of power back door operation and an independently opening glass hatch.