A teaser image shows the Prado with a silhouette similar to the Land Cruiser 80-series. Picture: Toyota
With the debut of the all-new Toyota Land Cruiser Prado around the corner, the biggest point of speculation, the choice of powerunits, has allegedly been unearthed in Australia along with the time of reveal.
Although previewed last month by the Lexus GX, the predominately US-market model will only be sold with a V6 petrol engine and possibly later, a hybrid utilising either the four-cylinder i-Force Max from the Tacoma or the bigger six-cylinder that powers the Tundra and Sequoia.
Given its availability in other markets where diesel is still favoured, an oil-burning option is key to the Prado, and although rumours have until now alleged the inclusion of a detuned version of the Land Cruiser 300’s 3.3-litre turbodiesel V6, the uncovered details suggest the opposite.
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According to a document seen by Down Under publication, drive.com.au, the Prado, which will bear the internal moniker J250, will be a four-cylinder only affair comprising two petrol engines and one diesel.
Surprisingly, none of the units feature hybridisation, however, this could still change once the wraps come off later this year.
Accordingly, the engines in question are the new T24A-FTS 2.4-litre turbo-petrol, the current Prado’s 2.8 GD-6 turbodiesel and the most surprising, the tried-and-tested normally aspirated 2.7-litre petrol that reports have alleged would make way for a 2.5-litre petrol hybrid.
While not confirmed by Toyota, the mentioned engines could vary from market to market, suggesting the inclusion of more units not mentioned on the document.
As such, the Prado could well offer a V6 as a replacement for the current venerable 4.0-litre, a hybrid and possibly also the mild-hybrid 2.8 GD-6 bound for the Hilux and Fortuner next year, though this remains unsubstantiated.
As has been widely reported, the Prado will move to Toyota’s ladder-frame TNGA-F platform used by the Land Cruiser 300, Lexus LX, GX, Tacoma, Tundra, Sequoia and from 2025, the all-new Hilux.
Set to also provide the foundation for the next generation Fortuner and the North American 4Runner, the body-on-frame platform will continue to accommodate a low range transfer, albeit with a likely weight drop over the current architecture that has underpinned the J150 Prado since 2009.
Confirmed to be called Land Cruiser in the US without the Prado suffix in response to the Land Cruiser 300 not being sold due to the presence of its upmarket twin, the Lexus LX, the Prado will become a reality later this year following a series of delays and alleged longer waiting time of 2024.
Based on Drive’s claims, a reveal in November looks to be on the cards before the commencing of sales next year. However, expect official details to become more apparent before then.
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