With the new Toyota Land Cruiser fully revealed, attention now turns to the smaller Prado version, which has soldiered on in its current form since 2009. Twelve years is a long time in automotive circles, so the SUV will have to be replaced sooner rather than later.
A new report from Creative Trend has shed some light on when we can expect the next-generation 250 series will arrive, with the Japanese automotive blog putting the timeline for its introduction sometime next year. This would put it about a year ahead of the estimate from another website Best Car Web.
The latter states that the Prado will be delayed due to a packed launch schedule in 2022, which includes a full model change of the Noah (and the related Voxy and Esquire) in the first quarter, a rumoured Crown SUV in the middle of the year and a new Alphard and Vellfire in the second half.
The need for an immediate replacement has been placated somewhat by a minor product update in June, which added pedal misapplication control, redesigned 19-inch alloy wheels and a new special edition celebrating the Land Cruiser’s 70th anniversary. Best Car Web said that the model remains popular in Japan, easing the urgency for a full refresh.
While the estimated timings may diverge, the two news sources agree on one thing – the Prado is expected to retain the same body-on-frame underpinnings as before, rather than migrating to the new GA-F platform utilised by the full-sized Land Cruiser. It should also draw some design inspiration from its larger sibling and receive the latest Toyota Safety Sense active safety features.
The engine lineup is likely to remain, consisting of the Fortuner‘s 2.8 litre turbodiesel and 2.7 litre naturally-aspirated petrol mills, though the former is rumoured to get a twin-turbo upgrade for this application. Also possible are the Land Cruiser’s 3.3 litre twin-turbo diesel V6 and a 2.5 litre hybrid.
The post Toyota Land Cruiser Prado – next-gen coming 2022? appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.
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