The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is a full-size four-wheel drive vehicle in the Land Cruiser range. It is produced by the Japanese car maker, Toyota. The Prado is one of the smaller vehicles in the range. From 2009, the Prado is based on Toyota’s J150 platform. The Prado may also be referred to as Land Cruiser LC70, LC90, LC120 and LC150 depending on the platform. In some markets, it is known simply as the Toyota Prado. In North America, the Prado is not part of the Land Cruiser range; the rebadged Lexus GX occupies the Prado’s position in luxury trim. The GX uses practically identical body panels and V8 engine. The Prado has ladder frame chassis, two-speed transfer boxes and rear beam axles. The J70 platform has a front beam axle, while the J90, J120 and J150 platforms have front independent suspension. As of 2014, the Prado is available in every Toyota market, except the US, Canada (both available as the Lexus GX), Mexico, Brazil and South Korea.
Etymology
The name “Prado” means meadow or field in Spanish and Portuguese.
Predecessor (J70: 1984–1990)
First developed as the light-duty vehicle of the 70 Series, in November 1984. Available only in short body with options for soft top or hard top (metal top). Names like Land Cruiser II, Land Cruiser, and Bundera were made for these “light duty” Land Cruisers. The Bundera was a short wheelbase—being 2,310 millimetres (90.9 in)—with two doors, a plastic top, and barn doors at the rear. There were three options for the engine, the 2.4 L (2366 cc) 22R petrol engine and 2.4 L (2446 cc) 2L and 2L-T diesel and turbocharged diesel engines. Transmission for the petrol engine is the G52 type while the diesels used the R150 and R151 types. These were the same engines and transmission used in 4Runner, in cooperation with Hino.
First generation (J70: 1990–1996)
In April 1990, a new type, the Prado, was introduced, with a redesigned front grille, front fenders, engine hood, and head lamps. At the same time, names like Land Cruiser and Land Cruiser II were still used in other parts of the world besides Japan. Despite a body-on-frame design making it highly capable off-road, the vehicle was marketed toward on-road use. In Japan, it came with electronic fuel injection and four speed automatic transmission. The 2.4 L turbocharged diesel engine with 71 kW (97 PS; 95 hp) and 240 N⋅m (177 lbf⋅ft) high torque unit was installed. The lineup included 2-door and 4-door versions available in SX, LX or EX (4-door only) grades of trim.
Second generation (J90: 1996–2002)
In May 1996, the J70 series underwent a makeover and emerged as the J90 series Prado, an independent series. The body was lengthened. The design remained medium duty, like the J70. The front suspension was replaced with an independent design, shared with Tacoma and Hilux Surf, made by Hino. The J90 was made by Tahara Plant, available as a three-door short wheelbase and five-door long wheelbase version.
Third generation (J120: 2002–2009)
Appearing in 2002, the third generation Prado has revised front suspension to improve reliability. Development began in 1997 and design work in 1998, with the winning proposal originating from Lance Scott of the Toyota ED2 design studio in France in late 1999. Engines include the 2.7 L (2693 cc) straight-4 3RZ-FE, 3.4 L (3378 cc) V-6 5VZ-FE and 3.0 L (2982 cc) straight-4 turbocharged diesel 1KZ-TE. In countries like China, a newly developed engine 1GR-FE V6 is available. The engine immobilizer became standard equipment in some markets. In August 2004, the 3RZ-FE engine was replaced by 2.7 L (2694 cc) 2TR-FE engine and in July of the same year, the 5VZ-FE engine was replaced by 4.0 L (3955 cc) V6 1GR-FE engine with 5-speed automatic transmission available in late 2005. In North America, this model is known as the Lexus GX 470 with the 4.7 L (4663 cc) V8 2UZ-FE engine.
Fourth generation (J150: 2009–present)
The fourth generation has been available in some markets since October 2009. There are two base variants, five-door and three-door. The five-door variant in the general market is offered in TXL & VXL grades – which are much more option-packed. This generation of Prado features advanced 4WD and an array of electronic gadgets. This generation of the Prado is offered in the US badged as the 2010 model year Lexus GX 460 with luxury trim.
Australia
The fourth generation Prado was released in Australia on 16 November 2009. Five-door models include the GX, GXL, VX and the high-end Kakadu. The Altitude model, introduced in 2012, is priced between the GXL and VX. The Prado Altitude has satellite navigation, two-way moon roof, leather accented trim and 7″ Fujitsu-Ten touch-screen/multimedia center. Three-door shorter wheelbase models include the SX and ZR.
Europe
In Europe, the J150 Prado is designated Land Cruiser LC3, LC4 and LC5, depending on the equipment levels. In some markets, commercial van variants, based on the short-wheelbase chassis are available.
Japan
In Japan, the 1GR-FE engine and TZ trim was available from 2009 until June 2015. From June 2015 onward.
China
The 4.0-liter 1GR-FE V6 was standard paired to a five-speed automatic gearbox. On 24 September 2015, the fourth generation mid-life facelift received a new 3.5-liter V6, the 7GR-FKS to replace the previous 4.0-liter V6. While the engine capacity is lower when compared to the 4.0-liter, the power output remains the same at 206 kW (280 PS; 276 hp) and 365 N⋅m (269 lb⋅ft) of torque. It uses less fuel and it is known to be the only country in the world to offer the Prado with 3.5-liter V6 (model GRJ152L) to the consumer alongside with the 2.7-liter inline-four petrol (model TRJ152L). Meanwhile, the 2.7-liter engine version (model TRJ152L), introduced in October 2013, got a revised 2TR-FE engine with dual VVT-i, and the four-speed automatic was replaced with the previous six-speed AC60F; the 3.5-liter V6 version also got the new transmission.