It has been almost 12 years since the last generation Toyota Land Cruiser, or better known in some parts of the world as the Lexus LX were completely overhauled.
Journalist who attended its global launch will remember its smooth V8 power delivery, luxuriously appointed cabin, and very capable offload abilities.
The new next generation Toyota Land Cruiser, on which the LX is based, will gain more refinement, more technology and lose nothing of its legendary features, comfort and driving ability.
Although Toyota is tight lipped about this subject, it is speculated that this legendary king-of-the-hill SUV is poised to receive the Japanese firm’s new 2.8 litre turbodiesel four-cylinder, replacing the range of ageing engines. The same engine as seen in latest the Hilux and Fortuner, the power output of this oil-burner is expected to be bumped up to 201 hp and 500 Nm of torque. There will be a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 hybrid version coming which will produce an estimated 295-horsepower and 263 lb.-ft. of torque.
The sad news is though that the six speed manual gearbox is may be the casualty of this refresh, for the Australian market anyway where its popularity in the city and also the outback has never been contested by the many European SUVs. With the only gearbox option for this four-wheel drive being a six-speed automatic.
However, what you lose with the gearbox, you gain with new tech. The latest generation of Toyota Safety Sense may be coming to this 7 seat off-roader, thus making essential modern safety features like lane keep assist, pedestrian detection, pre-collision system, automatic emergency braking and speed sign detection standard across the range.
The interior also gets an update. No news yet regarding the interior layout or dash design, but the Prado is set to gain a new infotainment system that comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, at the expense of a CD player and an aux input. Top of the range models will also get paddle shifters to compensate for the lack of a manual gearbox option.
As for the exterior, no word yet from the Japanese auto giant regarding a change in design but speculations are pointing to this ladder frame 4×4 receiving a minor facelift when it hits the showrooms of Japan in September this year with Malaysia receiving this luxury SUV in the middle of 2021 perhaps.
The used reconditioned car importers will already be ready to fill the gap of the local Toyota and Lexus importer before 2021 comes to and end.
Research and Text by Joshua Chin
