Television viewers who enjoy watching travel and expedition documentaries will no doubt be familiar with the sight of a Toyota LandCruiser or two tackling rough terrain all around the world. There’s a reason for that: The LandCruiser Prado is not noted for being the most glamorous or attractive SUV but owners are not bothered about that. They love this vehicle because of the bullet-proof reliability, the build quality and the now legendary off-road performance. True off-road SUV’s are often not quite so comfortable as their metalled-road-only siblings but nevertheless Toyota have done a great job with a ride compromise that most users will be happy with. There’s plenty of space for passengers with generous equipment (model and region specific) and a large boot (trunk).
The Latest Upgrades
The ever-popular LandCruiser Prado has recently received a significant upgrade with more power and torque, enhanced safety, new multimedia technologies and other additional premium features.
At the heart of this latest variant is an additional 26bhp of power and 50Nm of torque from the Prado's 2.8L turbo-diesel engine that is now mated exclusively to a six-speed automatic transmission. This vehicle’s flexibility makes it the motor of choice for touring, overtaking and towing, benefiting from the higher-performance engine that now delivers a maximum198bhp at 3400rpm and 500Nm over a wider 1600-2800rpm band. That’s a lot of pulling power.
The extra performance is due to updates including a new turbo-charger plus improved engine rigidity and cooling system. The model offers better fuel economy than before through optimised pistons and piston rings, changes to the cylinder block and head, higher fuel-injection flow rate and the adoption of high-performance materials for the exhaust manifold. In short, this SUV is even better than ever, whilst improving fuel consumption.
Technology
There’s a wealth of safety systems and Toyota’s Safety Sense features have been made available on all grades. This includes a pre-collision safety system with autonomous emergency braking capability which can now detect cyclists during the day and pedestrians at night too, as well as during the day.
Additionally there’s a high-tech lane-departure alert system that has been upgraded so that it now offers steering assistance by applying the brakes to one side of the vehicle to help prevent it drifting unintentionally into another lane. That’s an interesting development.
For the family entertainment side of things there’s a new-generation multimedia system across the range which incorporates a larger 9” touchscreen display, enhanced voice recognition and compatibility with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and myToyota, which enables third-party companion apps.
Comfort
The LandCruiser Prado offers improved comfort and convenience, with comprehensive standard equipment for the five-seat or seven-seat models that includes 17” alloy wheels, satellite navigation, keyless smart entry and ignition, air-conditioning and a reversing camera. Other features may optionally include a ‘moon roof’ and adaptive, variable suspension. Check out the model range.
Users, whether outdoor families or serious travellers, have long appreciated both the strong off-road and on-road capability, comfort and space that the LandCruiser Prado offers. Get in touch with us for more details.
