New Toyota Land Cruiser Prado

Back in 2007, Toyota launched the fully redesigned Land Cruiser (LC200) and gained the ultimate reputation as the "King of 4WD" among SUV fans from around the world. Crossing from the muddy dirt to the pavement, from the mountainside to the city side, nothing beats the king of sport utility vehicles. Much ado from that, it also sold from around the world as the Lexus LX 570 or a Land Cruiser V8 from around the globe. Just when you thought that, the original Land Cruiser is truly the SUV King of the world, wait until you will see its nimbler prince waiting to succeed the same way as its "father" did.













Introducing the all new, all powerful, Land Cruiser Prado and it is now ever better than its original Land Cruiser 200. In the previous generation, the Land Cruiser Prado sold in the U.S. as the Lexus GX and in the Europe as simply Land Cruiser. (Not to be confused from the Land Cruiser V8 this is in fact a Land Cruiser 200) The impression of the new Prado is like a tsundere, the exterior is aggressive but the interior is a gentle side because of its spacious yet luxurious amenities only an executive has to offer, like for example; a premium sound system, leather seats, optional navigation system, adjustable seats, cup holders, start/stop engine button and optitron meters.

From its so-called tsundere personality, the new Prado also comes with the optional third row seats giving this car a seven-seater capacity to bring more friends or family for the long trips ahead from your schedule. For the performance that carries the long tradition of the Prado history, there are two available engines to choose from; from the 2.7-litre 2TR-FE engine that carries 163PS at the fuel economy of 8.8km/L to the powerful 4.0-litre V6 1GR-FE engine that delivers 276PS at the fuel economy of 8.2km/L. The KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) and the "crawl control" feature found on the Land Cruiser 200 are applied to the new Prado to give this prince of sport utility vehicle a gene carried its royal heritage to the long tradition of the Land Cruiser history. For the first time in Prado history, the new version is equipped with Toyota's first Multi-Terrain Select that allows the driver to choose which option is suitable on the road ahead, for instance; tarmac, gravel, mud, whatever the Prado crossed ahead on the road ahead.

For the peace of mind, the new Prado is equipped with Pre-Crash safety system, clearance sonar, radar cruise control, Electronic Brake-force Distribution, Anti-lock Brake System, Vehicle Stability Control, SRS airbags, reinforced body, and the world's first Multi Terrain Monitor (similar to Nissan's Around View Monitor) that seeks road conditions with the use of four cameras mounted on the new Prado.

INDEED IT IS:

Despite this next generation model is targeted by mostly middle-aged men in their 40s, the new Prado is truly the prince of SUVs as fans would love to speak about this new model. When it hits the world market either this one, a Lexus GX or simply a Land Cruiser moniker, it will do the same thing as its LC200 "father" did from the sand dunes to the city lights. Be prepared to want one.


Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation