The local launch of the brand new Toyota Landcruiser Prado 250 series is just around the corner and Toyota Australia claims it has played a major role in the development of the highly anticipated new large off-roader.
According to the company, Australia was the only country outside Japan where testing and technical development of the fifth-generation Prado took place.
Toyota Australia’s vehicle evaluation and development team began testing several pre-production prototypes in 2022.
During the testing phases, the team drove Prado prototypes around rural Victoria and New South Wales to assess their towing and off-road capabilities. They also tested them in desert areas to ensure the dust seals and mechanical components could handle the unique Australian off-road conditions.
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The company claims that Australia is home to approximately 80 percent of the world’s different environmental types, making it the perfect place for Toyota’s all-wheel drive development.
The first all-new Prado since 2009 is based on the same TNGA-F ladder frame platform as the LandCruiser 300 Series and powered by the same 2.8-litre mild-hybrid four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine as the HiLux V-Active ute – an electrified version of the engine which has powered the outgoing Prado since 2015.
However, Toyota Australia senior vehicle assessment and regulatory manager Ray Munday said the powertrain had undergone substantial local testing. “In terms of chassis development, we were able to learn many lessons from the LandCruiser 300 series,” said Mr Munday.
“What is significantly different, however, is the powertrain, so we have done quite a bit of testing, evaluation and development work on that with prototypes in different locations and terrains.
“The new V-Active 48-volt technology was already in HiLux, so we were able to again use some of the knowledge we gained from it, but in the new LandCruiser Prado it is linked to a new eight-speed automatic transmission. .”
“We spent time in the desert, dragging through sand and over dunes, which puts a lot of strain on the automatic transmission, as well as lots of mud and water crossings.
“We really wanted to expand the eight-speed automatic transmission and were very pleased with the results we achieved, especially in terms of drivability, performance and fuel consumption.
“We focused on making a reliable product and its performance was exceptional. It is a significant step up from the current model in terms of off-road performance.”
Many of the Prado’s original accessories have also been developed in Australia, and Mr Munday said these have been stress-tested in a number of different environments to ensure they are “more than up to the task”.
Toyota has a long history of developing and evaluating LandCruisers in Australia, so this new Prado is certainly no outlier.
Australia was the first export market for the LandCruiser, Toyota’s oldest surviving nameplate, after several examples of the second generation FJ25 were privately imported and put into service at the Snowy Mountains hydroelectric power station in the late 1950s.
The first ‘son of LandCruiser’ Prado only came to market in 1990 and the 15-year-old fourth generation has been out of stock in Australia for several months after the end of production of the 150 series, leaving direct rivals such as the Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport will surpass the Prado for the first time this year.
MORE: Everything Toyota LandCruiser Prado
