Toyota has dominated the Commercial and Luxury Off-Road SUV market with the Land Cruiser since its debut in 1952 because, since its debut, 11 million of them got sold in 10 different generations in 170 different countries. But as some of the Land Cruiser Models, like the current 10th generation Land Cruiser LC 300 is only limited to countries like the Middle East, Japan and India because of stricter emission norms in countries like UK and USA, so, Toyota has now come up with the 2024 Land Cruiser J250 or for some countries, the 2024 Land Cruiser Prado, with advanced Land Cruiser off-road features in a bit smaller body style with a smaller capacity engine but also with some luxury features borrowed from the range-topping LC 300.
Talking about the design of the 2024 Land Cruiser Prado, it doesn’t look anywhere close to the previous gen Prado nor the current gen LC 300 because Toyota has borrowed the retro design cues from the previous Land Cruisers and presented them in a modern avatar, which makes the new Prado look even more appealing than the rest of the current Land Cruiser lineup. The exterior design of the new Prado looks like it is drawn by just using a scale and a pencil on paper because you hardly notice any curves on the body, as standard the 2024 Prado will be offered with squarish or rectangle-shaped LED headlamps, but if you want your Land Cruiser Prado to be a bit more different, then Toyota has also introduced a First Edition variant of the 2024 Prado, which is the only variant that gets circular headlamps, for giving it a more old school look, and is only going to be limited till 3000 units globally.
The Land Cruiser 250 or Prado will be offered with a few different powertrain options as per the different regions and countries it’s going to be sold, starting with the base model, which will be available with a 2.4L naturally aspirated 4-cylinder petrol engine with 162hp and 246Nm of peak torque paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission, then there is a 2.4L turbo 4-cylinder petrol, pushes out 277hp and 430Nm of peak torque paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission, then for the environmentalists, there is a 2.4L turbo 4-cylinder petrol hybrid, pushes out 325hp and 630Nm of peak torque paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission, and there’s also a 2.8L turbo diesel, pushing out 201 and 500Nm of peak torque paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission which you can also find in the Fortuner and the Hilux.
The new Land Cruiser Prado will be available in both 5 or 7-seat configurations and with an updated cabin because it now gets a new dash layout with the dashboard has got a bit lowered for better visibility for the driver, with that the new dashboard houses an updated infotainment system with wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto and a new fully digital driver’s display, and like every other modern car brand is making you use the screens to operate even basic functions like adjusting the air-con vents and ditching physical button these days, Toyota is one of such car brands who has kept physical buttons intact like for using climate control and off-road settings, which makes it easier to use them, and with that, they have also fitted the Prado with a traditional lever instead of a toggle switch to shift gears.
With the 2024 Land Cruiser Prado or 250, Toyota has also upgraded the mighty Land Cruiser 70. Talking about the exterior looks of the updated Land Cruiser 70, if we compare it with its previous generation, the changes are pretty minor, like the old-school halogen headlamps and the halogen fog lamps are now replaced by the new circular LED headlamps and the fog lamps are now LED as well, and gets a new set of alloy wheel designs, with that on the interior it gets an updated infotainment system and new part digital part analog instrument cluster for the driver. Talking about the Engine, the 2024 Land Cruiser 70 will be powered with a 2.8L turbo diesel, pushing out 201 and 500Nm of peak torque paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission. And will only be available for markets like Japan and the Middle East.
Being a proper off-roader, the new Prado sits on an old-school leader frame chassis, which is pretty much the same chassis that comes with the current gen LC 300, which means it is 50% stiffer than the previous Land Cruiser Prado, and for more off-road bits, with 4X4, a long travel suspension and diff locks, the Land Cruiser 250 or Prado also comes fitted a new front anti-roll bar that you can disable with a button on the dashboard, which will help move each wheel up and down more freely, with that it also comes with an off-road brain, which can automatically change the engine and gearbox settings while tackling tough terrains. And all these upgrades, especially the retro-modern design make the 2024 Land Cruiser 250 or Prado a big competitor to SUVs like Land Rover Defender and the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.
