Toyota Land Cruiser Prado

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Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is a mid-size four-wheel drive car in the Toyota Land Cruiser

range produced by the Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation. The Prado is one of the

smaller vehicles in the range.

In Europe it is sold as simply the Toyota Land Cruiser LC3, LC4 or LC5 (depending on the

generation) or with the number series designation (LC 70, LC 90 and LC 120). In North

America it is not part of the Land Cruiser range, being instead sold as the Lexus GX 470,

with nearly identical body panels and a V8 engine.

The current Prado is based on Toyota's J150 platform. Previous models were based on the J70,

J90 and J120 platforms. All models designated Prado feature front independent suspension,

ladder frame and a two-speed transfer case except the J70 which had active diffs front and

rear.

The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is available in GX, GXL, VX and Grande spec versions. The GX

is the entry level model, while the Grande is the more luxurious version. In most markets it

is available with either a 4.0 L petrol V6 or a 3.0 L Diesel engine. In some European

countries there are commercial van variants, based on the short-wheelbase chassis.

First developed as the light-duty of the 70 Series, in November 1984. Available only in

short body, and there were options for soft top or hard top (metal top). Names like Land

Cruiser II, Land Cruiser, and Bundera were made for these 'Light Duty' Land Cruisers. The

Bundera was a medium wheelbase two-door with a plastic top and barn doors at the rear. There

were three engine options, the 2.4 L (2366 cc) 22R petrol engine and 2.4 L (2446 cc) 2L and

2L-T diesel and turbo diesel engines. Transmission for the gasoline engine is the G52 type

while the diesels used the R150 and R151 types. These were the same engines and transmission

used in 4Runner, in cooperation with Hino the new car.

In April 1990, a new type was introduced. The front grille, front fenders and engine hood

were redesigned. The head lamp design changed as well. At the same time the sub name Prado

was attached, but names like Land Cruiser and Land Cruiser II were still used in other parts

of the world besides Japan. Meaning plain or field in Portuguese, Prado the new car from

Land Cruiser was marketed toward more on-road purposes, despite a body on frame design which

was highly capable off-road.

In Japan it came with electronic fuel injection and a four speed automatic transmission. The

2.4 L turbo diesel engine with 71 kW (97 PS; 95 hp) and 240 N·m
(180 lb·ft) high torque unit

was installed. The line up included 2-door and 4-door versions available in SX, LX or EX (4

door only) grades of trim.

The front suspension was changed to a "shock absorber through spring" design to improve

handling. With the touch of a button you could switch between stages of absorber. The 22R

gasoline engine was upgraded to the 22R-E (electronic fuel injection) engine, the diesel

engines were replaced by the 2.8 L (2776 cc) 3L engine, and the 2.4 L (2446 cc) 2L-T turbo

diesel engine was replaced by the electronically injected 2L-TE turbo diesel engine. In

1993, the 22R-E gasoline engine was replaced by the 2.7 L (2693 cc) 3RZ-FE gasoline engine

and the 2L-TE turbo diesel engine was replaced by the 3.0 L (2982 cc) 1KZ-TE turbo diesel

engine with aluminium cylinder head. The 1KZ-TE was able to reduce NOx and soot. The dash

board was replaced with a new design with minor changes to suspension, brakes, and trim

details.

This model is available with a rear mounted spare tire or under-floor mounted spare wheel,

depending on the market. For example, UK market cars have the spare wheel mounted under-

floor, while in Australia or Argentina the spare wheel is mounted on the rear door. Having

the spare wheel mounted on the rear door allows the addition of an auxiliary fuel tank,

which is desirable in countries like Australia or Argentina where long distance journeys are

common.