Toyota prado 2023: new model

Have you been waiting for the fifth-generation Toyota LandCruiser Prado? Well, according to a new report, the box-fresh large SUV isn’t due later this year after all. Instead, the current model is set to get another facelift.

Yep, that’s the word from Japanese publication Creative311, which claims local Toyota dealer sources confirmed the Prado won’t go through its expected full model changeover in August.

Why? Toyota’s ongoing production woes are said to be to blame, with the global pandemic wreaking supply-chain havoc on multiple industries. It’s worth noting plenty of other carmakers have been caught up in similar issues, too.

Point being, the next Prado has potentially been pushed back by up to two years, with another Japanese publication, Best Car Web, reporting it could make its debut in August 2024, allowing Toyota time to catch up with demand for the new LandCruiser 300 Series.

So, what’s happening to the existing Prado in the meantime? Given it was last facelifted in September 2017, it’s now come in line for the obvious nip and tuck, but Creative311 suggests it will also get improved safety equipment when it’s unveiled around August.

The reigning Prado’s 150kW/500Nm 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine could also get reworked to lower emissions, but it remains to be seen if its outputs will be increased.

As reported, the eventual redesigned Prado is set to borrow a lot from the LC300, including its TNGA-F body-on-frame platform and 227kW/700Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel V6 engine. Petrol and diesel ‘self-charging’ hybrid powertrain options are also expected.

The latest reports out of Japan claim the first new Toyota Prado in 13 years is due to be unveiled in 2023 – and there is speculation about diesel hybrid, petrol hybrid, and the possibility of a V6.

A new report claims the 2024 Toyota LandCruiser Prado could be unveiled next year with new hybrid engines, and the possibility of a turbo-diesel V6.

Japanese publication Best Car – which is known to be an outlet for future product plan leaks from Toyota – reports the new-generation LandCruiser Prado is due to be shown to the world between July and September 2023.

Though Toyota is yet to confirm plans, the as-yet unsubstantiated report points to the Prado being fitted with a hybrid version of the 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine found in the current model, along with a 2.4- or 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine – also with hybrid technology, and possibly turbocharged

In August 2021, Best Car reported the Prado would share a 2.5-litre diesel-electric hybrid system with the HiLux and HiAce.

Another report from Best Car earlier this month claimed the Prado will adopt the 3.3-litre turbo-diesel V6 engine from the LandCruiser 300 Series – potentially as a response to the new Ford Everest V6 or even China's GWM Tank 500.

While a detuned version of the V6 would help differentiate the Prado from its larger LandCruiser sibling, the report specifically lists the power output as 227kW – the very same found in the 300 Series.

In the past, the Prado has typically been offered with smaller engines than those found in the range-topping LandCruiser – more recently borrowed from the HiLux ute range – so as to provide greater differentiation between the two LandCruiser models.

Best Car – together with another article from Japanese website Creative Trend – also suggests the new Prado will be based on a new version of Toyota’s global vehicle architecture, known as TNGA (or TNGA-F for body-on-frame 4WD vehicles).

Creative Trend says the chassis that underpins the Prado will share components found on the current LandCruiser 300 Series and – interestingly – the current, seven-year-old HiLux.

Recently, Toyota introduced a new HiLux Rogue – featuring four-wheel-disc brakes, new suspension, and wider axles for a larger tyre footprint – all of which could be used for the next-generation ute, or potentially adopted by the Prado.

However, Best Car claims the next Prado will retain the same width as the current '150 Series' model, at 1885mm.

Though unconfirmed at this stage, Creative Trend has also begun referring to the new Prado as the '180 Series'.

If the reports are accurate and the 2024 Toyota LandCruiser Prado is due to be unveiled in the second half of next year, expect to begin seeing some prototypes on the road next year.

Ben Zachariah is an experienced writer and motoring journalist from Melbourne, having worked in the automotive industry for more than 15 years. Ben was previously an interstate truck driver and completed his MBA in Finance in early 2021. He is considered an expert in the area of classic car investment.

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