2023 Toyota LandCruiser Prado won't be a new model! Another facelift coming instead for LC300's 13-year-old baby brother: report

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.