Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2017 revealed in Frankfurt

Toyota has dropped the V6 petrol engine in its revision of the popular LandCruiser Prado range that arrives in Australian showrooms in November this year, citing slow sales of the engine as the reason for its discontinuation.

Only 1.2 per cent of Prado sales in Australia were for the petrol as customers flock to the more fuel efficient, and more off-road friendly character, of the 130kW 2.8-litre turbo-diesel powertrain. Torque figures come in at 450Nm for automatic versions, dropping to 420Nm for three-pedal variants.

Wearing revised styling and a new face with a strong resemblance to its LandCruiser 200 Series sibling, the refreshed Prado also receives a maximum tow rating boost to 3000kg in automatic-equipped vehicles, matching European versions.

This increase is the result of restyled front, bringing with it improvements to engine and transmission cooling and allowing better durability in high temperature conditions such as Australia.

Despite the cooling changes, manual gearbox versions remain at a 2500kg towing maximum.

According to Toyota, the new-look Prado – on display at this week’s Frankfurt motor show – creates a “parent and child” relationship between it’s the Prado and LandCruiser 200 Series.

New for the 2018 model year is a more angular, horizontal look for the headlights with LED daytime running lights now arranged in a strip below the headlight cluster.

The grille now has wide, vertical bars with chrome edges, while the bonnet follows the 200 Series theme with a scalloped centre section. The front fenders have been re-modelled to be more visible from the driver’s seat to make it easier to manoeuvre in tight spaces.

The rear of the Prado remains almost unchanged, adding only a new tail-light cluster and smaller number plate surround.

Inside, the Prado gets a new dashboard, instrument cluster bezel and switchgear, while the centre console’s air-conditioning panel has been restyled for ease of use.

The Prado gets a new dashboard, instrument cluster bezel and switchgear.

All Prado versions will get lane-departure warning and automatic high beam, while GX and GXL variants with an automatic transmission have the pre-collision safety system and active cruise control which were previously only on the VX and Kakadu variants.

The VX model now has blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, borrowed from the top-spec Kakadu.

The Prado has been on the Australian market for eight years and Toyota is staying tight-lipped on when a new model will be launched.

Prado sales to the end of August this year total 11,000 units, an increase of 8.3 per cent on the previous corresponding period. The model now has a commanding 13.9 per cent share of the large SUV segment.

It leads its Toyota Kluger stablemate (8023), the Subaru Outback (7964), Holden Captiva (6697) and Mazda CX-9 (6222).

Has Toyota done enough to keep the new LandCruiser Prado fresh? Tell us what you think in the comments below.