Snapshot
- The new Prado is due in mid-2023.
- Hybrid powertrains under the bonnet
- TNGA may transfer to the platform.
The Toyota LandCruiser Prado update has been a long time in the making.
Initially expected for this year, its release has been pushed back. Reports are now suggesting that we could see the new Prado as early as mid-2023. With hybrid powertrains on board.
Typically, the small Prado lags behind the full-size Land Cruiser by a year. This year would have seen the debut of the new Prado, but supply and production issues have delayed its release.
By then 2023 rolls around. The fourth generation 150 series Prado will be on sale for 14 years.. In that time, the Prado was upgraded to a 2.8-liter turbo-diesel four-cylinder (2015) that got a big bump in 2020.
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Pictured here is last year’s Prado Matte Black.
Japanese shop Best car web reported that the new Prado will pack the option of two hybrid powertrains, one petrol and one diesel.
Prado to go hybrid in 2023
Under the bonnet of the new Prado will be the option of not just one, but two hybrid powertrains – at least in Japan.
The report suggests. The 2.8-liter turbo-diesel four-cylinder will get electric boost from two motors that draw power from a lithium-ion battery.. Whether or not it will get the RAV4’s eFour system with a single motor driving the rear wheels.
We’d expect power to climb above the current 150kW, and an excellent 500Nm of torque, especially given the Prado’s popularity for towing.
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There will also be a petrol-based hybrid, although information seems less closed. The Prado could use a 2.5-liter engine, or the turbocharged 2.4-liter from the Lexus NX 350.
While the Prado is sold exclusively with a diesel engine in Australia, the current generation car is offered with both fuels at home and the Japanese prefer the petrol Prado.
Given that the Prado and HiLux share common powertrains, it’s possible that this new pair of hybrids could land in Australia’s best-selling UT.
TNGA platform is likely.
Again details are scarce at the moment but like its 300 series sibling the new Prado could be improved upon underpinnings, and could come in Global Architecture (TNGA).
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The Prado may adopt a modified version of the 300 Series/Tundra’s GA-F body-on-frame platform, as the report suggests that the Prado will retain its 2790mm wheelbase and 1585mm track width.
You’ll recall that the 300 Series retains its wheelbase and length from the 200 Series, though Toyota assures us that the GA-F platform it uses is all-new.
More details including power, platform and pricing will be revealed soon.