Toyota Land Cruiser Prado: the light-duty Land Cruiser

The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is the light-duty version of the Land Cruiser range, first sold under the Prado name in April 1990. Prado means meadow or field in Spanish and Portuguese, and the model has grown into a full-size four-wheel drive sold in most markets where Toyota operates.

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Land Cruiser Prado.

History of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado

Before the Prado name

The light-duty Land Cruiser began in November 1984 as a lighter version of the 70 series, called the Land Cruiser II, Land Cruiser or Bundera depending on the market. These were short-body cars with soft, metal or FRP tops, coil-sprung suspension instead of the heavy-duty 70’s leaf springs, and lighter axles similar to the 4Runner’s and Hilux’s. The Bundera had a 2,310 mm wheelbase, two doors, a plastic top and barn doors at the rear, and used the 2.4-litre 22R petrol and 2L/2L-T diesel engines from the 4Runner, developed in cooperation with Hino.

First generation (J70; 1990)

In April 1990 Toyota introduced the Prado, still largely based on the heavy-duty J70 but with a redesigned grille, front wings, bonnet, headlamps and the coil-sprung suspension of the Land Cruiser II. It kept a body-on-frame design but was marketed at on-road buyers rather than the core 70 range. Japanese cars came only with the 2.4-litre 2L-TE turbo-diesel of 97 PS, with a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual, in two- and four-door bodies and SX, LX or EX trims; the shock absorbers could be switched electronically from inside. The 22R was upgraded to fuel injection and the diesels to the 2.8-litre 3L and the 2L-TE, replaced in 1993 by the 3.0-litre 1KZ-TE turbo-diesel with an aluminium head.

Second generation and after

The J90 was released on 8 May 1996 and sold through Toyota and Toyota Vista dealers in Japan. Unlike the J70-based car, it was an independent series, and Toyota describes it as the point where the Prado became a more passenger-oriented four-wheel drive. It came as a three-door five-seat short-wheelbase and a five-door eight-seat long-wheelbase model, both in the Japanese three-number registration class, with different front-end treatments to make the short car look sportier and the long one more rugged. Drive changed from part-time to full-time four-wheel drive, and the suspension was shared with the Hilux Surf: double wishbones at the front and a four-link coil-sprung live axle with a lateral rod at the rear. Engines were a new 3.4-litre 5VZ-FE V6 of 185 PS, an intercooled 3.0-litre 1KZ-TE of 140 PS and a 2.7-litre 3RZ-FE four of 150 PS. Later generations were the J120, J150 and J250; in 2023 the Prado finally reached North America, sold simply as the Land Cruiser.

Design and features

• Light-duty Land Cruiser: coil springs and lighter axles than the heavy-duty 70 series.
• Ladder frame: body-on-frame construction with a two-speed transfer box.
• Independent front suspension: from the J90 onwards, with a live rear axle.
• Full-time four-wheel drive: adopted with the J90 generation.

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado versions

• Land Cruiser II / Bundera (1984): the short-wheelbase light-duty predecessor.
• J70 Prado (1990): first Prado, with the 2L-TE diesel.
• J90 (1996): independent series with full-time four-wheel drive.
• J120 and J150: later generations sold worldwide.
• J250 (2023): sold as the Land Cruiser in North America.

The Prado is the light-duty member of the Land Cruiser family and shares its market space with the Fortuner and 4Runner. More cars are in the Toyota collection.

Sources

• Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, English Wikipedia: predecessor, generations, engines