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Do You Want the Next-Gen Toyota Prado With Sequoia or J300 Land Cruiser Design?

The Japanese automaker is one of the most beloved and sought-after companies across the automotive industry – and that is mostly because of an abundance of great nameplates like the Prius, Corolla, Tacoma, or the one-and-only Land Cruiser. Or is it, currently, a ‘two-and-only’ affair?
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado renderings by MV Auto and TopElectricSUV.com 8 photos
Photo: topelectricsuv.com / MV Auto / YouTube
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado renderings by MV Auto and TopElectricSUV.comToyota Land Cruiser Prado renderings by MV Auto and TopElectricSUV.comToyota Land Cruiser Prado renderings by MV Auto and TopElectricSUV.comToyota Land Cruiser Prado renderings by MV Auto and TopElectricSUV.comToyota Land Cruiser Prado renderings by MV Auto and TopElectricSUV.comToyota Land Cruiser Prado renderings by MV Auto and TopElectricSUV.comToyota Land Cruiser Prado renderings by MV Auto and TopElectricSUV.com
The legendary four-wheel drive series has been around – as a response to the American jeep – since 1951 and is today the carmaker’s longest-running series in active duty. With more than 10 million units delivered, the cult following is not only unsurprising, but also dutifully deserved. But, most likely, since even toddlers have heard about the Land Cruiser, you probably already know that.

What is really interesting is that Toyota currently separates the Land Cruiser lifestyle based on various regions. For example, the latest (and arguably greatest) J300 iteration has not been allowed to live the American dream because Toyota thought the new Lexus LX600 will do. Additionally, Europe, for example, only has access to the ‘smaller’ full-size Land Cruiser Prado version that traces its origins from the light-duty variant of the 70 Series of the 1980s.

Introduced in 1990 via the J70 codename, the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is currently offered since 2009 as the J150-based fourth generation. And logic, of course, tells us that it has grown severely long in the tooth, just like the ‘normal’ Land Cruiser did before it ahead of the J300’s arrival. Now, it is only logical to assume that its ‘younger’ sibling is next in line for a complete overhaul after almost a decade and a half on the market.

Naturally, the rumor mill is hard at work about the next Prado installment and, according to speculation, it could launch at home in Japan during the summer for a global start of deliveries toward the end of the year. Interestingly, the whispers also talk about the potential apparition of the Prado in North America as a 2024 model year, even though it already has its Lexus counterpart – the GX series. Well, it remains to be seen which of these bits of info pan out.

Until then, for those who are not patient enough to wait for the official OEM presentation, we have a solution (or two) stemming from the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. As such, independently from each other, the MV Auto and TopElectricSUV channels on YouTube share a cool Toyota trait – they CGI-discuss the next Prado with rendering arguments. And both hosts make for a compelling yet completely different case for their hypothetical next-generation SUV.

As far as the good folks at MV Auto are concerned, the upcoming Toyota Land Cruiser Prado could adopt the rugged yet popular styling of the XK70 Tundra pickup truck and XK80 Sequoia off-road SUV, but also retain some of the design traits that made the current generation (in)famous. That could bode well for the U.S. audience and establish a family connection across segments.

Meanwhile, the news specialists from TopElectricSUV believe that everyone – including the Americans – would rather have the Prado as a ‘baby’ J300 Land Cruiser and CGI-acted accordingly. The outlet also shares useful information regarding the potential technical details, including the hypothetical appearance of not one, but two hybrid powertrains. And, of course, one of the biggest suspects could be the 2024 Grand Highlander’s 362-horsepower Hybrid Max powertrain which pairs electric motors with a feisty 2.4-liter turbocharged four-pot.

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About the author: Aurel Niculescu
Aurel Niculescu profile photo

Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution.
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