The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado started as a lighter-duty version of the venerable 70 Series Land Cruiser from 1985 – nearly forty years ago – and initially was available only in short wheelbase form and marketed as the Bundera (in South America) or Land Cruiser II, and later as the Prado.
However, each modification took it further from its 70 Series roots and in 1997, it became a range in its own right, known as the 90 Series. The original 70 Series-based Prado, first introduced in April 1990, was never officially available in South Africa (although grey imports abound), but the second generation J90 Prado (interestingly called Colorado in the United Kingdom) took the local market by storm.
Introduced here in 1998 only in five-door long wheelbase format, it was only late in the lifecycle of the LC90 that a few short wheelbase models were made available locally. The 90 Series was superseded by the LC120 in 2002, again available in five-door format only. This third-generation Prado came with a revised front suspension to improve reliability, and during its seven-year lifespan, it received numerous engine upgrades but only small exterior revamps.
The fourth generation J150 Prado followed in 2009, proving even more popular than the 120 Series. Contrary to its predecessor, this Prado model underwent three facelifts and some significant mechanical changes during its lifecycle, stretching over 13 years.
The latest Prado (called the 250 in Japan and just Land Cruiser in the US) is a radical departure from its predecessors in terms of exterior design (with FJ Cruiser and J70 design cues) and interior styling, and in terms of capabilities, it is no light duty model anymore.
Report by FERDI DE VOS | Images © TOYOTA
