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HomeZA LifestyleLifestyle NewsToyota Land Cruiser Prado On Sale In South Africa

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado On Sale In South Africa

Image source: Motor Press

It would be fair to say that the Toyota Land Cruiser is as iconic as the original Land Rover, especially as they both arrived around the same time and were developed from wartime experience.

In 1950, the Korean War created a demand for a military light utility vehicle. The U.S. government ordered 100 vehicles with the then-new Willys specifications and tasked Toyota to manufacture them. The Toyota “Jeep” BJ prototype was developed in January 1951.

Image source: Motor Trend

In July 1951, Toyota’s test driver Ichiro Taira drove the next generation of the Jeep BJ prototype up to the sixth stage of Mount Fuji, the first vehicle to climb that height. The test was overseen by the National Police Agency. Impressed by this feat, the NPA quickly placed an order for 289 of these off-road vehicles, making the Jeep BJ their official patrol car. The legend was born.

Image source: Motor Press

Over the following decades, the Land Cruiser concept remained steadfastly rugged and practical, with few concessions to luxury but, as is the case with so many vehicles that have had long production lives, demand for ever more luxury and comfort dictated the development path of the Land Cruiser, although practicality was never compromised. This has led to the latest and much-anticipated version about to be launched onto the South African market, the brand new Land Cruiser Prado, featuring all of the traditional Land Cruiser DNA, combined with new technology to deliver higher levels of performance and comfort, both on- and off-road.

Image source: Motor Press

The new Land Cruiser Prado is powered by a 150kW, 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine matched to a new eight-speed Direct Shift automatic transmission, giving the power and drive to pull loads of up to 3,500kg.

There are three variants of the basic platform. The TX sets a solid foundation, featuring a fully leather-upholstered cabin, heated front seats, a heads-up display and a wireless charging station.

Image source: Motor Press

The VX-R adds a digital rearview mirror and a larger infotainment screen, while the top-of-the-range First Editions are available in limited numbers and feature classic round headlamps in place of the rectangular shape found on the other models.

Image source: Motor Press

Pricing is as follows:

Prado 2.8GD TX – R1 296 300
Prado 2.8GD VX-R – R1 448 900
Prado 2.8GD 1st Edition – R1 462 400
Prado 2.8GD 1st Edition Bi-Tone – R1 472 600

For more information, visit www.toyota.co.za

Harry Fisher
Harry Fisher
From an early age, Harry was obsessed with anything that moved under its own steam, particularly cars and motorcycles. For reasons of a financial nature, his stable of fine automobiles failed to materialise, at which point he realised that motorcycles were far more affordable and so he started his two wheel career, owning, riding, building and fixing many classic bikes. Then came the day when he converted his love of bikes into a living, writing, filming and talking about them endlessly. The passion for four wheels never left him, however, and he has now converted his writing skills into singing the praises of cars in all their infinite variety. Bikes are still his favourite means of getting around but the car in its modern form is reaching a level of perfection that is hard to resist. And they're warmer in winter....
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