One of the world’s most respected off-roaders is here, with all the talent and quality promised by the Toyota and Land Cruiser brands. However, at this price, it also has to convincingly play the luxury sedan — can it prove its mettle?

“The high-quality insides of the Prado are a tactile delight.”

‘The huge, 4.0-litre V6 is torquey and driveable, both off the road and on it, with top speed a limited 186kph.’

TOYOTA LAND CRUISER PRADO
List price (ex-showroom,
Mumbai) Rs 38 lakh
Top speed 186kph
0-60kph 4.19sec
0-100kph 9.45sec
Kpl 5.95 (overall)
For Engine, off-road ability, quality
Against Price, highway manners, thirst

Few vehicles inspire more confidence in impossible situations than Toyota's Land Cruiser. Up to pretty much any task, urban crawl, highways, ice, snow, flood, desert or the rock climb, the Land Cruiser has accumulated a tipper-full of goodwill due to its stellar performance under all conditions. Include Toyota reliability and an unpaid endorsement from possibly the most abusive user group on the planet, the Taliban, and you have something truly formidable.
Now popular in the Indian market as well, due to widespread use by Bollywood stars and amongst the jet-set in Delhi, Toyota has let loose the Prado to what should be a receptive audience. But wait. The Prado that was launched in December last year won't be powered by its capable three litre D4-D common-rail diesel engine.
Customers are sure to miss what would have been the powerplant of choice, excluded from the Indian market plans for now, presumably due to the sulphur content in our diesel. Still, the new Land Cruiser Prado has a lot to offer customers interested in a modern middle-of-the-road SUV, that unlike a number of softroaders, still retains its off-roading skills.