Toyota Land Cruiser Prado

The third generation Toyota Land Cruiser Prado has become noticeably more comfortable than its predecessors, more luxurious in equipment and has grown slightly in size. The design of the future car was developed in the European Toyota studio, starting in 1998, and only in 2002 the model went into production. The Prado 120th series is distinguished by a modern, bright style, which successfully combines elegance and at the same time openly declared ability to challenge the road elements. Thanks to a conceptually new approach to the construction of body lines, and especially its front part (hood, bumper, radiator grille, headlights), the model began to visually appear higher and, one might say, acquired a more athletic "physique". Like the previous series, this model is created on the same platform as the Toyota 4Runner / HiLux Surf. Depending on the number of doors, the wheelbase of the 2002 model year cars is 2455 or 2790 mm. Five-door versions were produced with two or three rows of seats. We can talk about some conservatism in the approach to the trim levels: compared to the previous generation, their number has decreased, although this generation lasted on the conveyor for almost the same period as the previous one. In the same 2002, the first generation of the premium SUV Lexus GX 470 debuted, which is actually the most richly equipped version of the Prado 120 series: with a V8 engine, a luxurious interior and some differences in the exterior design.

Initially, three engines were offered for the Land Cruiser Prado, which had proven themselves well in the previous generation: gasoline 3RZ-FE (2.7 l, 150 hp) and 5VZ-FE (V6, 3.4 l, 185 hp), as well as a turbodiesel 1KD-FTV (3 l, 170 hp). Since August 2004, the first of them was replaced by a new 2TR-FE engine with a capacity of 163 hp, and in July 2005, the V-shaped "six" was replaced by a much more powerful 1GR-FE engine with a volume of 4 liters (249 hp), which significantly changed the dynamics of the SUV, however, it was installed only on the version with a long base. All cars produced for the domestic market used only automatic transmissions, 4- and 5-speed: respectively, the indestructible "automatic" A340, which survived several generations of Toyota, and the new development model A750. The latter was only available with 1GR-FE.