Will a turbodiesel or hybrid Toyota Land Cruiser Prado make sense in PH today?
The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, especially in its 250-series form which was first revealed in 2023 and introduced here in the Philippines in 2024, is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable vehicles out there.
Its boxy and retro-inspired exterior is a huge selling point for many who purchased one, and its interior provides plenty of creature comforts for those who are looking for an SUV simply for cruising around, even with its known off-road capability. But there is one pain point, at least from what we heard, and that’s its powertrain.
Here in the Philippines, the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is available solely powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine that’s known as the T24A-FTS. It produces 281 horsepower and 430Nm of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Lugging around more than 2.5tons of weight, it certainly sounds like it can use a bit more, particularly in the torque department, one that can be easily answered by other powertrain options.
Available in markets such as Japan, Australia, and the Middle East is a 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel engine. Sounds familiar? It’s the tried-and-tested 1GD-FTV engine used by the Hilux, Fortuner, Innova, and Hiace. Even outputs are the same at 204 horsepower and 500Nm of torque, but with the availability of an eight-speed automatic transmission, and even a mild-hybrid version with a 48V battery.
Now, the price of diesel fuel these days is quite expensive, reaching more than Php 100 per liter at the time of this writing. Electrification is also in full swing with many car buyers replacing their gasoline- and turbodiesel-powered vehicles with electrified alternatives. Despite that, there’s still no doubt that the love of Filipinos for diesel remains, and it could have its own niche in our market.
But how about an electrified Toyota Land Cruiser Prado?
A hybrid powertrain is available in North America and China, adding electric motors and a battery to the same T24A-FTS engine we get, boosting output up to a much healthier 330 horsepower and 630Nm of torque, also mated to an eight-speed transmission.
It’s easy to say that the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado could use these powertrains which either provide more power, or more pull, or both. There are however a couple of questions that come to mind such as: Are there plans to bring these to our market? Will Land Cruiser purists accept these options as a “real Land Cruiser”?
What do you think?
