The Toyota Land Cruiser light-duty line, most commonly marketed as the is a full-size four-wheel drive vehicle in the Land Cruiser range produced by the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Land Cruiser Prado is referred to as a "light-duty" variation in the Land Cruiser range. "Prado" means meadow or field in Spanish and Portuguese.

The Land Cruiser Prado may also be referred to as Land Cruiser LC70, LC90, LC120, LC150 and LC250 depending on the platform. In some markets, it is known simply as the Toyota Prado or the Toyota Land Cruiser.

Up until the J150 model, the Land Cruiser Prado was not part of the Land Cruiser range in North America; the rebadged Lexus GX occupied the Prado's position in luxury trim. The Prado was then introduced there in 2023 and marketed simply as the "Land Cruiser".

The Land Cruiser Prado has a ladder frame chassis, two-speed transfer boxes and a rear beam axle. The J70 platform has a front beam axle, while the J90, J120, J150 and J250 platforms have front independent suspension.

As of 2025, the Land Cruiser Prado is available in most markets served by Toyota. Exceptions include Mexico, India, South Korea and some Southeast Asian and South American markets (where the less expensive Hilux-based Fortuner/SW4 is offered instead).

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Predecessor (J70; 1984)

First developed as a light-duty version of the 70 Series in November 1984. Referred to as the Land Cruiser II, Land Cruiser, or Bundera depending on the market it was sold in. They were available only in short body layouts with options for soft top, metal top, or FRP top. The Land Cruiser II uses a coil sprung suspension setup (opposed to the leaf sprung setup in the heavy-duty J70) and lighter-duty axles similar to those found in the 4Runner and Hilux. The Bundera was a short wheelbase—being —with two doors, a plastic top, and barn doors at the rear. There were four options for the engine, the 22R (carbureted) and 22R-E (EFI) petrol engines and the 2L and 2L-T diesel and turbocharged diesel engines. The transmission for the petrol engines is the G52 type while the diesels used the R150 and R151 types. These were the same engines and transmissions used in the 4Runner, in cooperation with Hino.

First generation (J70; 1990)

In April 1990, a new type, the Prado, was introduced, still largely based on the heavy-duty J70 with a redesigned front grille, front wings, engine bonnet, head lamps, and coil sprung suspension carried over from the previous generation Land Cruiser II. Despite being called Prado in Japan, the names Land Cruiser and Land Cruiser II were still used in other parts of the world. While the Prado used a body-on-frame design making it highly capable off-road, the vehicle was nonetheless marketed toward on-road users, unlike core J70 range. The rather underpowered RJ77 (four doors with the 22R carbureted engine) was only available in some Middle Eastern countries.

In Japan, it came with a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transmission. The only engine installed in home market cars was the 2.4 L turbocharged "EFI" 2L-TE diesel engine with and . The lineup included 2-door and 4-door versions, available in SX, LX or EX (4-door only) grades of trim.

The coil spring suspension was carried over from the previous generation Land Cruiser II to improve handling and comfort. The absorber stages could be switched electronically with a button inside. The 22R petrol engine was upgraded to the 22R-E (electronic fuel injection) engine, the diesel engines were replaced by the 3L engine, and the 2L-T turbocharged diesel engine was replaced by the electronically injected 2L-TE turbocharged diesel engine. In 1993, the 2L-TE turbocharged diesel engine was replaced by the 1KZ-TE turbocharged diesel engine with aluminium cylinder head. The 1KZ-TE was able to reduce and soot. The dashboard was replaced with an updated design with minor changes to suspension, brakes and trim details.

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Second generation (J90; 1996)

The second-generation Prado was released on 8 May 1996 and sold in Japan through Toyota and Toyota Vista dealerships. Unlike the J70-based first generation, the J90 was an independent series, and Toyota describes the model change as the point at which the Prado was directed towards a more passenger-oriented four-wheel drive vehicle. Production took place at the company's Honsha and Tahara plants.

Two body styles were offered: a three-door short wheelbase five-seater and a five-door long wheelbase eight-seater. Both were larger than their predecessors and fell into the Japanese "3-number" registration class. Toyota differentiated them visually through the front-end and headlamp treatment, giving the short-bodied car a sportier appearance and the long-bodied car a more rugged one.

The drivetrain changed from part-time to full-time four-wheel drive, and the suspension was shared with the Hilux Surf, using independent double wishbones with coil springs at the front and a four-link coil-sprung live axle with a lateral rod at the rear. In Japan, three-door grades were designated with an initial R, ranging from RZ, RX and RS to RJ, while five-door grades used an initial T, from TZ, TX and TS to TJ. ABS and a Field Monitor showing an altimeter, a thermometer and pressure were fitted.

Representative Japanese-market specifications at launch were as follows.

Grade Model code Engine Displacement Maximum output Kerb weight 5-door TZ E-VZJ95W-GKPGK 5VZ-FE V6 DOHC at 4,800 rpm 5-door TZ KD-KZJ95W-GKMGK 1KZ-TE I4 turbo at 3,600 rpm 3-door RZ E-VZJ90W-GJMGK 5VZ-FE V6 DOHC at 4,800 rpm

Engines At launch the range comprised a newly introduced 3.4-litre 5VZ-FE V6 DOHC petrol engine producing , and the 3.0-litre 1KZ-TE four-cylinder SOHC turbo-diesel carried over from the previous generation, whose output was raised to by the addition of an intercooler. A 2.7-litre 3RZ-FE four-cylinder DOHC petrol engine producing was added in April 1997.

In July 2000 the turbo-diesel was replaced by the newly developed 3.0-litre 1KD-FTV, a common rail direct-injection unit marketed as D-4D. Toyota attributed its performance to four-valve cylinder heads, a newly developed common-rail injection system and an intercooled variable-nozzle turbocharger with continuously controlled boost pressure, together with a combustion process designated UNIBUS which the company credited with reducing both fuel consumption and the vibration and noise characteristic of diesel engines. All manual-transmission models, and automatics with a kerb weight of or more, met Japan's 2005 diesel fuel economy standards ahead of their introduction, and an immobiliser was adopted at the same time. The engine produced at 3,400 rpm and between 1,800 and 3,400 rpm.

1999 revisions The J90 received a minor change on 9 June 1999. Both body styles adopted large multi-reflector headlamps, and the front and rear combination lamps were given clear lenses. The front grille, front bumper, door trim and combination meter were redesigned, and new exterior and interior colours were introduced. An Optitron instrument cluster was newly offered and the Field Monitor was revised to a colour display. Toyota also introduced "Active TRC", a traction mechanism intended to improve progress on loose and muddy surfaces, and offered vehicle stability control on principal automatic grades from August 1999.

A special edition designated "TX Limited" was launched simultaneously, based on the five-door eight-seat TX and adding a roof rail, wood-grain trim, an armrest rear console box and an Optitron meter. Toyota set a monthly sales target of 3,000 units for the revised range. Overall length of five-door models increased to .

Special-equipment variants Crawler On 22 October 1999 Toyota announced a Land Cruiser Prado Crawler, sold from 1 November 1999 as a factory special-equipment vehicle under the company's TECS (Toyota Excellent Conversion Series) programme, alongside an equivalent Hilux Surf Crawler. The Crawler replaced all four road wheels with triangular rubber-belted crawler units, and was intended for passenger transport and haulage in snowbound areas.

Because the conversion substituted the wheels without altering the vehicle's basic control layout, Toyota stated that the Crawler could be driven on an ordinary Japanese driving licence, unlike tracked snow vehicles, which were classified as special vehicles requiring a specific licence. The crawler units could be removed and road wheels refitted outside the snow season. Changes to the base vehicle included dedicated front and rear bumpers, enlarged over-fenders, protectors and stoppers, and a switch to correct the speedometer reading between crawler and wheel configurations.

The Crawler was based on the 3.4-litre 5VZ-FE petrol TZ grade, carried the TECS model code GF-VZJ95W-VRPGCR, and was bodied by Araco. Fitting the crawler units raised kerb weight from to and ground clearance from to . At launch it was priced at ¥5,240,000 excluding consumption tax.

Active Vacation A camper conversion marketed as "Active Vacation" was offered as a special-equipment vehicle registered in Japan's 8-number category, and received the same revisions as the base vehicle at the June 1999 minor change.

Markets The Prado was assembled by Sofasa in Colombia from 1999 until 2009 without significant changes. There were two versions, a 3-door version with a 2.7 L engine and a 5-door version with a 3.4 L V6 engine and either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission. Between 2005 and 2009 they offered an optional armoured version of the 5-door Prado.

When the Prado was launched in the UK in 1996, it was called the Land Cruiser Colorado and replaced the 4Runner, which had been discontinued from sale. It was called this to distinguish it from the larger Land Cruiser – renamed as the Land Cruiser Amazon – which was already on sale. The Colorado name tag was dropped in 2003, when it was renamed simply as Land Cruiser. In the Republic of Ireland most Land Cruisers were sold as commercial vehicles with the rear side windows blanked and the rear seats removed for tax reasons.

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Facelift

Third generation (J120; 2002)

Appearing in 2002, the third generation Prado has revised front suspension to improve reliability. Development began in 1997 and design work in 1998, with the proposal originating from Lance Scott of the Toyota ED2 design studio in France in late 1999.

Engines include the straight-4 3RZ-FE, V-6 5VZ-FE and straight-4 turbocharged diesel 1KZ-TE. In countries like China, a newly developed engine (1GR-FE V6) is available. The engine immobilizer became standard equipment in some markets.

In August 2004, the 3RZ-FE engine was replaced by the 2TR-FE engine and in July of the same year, the 5VZ-FE engine was replaced by the V6 1GR-FE engine with a 5-speed automatic transmission available in late 2005.

North America never received the Prado nameplate but it was sold as the Lexus GX 470 with the V8 2UZ-FE engine and full time four wheel drive.

Diesel models have had the 1KZ-TE turbocharged diesel engine with maximum output rating at as well as the 5L-E natural aspirated diesel engine rated at . In November 2006, Toyota introduced the 1KD-FTV turbocharged diesel D-4D engine to meet Euro IV emission standards. This engine delivers of power and of torque. The upgrade to the D-4D engine was also matched with transmission upgrades to the diesel range, with the 5-speed automatic and 6-speed manual transmissions added in line with the petrol powered range. From August 2007 the Prado received several equipment and safety upgrades. The car has won 3 awards for the best performance from an SUV-type vehicle in Australia and the US.

The 120-series Land Cruiser Prado shares the same suspension parts as the Hilux Surf/4Runner and FJ Cruiser from the same years.