The Story of an African Icon

With a long line of very successful ancestors, the new-generation Toyota Land Cruiser Prado had some big tyres to fill. We look at the approach its design team took to continue the legacy.

WORDS Steve Smith PHOTOS Supplied

Round or square? It’s bit like the “chicken or beef?” query extended by uniformed flight attendants. In this instance, it refers to the kind of headlamps you want with your new Land Cruiser. And like the cruising-altitude question, this one is equally moot in South Africa: usually, there’s only chicken left; and when it comes to the Land Cruiser, all the special-edition round-headlamped Toyotas have already been sold.

It speaks to just how revered this Toyota model has been since it was first launched back in 1951 with the legendary BJ series. Subsequent models of the iconic Land Cruiser literally put Toyota on the map, selling about 11.3-million vehicles in more than 170 countries, and helping to build Toyota’s reputation for reliability, durability and the ability to tackle rough road conditions. As we all know, if you want to drive across Africa, there’s really only one automotive brand you want to do the job; such is the trust Toyota and its off-road models have built.

That means there was a fair amount of pressure when designing this new iteration. After all, the last one proved so popular, there was no need to follow the usual four-to-five-year life cycle that models usually go through before a new one appears on the showroom floor. The last Land Cruiser Prado was launched 15 years ago…

What, then, do you focus on when designing a new Land Cruiser Prado? Toyota’s chief branding officer and senior general manager of design Simon Humphries is here to highlight three key areas.

Capability

“Number one is capability, and at the heart of this is the GA-F platform,” he says. “Reliability and durability are built in, and performance over rough terrain is on par with the flagship Land Cruiser 300. This capability is now more practical and accessible than ever: this is the first Land Cruiser to have electric power steering, rather than hydraulic, which improves ease and comfort on the road and reduces kickback off it.”

Intuitive Operation

“Vehicle control is fundamental to building trust between driver and machine,” says Simon. “We designed the cockpit controls to be easy to identify and operate by feel alone. We sought the expertise of Dakar Rally champion Akira Miura, no stranger to driving under pressure in extreme environments. He told us it’s crucial that the interfaces support the driver, with maximum accuracy and minimal eff ort, whatever the conditions.

Beauty is function

“Every aspect of the design is based on the premise that beauty comes from functionality,” says Simon. “Proportions are calculated for manoeuvrability in extreme environments. The sides are kept slim, the overhangs short, the corners carefully sculpted. The low beltline, narrow A-pillars and angular structure are designed for maximum visibility and easy, accurate orientation. Customers also reminded us of the importance of damage mitigation and repairability. And so the high-mounted headlights are designed to rise above debris – and long savanna grass. The segmented front bumper is designed to be easy to repair.”

What’s also unmistakable in this form-follows-function design are the various nods to its ancestors. Whether it’s the round headlights that recall the early Land Cruisers of the 1950s and ’60s, or the square headlamps that are a shoutout to the 60 Series of the 1980s, the new Land Cruiser features a slew of retro elements, as well as a silhouette and proportions that clearly reference its design heritage. The classic Land Cruiser silhouette is underpinned by a strong horizontal axis, and the long bonnet, upright windscreen, short front overhang and distinctive trapezoidal wheel arches are all markers of the Series 40, 60 and 70 models. “This is not just an homage, though,” points out chief designer Yoshito Watanabe. “It interprets these elements in a modern way that evokes the essence of Land Cruiser.”

I can happily report that they got it spot-on. We spent two days driving the new Land Cruiser Prado through southern Mozambique, where it proved to be the consummate road-trip vehicle on tar – and supremely capable on the sandy dune-belt back roads near the coast. An adjustable stabiliser bar reduces suspension travel and ensures on-road stability, while the Multi-Terrain Select system allows you to toggle through terrain types such as Sand, Mud and Rocks when you head off -road.

There have been some mutterings about the Land Cruiser Prado’s engine not being powerful enough for a car of this size – it has the same 2.8-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel found in the Hilux and the Fortuner. I wouldn’t take any notice of those mutterings: the new 8-speed auto gearbox seamlessly harnesses the engine’s 150kW/500Nm for plenty of overtaking power, and results in sub-8L/100km fuel efficiency on the open road. The drivetrain is also flexible enough for a clever Crawl Control system that will save you from blushes when stuck in sand or mud by slowly testing each wheel for traction, before delicately freeing itself from the whole sorry situation.

As you’d expect, there are plenty of 4x4s around coastal Mozambique, and heads wearing looks of envy whiplashed as we drove past. Which brings us back to that chicken-or-beef question… Most in our eight-car convoy preferred the First Edition’s round headlights – an opinion that, I suspect, is echoed by many prospective Land Cruiser Prado customers. And while all 200 round-lamp vehicles allocated to South Africa have been sold, the good news is the lights can be ordered from Toyota Genuine Parts. |
toyota.co.za

What its designers say…

✖ Chief designer: Yoshito Watanabe “My Land Cruiser roots lie in my childhood – my father owned a nice one. The design theme is ‘Back to the origins with new values’, so we needed to understand the Land Cruiser legacy inherited from previous generations, but also push ourselves to design everything anew.”

✖ Exterior design: Kosuke Kubo “Stripping away all that is redundant, and in pursuit of simplicity, I aimed for a timeless design, so that its owners could treasure it for a long time. It is designed for functionality, with a low horizontal beltline to allow a better feel for the car’s behaviour and to enhance visibility.”

✖ Interior design: Hidemasa Komatsu “What is a ‘high-quality tool for professionals’? It’s something reliable that makes its owner confident. It’s treasured for a long time, and it’s shaped with meticulous attention to detail that reflects its true nature. The interior was designed with such intent.”

The Range

✖ 2.8GD TX: R1 296 300 ✖ 2.8GD VX-R: R1 448 900 ✖ 2.8GD First Edition: R1 462 400 ✖ 2.8GD First Edition Bi-Tone: R1 472 600

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