Toyota Prado 2024: turbo-hybrid engine could be used for next-gen 4WD in Australia

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The next Toyota Prado for Australia could debut hybrid power, bringing the model more in frame with the rest of the Toyota lineup. 

An unnamed source told US outlet The Fast Lane Car that the next Land Cruiser Prado to hit US showrooms will use a 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine with a hybrid system. 

According to the source, this powertrain will be mated to Toyota’s new 10-speed automatic transmission. 

The next-generation Prado is getting closer to its full reveal ahead of an expected 2024 release date in Australia, where it will join the new Land Cruiser 300 Series in Toyota’s local showrooms.

If the American rumours are true, the next Prado would also become the first of its kind to be released in the United States market as a Toyota – though the current-gen Prado is sold Stateside as the luxury Lexus GX model with a petrol V8 engine.

Four-cylinder turbo-petrol hybrid would be an unusual choice

This will likely be an iteration of the 2.4-litre turbocharged engine fitted to the upcoming Toyota Kluger (sold in the USA as the Highlander)– a model that has ditched its V6 engine in favour of smaller displacement and better economy.

The development is an unexpected one, since the next-generation Land Cruiser Prado is widely expected to use the same TNGA-F platform as the new full-size Land Cruiser 300 Series and Lexus LX four-wheel drives.

That body-on-frame platform already has a hybrid-petrol engine that has been developed for it – a 3.4-litre V6 already used in the American-market Toyota Tundra ute and Sequoia four-wheel drive models that also sit on TNGA-F.

That said, the selection of a four-cylinder engine would be far from the first time Toyota used a much smaller engine in the Prado. Today, the Land Cruiser 300 Series uses an 227kW V6 engine (and the previous 200 Series had a V8!), while the Prado makes do with a 150kW 2.8-litre diesel four-cylinder shared with the Hilux ute.

What about the V6 hybrid engine from the Toyota Tundra?

Chasing Cars originally speculated that the next generation of Prado could in fact use the 3.4-litre hybrid V6 engine found in the Toyota Tundra pickup (a model confirmed for development in Australia), however a mix of powertrains across the Prado range is possible. 

A flagship Kakadu variant could come standard with the hybrid V6 engine, whereas more entry-level offerings could use the smaller 2.4-litre turbo hybrid setup as described above. 

Another possible powertrain configuration would be the Land Cruiser 300 Series’ 3.3-litre twin-turbocharged diesel engine. This engine replaced the ageing 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 found in the last generation 200 Series Land Cruiser. 

A hybrid variant of this very engine, although unconfirmed, could be in the works to better suit the harsh Australian climate. 

Toyota continues to be sold on hybrid powertrains rather than going full steam ahead towards total electrification. 

The major car maker last week announced a fully-electric Toyota Hilux concept, however we might not see a production version until the end of the decade.