The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado soldiers on, and it’s now available in a new Matte Black Edition in Japan. This follows the 70th Anniversary Edition that launched last year, just before the new Land Cruiser debuted.
The new Matte Black Edition doesn’t add any performance upgrades, but it does spice up the SUV’s styling. Toyota adds matte black trim pieces all around, including the grille and grille insert, the fog light bezels, and the headlight garnish. The SUV also receives six-spoke 18-inch matte black aluminum wheels.
Gallery: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Matte Black Edition
The updates aren’t significant as the aging SUV needs a significant overhaul. It’s smaller than the Land Cruiser, which entered a new generation last year and went on sale for the 2010 model year. The SUV market has significantly changed since then, and a new LC Prado could be on the horizon.
Toyota launched the all-new Land Cruiser LC300 last year, giving the model all-new underpinnings in the form of Toyota’s TNGA platform. The SUV received a major styling overhaul and a massively revamped interior that aligned the model with the rest of the SUV segment. We expect the Land Cruiser’s new platform to underpin the revamped Land Cruiser Prado whenever the updated version arrives.
The Land Cruiser Prado is exclusively available in either white or black. The new trim does not change the SUV’s powertrain, which appears to continue offering either the 201-horsepower (149-kilowatt) 2.8-liter diesel or the 163-hp (121 kW) 2.7-liter gasoline engine. Power hits all four wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox.
Toyota is selling the Land Cruiser Prado Matte Black Edition for ¥4.3 to ¥5.1 million ($32,662 to $38,739 at today’s exchange rates). The Land Cruiser Prado is similar to the Lexus GX available in the US. It’s smaller than the standard Land Cruiser and designed to be a little less rugged than its full-blown sibling.
