US report adds more fuel to the fire around turbo-petrol hybrid power for next Toyota Prado, but will it come to Australia?
More evidence of the next-generation Toyota Prado scoring a high-performance turbo-petrol/electric hybrid powertrain has come to light, this time out of the US where Toyota insiders have reportedly confirmed it will be the same new electrified 2.4-litre turbo-petrol engine seen in the new Lexus RX and upcoming Toyota Crown.
What makes the intel more interesting is the fact it’s come from North America, where the current Prado is sold as the Lexus GX 460 and fitted with different front, rear and interior designs and a petrol V8.
According to The Fast Lane Car, Toyota is looking to launch the new Prado in the US market, where the Japanese brand sells the new Sequoia but not the closely related LandCruiser 300 Series.
This is the second time this particular powertrain has been mentioned in the same breath as the new Prado, with Japanese reports in November claiming it could be included in the range, most likely in the upper reaches of the line-up.
Toyota has committed to offering hybrid power in the new Prado, which will reportedly be revealed by September this year ahead of its Australian release by the end of 2024.
Other potential hybrid power units include a RAV4-style 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol-electric unit and – perhaps most intriguingly from an Australian point of view – even an electrified 2.8-litre turbo-diesel.
While the LC300’s lusty V6 turbo-diesel is unlikely for the new Prado, US sources claim the 2.4-litre turbo-petrol hybrid system will develop about 260kW – roughly 13kW less than the Lexus RX 500h F Sport Performance AWD.
Missing from all these claims and numbers is an official torque figure, which we anticipate will be close to the RX’s 550Nm mark given the existing 600Nm benchmark of the Ford Everest V6 and the current Prado’s own 500Nm mark.
But if it’s pulling power you want, the rumoured 2.8-litre diesel-hybrid will almost certainly be the tow-friendly torque monster of the next-gen Prado range with more than 600Nm comfortably on the cards.
Odds are the kiloWatt count will be elevated considerably too, compared to the current model’s competitive but ultimately second-rate – against the 184kW Everest V6 – 150kW.
Digital Images: kelsonic, Auto.mail.ru
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Keyword: More details of first Toyota Prado hybrid emerge