The all-new Toyota Land Cruiser Prado has stoked much excitement since its unveiling earlier this month. Fans have connected with its rugged looks and retro-inspired design cues.
But that's not all Prado has to offer. If Toyota's claims are accurate, the full-size SUV will deliver 27 mpg or roughly 8.7L/100 km in combined city/highway driving with its 2.4-litre turbo petrol hybrid power plant.
This figure will put Prado above most of its competitors, at least in the United States, where this engine configuration will sell.
Unfortunately, this isn't the powertrain Prado will arrive with locally. Toyota New Zealand has said our market will get the 2.8-litre turbo diesel hybrid engine that makes around 150 kW and 500 Nm of torque.
Still, that's encouraging news for potential buyers, as the diesel mill could deliver similar or even higher fuel efficiency figures than the 2.4-litre petrol engine.
Prado won't face much local competition in the full-size SUV segment, but things are different once you put mid-size seven-seater SUVs into the mix. The all-new Ford Everest, which packs a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel, achieved better than 9.7L/100 km in our testing.
Seeing as the new NZ-spec Prado will carry an inline-four with considerably less power output than a V6, it's not unreasonable to expect it would deliver better fuel economy numbers, especially with a hybrid system in tow.
But that's all speculation for now, as the all-new 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado won't arrive in local showrooms until early next year. We'll know more about the upcoming SUV's specifications, including fuel economy estimates, as the launch date approaches.