After four generations, the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is no more. In its place, a new successor is taking over in the Light Duty class of the Toyota Land Cruiser lineage, sitting between the Heavy Duty-type Land Cruiser 70 and the flagship Station Wagon-type Land Cruiser 300. Welcome to the all-new Land Cruiser 250.
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| 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser 250 |
Starting at 5,200,000 Japanese Yen plus additional costs, the first-ever Land Cruiser 250 picks up where the Prado left off with its boxy styling, luxurious interior, legendary off-road capability, and an array of tech worthy of bearing the Land Cruiser bloodline.
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| 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser 250 |
Beginning with the design, the Land Cruiser 250 uses the cubic approach that will leave observers Tetris-eyed. Be there and be square, they said, and like the final Prado it replaces, the Land Cruiser 250 doesn't feature a rear spare wheel. Fair enough.
In observance of the Land Cruiser's heritage, the 250 doesn't use Toyota logos all over and instead uses TOYOTA letterings. A real blast from the past.
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| 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser 250 interior |
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| 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser 250 interior |
Apart from the squarish exterior design that makes their square pants fizz, the all-new interior stays true to the Land Cruiser's character as a luxury off-roader not only works as a family-oriented vehicle but for taking VIPs and executives to their important points of interest. The driver's side is packed with a 12.3-inch TFT display that tells most of the important stuff around this car, the available 12.3-inch touchscreen for infotainment purposes, HUD, digital rearview mirror, climate control, Nanoe X, and heated steering wheel, among others.
Apart from that, the Land Cruiser 250 is offered with a choice of a 5-seater or a 7-seater. Whichever seating layout you're on, you will be greeted with luxurious features like the power moonroof, and the available JBL Premium Sound System. As for boot space, it's good for up to four golf bags with all of the passenger seats folded down. For easy access, the Land Cruiser 250 comes with a hands-free power liftgate that can automatically open with your foot lift.
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| 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser 250 |
With the TNGA platform and a ladder frame chassis, the Land Cruiser 250 is better to drive and more rigid than the Prado. It even has improved braked towing capacity as well. For the first time in a Land Cruiser series, the 250 features electric power steering and a brand-new Stabiliser Disconnect Mechanism (SDM) that allows drivers to manually switch the stabilizer between 'locked' and 'free' for extended wheel articulation. Other useful features of the Land Cruiser 250 include Crawl Control, Multi-Terrain Select, the improved Multi-Terrain Monitor with a Toyota-first back underfloor view, full-time 4WD with Torsen LSD, Downhill Assist Control, Hillstart Assist Control, A-TRC, electric rear diff lock, and Drive Mode Select.
The Land Cruiser 250 is offered in a choice of a VX-exclusive 163PS 2.7L 2TR-FE petrol engine mated to a 6-speed Super ECT and the one engine that scares all Japanese straight, a 204PS 2.8L 1GD-FTV diesel engine (optional on the VX model, exclusive to the GX and ZX models) mated to a Direct Shift-8AT with paddle shifters. The petrol version has a fuel economy of 7.5km/L while the diesel version does 11km/L. All are based on WLTC Mode standards.
In terms of safety, the Land Cruiser 250 features the new and improved Toyota Safety Sense comprising advanced features such as the Pre-Collision Safety System with Pedestrian Detection and Road Sign Assist, among others.
Being the Prado's successor can be stressful work, especially with the diesel engine being the cream of the crop. The kind of engine that terrifies Gen Alfa Japanese people lately. Despite mixed results, the Land Cruiser 250 is still the Prado's successor worth waiting for. The middle child of the Land Cruiser family is now cubed for perfection. Let's see if the Japanese public had their word with this off-roader.
Just don't call this a Prado anymore because the Land Cruiser 250 is no longer the Prado of yesteryears. This off-roader has turned.
Available Colors: Avantgarde Bronze Metallic, Super White II, Platinum White Pearl Mica, Black, Avantgarde Bronze Metallic, and Smoky Blue.
Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation
