Toyota goes official with Prado 70th Anniversary Edition: Mitsubishi Pajero-rivalling off-road SUV gains new look for birthday

Toyota has gone official with its LandCruiser Prado 70th Anniversary Edition, celebrating – you guessed it – 70 years since the ‘LandCruiser’ moniker was first coined.

Though just limited to Japan for now, Toyota Australia has adapted overseas special-edition variants for the local market in the past, meaning the 70th Anniversary Edition, or some of its unique elements, could make it to showrooms.

CarsGuide has contact Toyota Australia for clarification, and are awaiting a reply at the time of publication.

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Vehicle technology has moved ahead leaps and bounds since 1951 though, with the new Prado only paying tribute to original BJ in name alone.

Whereas the latter was powered by a 3.4-litre inline six-cylinder engine and styling was borrowed heavily from military Jeeps at the time, the former uses a 2.8-litre diesel engine (or a 2.7-litre petrol engine in Japan) in a body that is undeniably Toyota.

The 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine outputs 150kW/500Nm to all four wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.

Differentiating the 70th Anniversary Edition from the standard Prado is a blacked-out front grille, headlight surrounds, foglight covers, mirror caps, roof rails and 18-inch wheels.

Inside, the LandCrusier Prado 70th Anniversary Edition also scores a genuine leather interior finished in a ‘saddle tan’ colour, which not only adorns the seats, but also the door inserts, centre console knee pads and front armrest.

Buyers can also opt for dealer-fit 70th Anniversary exterior badging and bespoke floor mats.

Based on the TX grade in Japan, the 70th Anniversary Edition also sports carryover safety equipment such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist detection, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, traffic sign recognition and adaptive cruise control.

In Australia, the 2021 LandCrusier Prado range kicks off at $59,840 before on-road costs for the GX variant, stretching up to the $87,030 Kakadu.

Aussie-spec cars are also fitted as standard with a 9.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Support, as well as tri-zone climate control, automatic wipers, keyless entry and start, a reversing camera, and rear parking sensors.

Higher grades also score features such as digital radio, 14-speaker sound system, blind-spot monitoring, a surround-view monitor, rear cross-traffic alert and heated seats.

Having been in production in its current-generation form since 2009, the Prado is expected to be updated with an all-new model likely to break cover next year to give its LandCruiser 300 Series relative the spotlight in 2021.