Truth be told, we’re very excited about the all-new Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. After all, it’s the first all-new model in 14 years. Even though customer deliveries won’t begin until 2024, it’s safe to say a lot of folks are pumped up about it.
It’s been weeks since its launch but there are still interesting things to talk about in this new SUV. One of the main talking points of the all-new Toyota Prado was its design, taking cues from Land Cruisers old and new. However, there was one thing that caught our attention.
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Toyota showed design sketches of the redesigned Prado, from its conceptualization to the clay models. One of the initial sketches had the words ‘Metal Gear Solid’ as one of the design philosophies. That said, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the 2024 Prado was inspired by the popular video game. It’s a nice thought, nonetheless.
So, what did Toyota mean by ‘Metal Gear Solid’ in this case? From what we understand, Toyota wanted to give the impression that the Prado was ‘milled from a single block of steel’. It’s perhaps a rather literal interpretation, but we do agree with the design team’s vision here. That said, it’s worth pointing out that Metal Gear is a bi-pedal tank from, um, the Metal Gear game series. If Toyota wanted to give the Prado a more tank-like vibe, we could say the company achieved it.
But aside from that, Toyota always intended the new generation Prado to pay its respects from past Land Cruiser. If you can see shades of the good ol’ 70 Series, that’s exactly what the brand wants. Heck, more sketches of the SUV show it alongside the LC70. However, one sketch idea that didn’t reach production was the barn door tailgate. We sure hope that becomes an option down the line.
Want to see more behind the scenes development photos of the all-new Toyota Prado? Check out the gallery below:
