One can say that the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is an SUV with two personalities. On one hand, it’s seen as a luxury SUV and an aspirational vehicle to own. However, it never shed its off-roader roots, making it a darling for those who need its capabilities when the pavement disappears.
The latter is a reason why the Prado has become one of the favorite SUVs of humanitarian aid agencies. Even though this model has moved upmarket over the years, it’s still not afraid to get mud on its bodywork.
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For the most part, all we’ve seen are higher trim levels of the Land Cruiser Prado. But Toyota Gibraltar Stockholdings has the most ‘essential’ variant of the Prado on offer. There’s no variant name to mention here, and it’s as basic as it can be. And yes, this version of the SUV is catered to agencies such as the Red Cross, United Nations, and others.
It misses out on leather trim and power adjustable seats, but those are some features we wouldn’t mind skipping at all. Cruise control has also been deleted, and the steering wheel is finished in a polyurethane material.
The no-frills interior is complemented by its no-nonesense exterior. Unpainted bumpers? Check. Smallest rim size possible? Present. Black side mirrors and door handles? Absolutely.
Mind you, it’s not totally barren in there. There’s a touchscreen in there, and there’s even climate control for the rear. No shortage of USB ports in there, either. It also comes with third-row seating and there’s even a parcel cover in the cargo area. As far as we can tell, it’s equipped well enough to have modern creature comforts.
Only one engine choice is available for this specification. It’s the familiar 2.8-liter turbodiesel engine that also powers the Hilux and Fortuner. It makes 201hp and 500Nm of torque. That engine is then paired to a six-speed automatic transmission and a permanent four-wheel drive system.
So, how does one get to buy one of these? Well, most of us probably can’t do that. It seems that the only way to drive one is working for humanitarian agencies and security forces. Then again, you can wait for those units to be decommissioned, but that’ll take a while.
