We look back at the changing face of the Toyota Prado

Everything old is new again in fashion and design and car design is no different. Over 30 years ago the first generation of the Toyota Landcruiser Prado hit the streets (it itself a variation from the old 70 series Landcruiser) and has become a favourite with families and off-roading adventurers alike here in Australia and around the world.

The fifth generation of the Prado sees a lot of nostalgic design cues that hark back to the '90s reintroduced mixed with today's expected tech, material quality and off-roading ability the recent versions are known for. Curves have been replaced by straight lines and the more rugged go-anywhere looks synonymous with the Landcruiser family have returned.

Let's take a look back and compare the Prado of then and now.

The first Prado featured a boxy and rugged design typical of SUVs of that era, think OG Landcruiser, Land Rover Defender and Jeep Wrangler. It was body-on-frame making it sturdy and capable for off-road driving. On the inside, the interior design focused on practicality and functionality with its utilitarian design, with seating for five to seven passengers, depending on the configuration.

Find your own first-generation Toyota Prado here on carsales

The second-gen Prado retained the boxy and rugged SUV design cues but received some modernisation in its appearance bringing it into line with Toyota's passenger cars. It continued to have a body-on-frame construction for off-road capabilities while offering a more refined and contemporary exterior styling. The interior of the second-generation Prado also received updates similar to those of Toyota's passenger range making it a more comfortable and refined experience with improved materials and amenities, making it more modern and luxurious.

Find your own second-generation Toyota Prado here on carsales

The third-gen Prado continued the modernisation of the large family SUV. It featured a sleeker and more aerodynamic appearance especially on the front and the headlights while retaining its rugged and capable SUV character. The interior also saw significant improvements in terms of quality, comfort, and features with all of the modern amenities families had begun to expect from this size of vehicle.

Find your own third-generation Toyota Prado here on carsales

The fourth-generation Prado adopted a similar ethos to the last generation focussing on modern and luxurious angles, chrome highlights and smooth body panels. This was a long generation with a few cosmetic nips and tucks along the way too especially around the grille and headlights. The interior also was an evolution of the previous model continuing luxurious and modern inclusions like advanced infotainment systems, luxurious feel materials and convenient driver assist technologies.

Find your own fourth-generation Toyota Prado here on carsales

The all-new Prado shows that everything old is new again with a fusion of traditional and modern interior and exterior styling. Toyota says that it focused the new Prado on three key things; reliability to withstand harsh usage conditions, timeless simplicity to remain a favourite, and refined functional beauty common to lean professional tools.

The exterior styling uses horizontal lines to replicate the iconic Landcruiser silhouette, while the interior design has loved away from the family luxury feel which has been a common theme over the last three generations to more of a true off-road functionality-driven design. Even the instrument panel and dash area pull strong references from the OG Prado from 1990 with the shapes and position of the switches, dials and screens.

Find out all the latest on the all-new Toyota Prado here on carsales

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