The Toyota Land Cruiser will be updated for the second time this year

Toyota plans to present this summer the second update of the current generation of the Prado, sold in Europe as Land Cruiser. The details of the 2016 model have been published ahead of time on the website of the area of the Australian Department of Transport that sets the criteria for vehicle homologation in that country -in English, the Australian Design Rules-, as reported by motoring.com.au.

The changes will notably affect the mechanical side and will largely be shared with the new 2016 Hilux. The replacement of the 3.0 D-4D engine with a 2.8-litre turbocharged more efficient unit will stand out, although the power outputs will vary depending on the region. An increase in the available torque, up to 450 Nm, will be noticeable, the Australian outlet points out.

The current five-speed automatic gearbox will also be replaced by a more modern one with an additional gear. The six-cylinder V VVT-i will remain unchanged, as will the towing capacity and the vehicle’s external and internal designs, which were already updated with the launch of the 2013 Land Cruiser.

A few months before the renewed SUV is unveiled, Toyota will give the spotlight this Thursday the 21st to the new Hilux, which will first be shown to the public in Sydney and a few hours later in Thailand. The pick-up is expected to share more links with this upcoming evolution of the Land Cruiser, so the details of its novelties will better indicate what we can expect from the SUV.

The 2013 Land Cruiser press release was issued around the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, so it is quite possible that the strategy will be repeated at the 2015 edition of the German fair. The motoring.com.au website also notes that the Land Cruiser 200, known as the Land Cruiser V8 in other countries, will benefit from more technological equipment at the end of this year, although there is no more specific data yet on what this expansion will consist of.

Via | motoring.com.au