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Who needs an LC300? What if the Toyota LandCruiser Prado borrowed big brother's look (and big diesel engine)?

The new LandCruiser Prado looks epic in renders from Kelsonik.

The clock is now counting down to the unveiling of the new Toyota LandCruiser Prado. But the internet's army of designers have clearly grown tired of waiting.

Instead, they're putting together their own idea for what the new model should like, taking cues from the Toyota LC300 to create a new Prado that seriously ups the style factor.

And if it looks like this, consider us on board, with the renders – from content creator Kelsonik - imagining the Prado as a baby LandCruiser 300 Series in GR Sport trim, complete with "Toyota" lettering, the blacked-out grilled and the headlights that seem to fuse with the front-end to form a solid line through the grille.

It's a hell of a makeover, and the new model borrowing from its LC300 big brother in the look department makes sense, given the model is also expected to borrow its big V6 diesel.

Japanese reports - first published in Japan's Best Car Web – suggest the new Prado will be equipped with the LC300 3.3-litre diesel V6.

We don't know yet whether that engine will be detuned for the Prado, or will be able to access the full 227kW and 700Nm on offer in the 300 Series.

If it's the latter, then it's not just the most powerful Prado ever, then, but it will also share bragging rights (with the LC300) as sporting the most powerful diesel engine that's ever lived inside any vehicle with a LandCruiser badge.

It must be said, though, that Toyota is yet to comment, and earlier reports had pointed to the large SUV being offered with 2.8-litre twin-turbo diesel and 2.7-litre naturally aspirated petrol engines initially, while diesel- and petrol-electric hybrid powertrains would follow around 2023 or 2024.

Electric diesel-hybrid technology is on the cards for Australia, too, with the brand's local General Manager of Product Planning and Development, Rod Ferguson, telling CarsGuide the brand was "actively considering" diesel-electric technology for its traditionally diesel-powered range.

"We know that some people are particularly wedded to diesel. Some farmers, for example, store diesel on their property, or it’s more accessible, or you’re in a region where you can’t have petrol," he says.

"There are definite reasons to consider both of those of those options, and we’re actively considering both of those options.

"It's technically feasible, and there are open discussions, definitely. It all comes back to our desire to driver down our C02 emissions."

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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