By Nick Aziz
Tuesday, Sep 15th, 2009 @ 7:10 am

Toyota has significantly freshened the its large body-on-frame SUV – sold as the Land Cruiser in some markets and the Prado in others – for the 2010 model year. Featuring a new look inside and out, the new SUV also previews new versions of the North American market Lexus GX 470 and Toyota 4Runner .

Not to be confused with the larger North American and rest-of-world ‘ute by the same name — which is sold as the LC V8 in the U.K. — this European-market Land Cruiser is smaller and less expensive. Known in some markets as the Land Cruiser Prado, the SUV forms the basis for the Lexus GX, not to mention the Toyota 4Runner , in North America.

Toyota says the stiffness of the body-on-frame structure has been increased by 11 percent and insulating chassis mounts have been added to absorb engine, drivetrain and road noise, thus improving ride comfort.

The front independent double wishbone and rear four-link lateral rod suspension systems have been revised for extra comfort and steering feel. On- and off-road performance is also said to be improved thanks to a new electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), which adjusts the front and rear anti-roll bars on the fly.

Also available is Toyota’s Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) system with Roll Posture Control, which lets the driver tune the ride characteristics with a choice of three damper settings. An electronically controlled rear air suspension system works with the AVS, providing an auto-levelling function and switchable height control. The air suspension is also effective in absorbing high frequency vibrations and reducing road-generated NVH.

Another new feature launched with the redesigned Land Cruiser is called Multi-terrain Select, which automatically controls power and braking for different types of off-road surfaces.

At the same time, the Multi-terrain Monitor feeds real time images from around the vehicle from a network of four cameras to provide the driver with more information about the immediate surroundings. The new Steering Angle Display shows the position of the vehicle’s wheels and its predicted path, further helping the driver plot a safe route.

Finally, the new Crawl Control feature lets the driver choose from five different setting to optimize vehicle set-up to tackle steep grades without having to use the throttle or brake pedals.

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