When Toyota held the world premiere of the all-new Land Cruiser Prado, they promised a choice of five powertrains for the off-road focused SUV – a 2.4-liter turbo gas like what we have in the PH market, a 2.8-liter turbodiesel, a 2.7-liter gasoline, a 2.4-liter turbo gas hybrid, and a 2.8-liter turbodiesel with 48V mild hybrid.

Fast forward to the present, and the Japanese automaker has started offering the latter in the European market. Toyota has introduced what’s now officially known as the Land Cruiser Hybrid 48V, bringing mild hybrid technology to further refine the LC250’s turbodiesel powertrain.

The Land Cruiser Hybrid 48V makes use of the same engine used in the Toyota Hilux Hybrid 48V, where the familiar 204 PS, 500 Nm 2.8-liter 1GD-FTV inline-four turbodiesel and the LC250's 8-speed Direct Shift automatic transmission are supplemented by a 16 PS, 65 Nm electric motor generator and a 4.3Ah lithium-ion battery.

According to Toyota, the addition of the motor generator smoothens out the SUV’s acceleration from a standstill, along with a smoother, quieter, and more responsive engine stop-start system. The motor-generator has been positioned high on the engine block, which means the Land Cruiser Prado can still wade at low speed through water up to 700 mm deep.

Like the Hilux, the system comes with a DC-DC converter, a two-arm belt tensioner, and a more robust belt material, which will allow the mild-hybrid system to withstand harsh conditions. The motor generator’s operating status is indicated in the driver’s multi-information display, showing a read-out that says CHG (energy regeneration), ECO, or PWR (providing assist in both cases).

But apart from the mild-hybrid powertrain, the Land Cruiser Hybrid 48V is pretty much the same in terms of specs, features, interior, and exterior equipment as the rest of the Land Cruiser Prado lineup.

Order books for the Land Cruiser Hybrid 48V have opened up in Europe, with customer deliveries set to begin by the end of the year. As for the rest of the global market, we could expect the rollout of the mild-hybrid Prados by next year, but nothing is set in stone for a Philippine market launch just yet.