2010 Toyota LandCruiser Prado off-road technology details

Due to be released in Australia next month, the new Prado receives a raft of assist technologies to help even the most accomplished off-road drivers feel more confident in rough terrain.

Complimenting the Prado's uprated 4.0-litre petrol engine with dual VVT-i to increase power and torque, Toyota has also added a new electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS).

This system adjusts the front and rear anti-roll bars for optimised roll rigidity, providing stability during on-road driving and allows a large suspension stroke for outstanding off-road performance on rough surfaces.

An off-road cruise control system known as CRAWL allows the Prado to maintain a very low speed automatically, applying brakes when needed, allowing the driver to concentrate on steering through rough terrain.

The CRAWL system minimises wheel spin and wheel lock when covering rocks, sand and ascending steep inclines.

Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) is a new feature for the Prado, allowing the driver to manually select various terrains such as mud and sand, loose rocks, moguls and rocks and optimise the ABS system to deliver a wide range of slip control.

While using MTS, drivers can also keep an eye on the terrain surrounding the vehicle via the Multi-Terrain Monitor (MTM).

This is comprised of a series of onboard cameras located on all four sides of the vehicle so the driver can see the ground in six areas around the vehicle: to the front, rear, and the front and rear left and right sides.

As an extension of this, the camera at the front has been linked to the steering operation to display the distance from the front of the vehicle to a point along the projected tyre path.

Downhill Assist Control maintains the vehicles speed during steep descents while Hill-start Assist Control (HAC) minimises vehicle roll-back when the vehicle starts to ascend a steep incline or slippery surface.

Toyota's Adaptive Variable Suspension system with Roll Posture Control lets the driver tune the ride characteristics with a choice of three damper settings, coupled with an electronically controlled rear air suspension system which provides an auto-levelling function and switchable height control.

A new Steering Angle Display in the instrument panel indicates the angle of the front wheels and their predicted path, further helping the driver plot a safe route.