1994 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, KZJ78

in-house. The paint does need some reconditioning and there's a bit of hazing and clearcoat fade and a spot of high corrosion on the roof by the top of passenger rear door. For a dedicated trail rig, this shan't be an issue for the right owner. For daily duty, the occasional Cars & Coffee, or a spontaneous off the grid excursion, this Japanese Classic is the right truck for the job. Compared to the boldly styled exterior, the interior of this Cruiser is surprisingly composed, up-market, and comfortable for all 8 passengers it could seat. The factory patterned cloth upholstery has withstood the better part of 3 decades without succumbing to excessive wear and tear and a set of upmarket leather seat covers do a great job at giving the cabin an air of sophistication. The dash is unobtrusive to optimize legroom up front, and the dash cover shows only a few nicks and hairline cracks from daily use and sun exposure. Nestled in the center stack, Carrozzeria touch screen audio works like a charm, and an adjacent climate control system is intuitive to operate with both hot heat and cold A/C on tap as we trudge into the warmer months. To aid driver comfort, the steering column is tilt adjustable and power lumbar adjustment is built into the driver's bucket as well. Interior refinement is also improved with a sleek Nardi steering wheel to complement the leather upholstery. All four power windows are fully operable, the rear glass pops out manually, and a power moonroof is on hand to let in the breeze. Additionally, the power locks and power mirrors work as advertised. The headliner is taut against the roof and the remaining interior upholstery is in above average condition. Even the optional third row is on hand and stows against the D-pillars if extra cargo space is required. We did want to note that the glovebox is missing a handle and doesn't latch. Overall, it's clear this Prado was well cared for in a prior life, and we've even retained a factory owner's manual and factory literature! While the 70 series styling earns high marks from onlookers, real drivers know the 1KZ-TE under the hood is the main appeal of this truck! A punchy, 3 liter turbodiesel beast, ours is fresh off a recent service by our trained technicians and cranks over with haste. We replaced the leaky old valve cover gasket with a new one and performed a fresh oil/filter service to ensure you won't come up short on lubricant when needed. A new fuel filter rids your diesel from any unwanted contaminants and with the maintenance performed this 1K chugs along just fine. Advertised in running and driving condition, we're deeming this 3.0 a mechanic's special as the head is a bit noisier than usual. The bottom end is good as gold, however and this diesel still delivers grunty down low torque as you'd expect. The automatic transmission throws power rearward and if the going gets tough 4WD can be deployed alongside automatic locking front hubs for ideal traction. The Rancho lift feels composed over larger road imperfections and the brakes do a fine job at bringing this box to a screeching halt. We did want to note a minor leak from the power steering although that didn't prevent this Cruiser from passing a state safety inspection. The Mickeys are clad in nearly new Toyo all-terrain rubber. Good looking and knee deep in tread, they'll deliver plenty of grip when needed most!