Removing the emissions and EGR system is the best way to ensure future reliability of a diesel motor - you're getting rid of useless equipment that is very expensive to repair when it fails, and preventing a bunch of soot from entering the intake manifold and combustion chamber, keeping the engine clean. However, I am not sure it is possible on the latest engines, as the governments force manufacturers to lock out ECUs. Vehicles with emissions delete can't pass inspections, and its only the matter of time until these shop will no longer be able to cheat and get them circumvented inspections.

Tell me about it, lol. I once owned a Ford 6.0, and there is a running joke about these engines.

 

Quite odd Car & Driver prints a Tundra photo with this background

 

I busted out laughing at this! I instantly got a mental picture of rainbows, fluffy clouds & pink teddy bears. Geez! I’m not trying to be sexist, but there is NOTHING manly or work related about that photo. Yes, ladies work just as hard or harder than men, so please don’t take this the wrong way. The impression this photo leaves in my mind is that this is not really a truck. I know it is very much a truck, but the image of hard work is by design, not there.

 

Removing the emissions equipment is not a great idea, but there is work to be done & locking out mechanics via software is not helping the case for emissions. A truly well tuned & maintained diesel engine should never smoke, except on ignition. The trucks that spew thick black smoke are dumping raw fuel into the engine without enough air for complete combustion (usually from turbo lag). We don’t have inspections here for several reasons. There is so much equipment used on a daily basis that the state would never keep up with it, ever. All oilfield equipment, both mobile & stationary, is diesel powered with no emissions equipment. Heck, even the giant generators used on military bases & hospitals are not plagued with that garbage, at least they weren’t a few years ago. Clean air is important, but so is being able to perform a particular job with minimal expense & downtime. I’ve been to other countries that have no standards & EVERYTHING is filthy; the air, the water, the land, all vile. There has to be a balance. I see Toyota as helping to be part of that balance some day, but it doesn’t sound like it will be so.

 

The truck that’s changing it all…Quite bizarre…Toyota has had the hardest time ever cracking the full size truck segment. Wonder if Ford paid Car & Driver to put that background

 

Just caught that Land Cruiser 2024.5 on there. Returning to the US in 3 years. What's the reason? Doesn't seem like Toyota would commit to a MMC so soon.
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MMC? That would be an all-new model, not a facelift or refresh. Mid Model Change I only apply to existing generations, as does Toyota. That was the original trajectory, set in place years ago. Maybe a rebadge of new GX, which deviates from Prado going forward.

 

That's partly because Toyota waited too long to introduce a true full-size truck, with a true full-sized engine, to the American market. Despite warnings from Toyota of America officials that their trucks were inadequate for this market, top management wasted years of valuable time in the 90s and early 2000s with the T100/T150 (which was a 3/4-size truck with a four or V6), and the 1Gen Tundra (which had a V8, but was actually a 7/8-size truck). Finally, the 2Gen Tundra had both the required size and the required (I-Force) engine...but was cheaply built, and suffered hardware issues.

Nissan's Titan has also had trouble penetrating the American full-size truck market, but for different reasons. The Titan had the required full-size platform and engine from the beginning, but suffered from QC issues and unreliability.

 

Stupid background, for sure I agree.

Keep in mind though, everyone, not all trims will look like this. I wonder what the top spec luxury model will look like.

 

Gotcha. Sorry I just assumed if they brought it back stateside they'd coincide it with some sort of refresh, especially considering that .5 half year designation.
Rebadged GX makes sense, along with the "stripped off-roader" rumors from the past few years. I just wonder how they could market it as a Toyota with the 4Runner already there. GX always had the luxury and drivetrain to differentiate itself from the 4Runner so maybe thats the play?

 

I see, now I get you. 2024.5 I wrote to informally designate, how it will launch in Calendar Year 2024 and not so much 2023 as a 2024 model.

Since 80% of model year changeovers pre-pandemic occur the preceding autumn or 4th quarter, often nowadays Using the .5 or 1/2 MY designation refers to in the industry, mid model year release.

In most cases, at latest a vehicle released in January of the same model year designation (2022 Tundra in January 2022), will avoid the .5 designation, as a January launch is still somewhat normal.

Releasing next year's model after January, typically warrants .5 or 1/2, since typically a new model season is supposed to begin anywhere between August and January.

At Ford, the new 2021 Raptor, I informally referred to as a 2021.5, because I knew we had no intention to launch it before Job 2 in July 2021. Regular 2021 F-150s went on sale in December 2020 and began production on October 12, 2020.

Raptor has now been arriving in dealers since August 2021. Ditto for the 2021 Bronco, which barely went on sale in June 2021 and was originally February 2021 in original plans.

It's not so much only referred to as .5 or 1/2 for refreshes, but in many cases it will be. For redesigned vehicles, it's more informal to use 1/2 or .5, so your observation was correct, based on tradition.

I used it informally in this case. Anyways, I digress.

That's what I am wondering in terms of the "rebadged GX". Ironically I was the source of that rumor, via another well-connected member who heard insight from the same September 2019 product showcase, that leaked the 2021 Mirai/5GS connection.

Those Toyota reports from February 2020, came from me LOL. Unfortunately the news media ever so badly muddled all the info I provided and took me out of context. This was what they were proposing back in 2019, this 2024.5 tidbit is the second half of the puzzle.

I was told although the 2024 4Runner is all new from scratch, it is very evolutionary in terms of design. Like the way the 2022 Land Cruiser is and 2018 Camry was all-new essentially, but still familiar. The GX isn't familiar, but quite a product revolution. What is Prado is my question?

Japanese insiders, threw shade at some Prado renderings (LOL) and said none of them were accurate. What do they intend for that vehicle? Is that where they differentiate them?

Prado/LC loses the luxury focus, but becomes more rugged with premium touches and 4Runner stays true, but becomes more so a mainstream version of the same segment against Grand Cherokee?

I don't know how that works. It is yet to be seen what this 2024.5 vehicle is and how similar will Prado be to GX. New GX is extremely boxy, with little to no curves.

 

That's just plain weird! Having a bachelors in art and having been a graphic designer, I find the artist's choice of this background beyond explanation. Maybe Toyota has not been advertising enough in Car and Driver to garnish reasonable editorial treatment?

 

Wonder how they will implement the spindle if it's even more boxy than the current one. I'd also be curious if the 3GX retains the 'barn door' and split glass tailgate or if it will be more traditional. I really like how the X5 does it.

 

It's a big mystery, as since the vehicle on display was a design mockup, it probably was just a stylized block of clay resembling the design, but door opening probably not possible.

If the attendees had asked, who knows if they would've answered? I think they might have needed to get creative with how to implement the Spindle Grille. If they sell this vehicle in Japan, we'll get to see the BTS design process in 2024 publications.

I'll be shocked if the GX is better looking than the LX.

 

It is pretty hard to figure out what will become from Prado and GX - Prado has been pretty successful as smaller Land Cruiser, and GX has been successful only in US. I assume they have it easier with GX since they can replace current version with TX and easily hit a home run.

Will Prado really become 2024 version of LC70? I dont see current clientele buying it then. For GX, it is way easier, since it never had the following Prado or LX had.