The Land Cruiser Prado gets a new shape and some really impressive re-engineering under its sleek new skin to take it back to the top of the heap. Automan gets an exclusive sneak preview

There have been some very curious pressures on the car market over the past few years. First of all the traditional family car as seen by most people seems to have metamorphed from the large sedan to a small SUV. Secondly, the concept of the SUV itself has changed for most buyers from one with almost-American upsized proportions to one that has grown out of the common floorpan of a sedan, offering convenient handling and good fuel-economy. Then thirdly, as if to accelerate the evolutionary process in its entirety, the financial crisis announced itself on the interlinked economies of the world. So now, while purchase decisions are deferred, the affordability of the smaller SUV takes precedence over most other criteria.