2024 Toyota Prado: Five things we love and five we don’t

The all-new fifth-generation 2024 Toyota Prado has finally been revealed and it’s fair to say it has some big shoes to fill, but it also has some even bigger resources at its disposal to help it live up to its own sales-dominating legacy.

This is no heavy reskin of its 14-year-old predecessor, which remains Australia’s most popular large SUV. In fact, the new Toyota Prado is new from the ground up and armed with myriad upgrades, improvements and all-new bits to help keep it on top of the sales charts and take Aussies into the most remote corners of the continent.

Because there are so many, we figured we’d throw together a list of five things we love – and don’t – about the all-new Toyota Prado.

We love…

The angry-looking new Lexus GX previewed the bulk of the new Prado’s core design months in advance, but we’re still pleased to see Toyota has instilled the 250 Series with its own clear identity.

Admittedly that identity hinges on the heritage of the LandCruiser nameplate, with plenty of subtle references to previous models, but most important of all is the fact it looks nothing like its predecessor.

Instead of a round and organic aesthetic, the boxy new Prado is full of straight lines and square edges that help give it a stance reminiscent of the Land Rover Defender.

One of the earliest details we learned about the new Prado was the fact it would be underpinned by Toyota’s TNGA-F ladder-frame chassis, the same one underpinning the latest LandCruiser 300 Series, Sequoia, Tundra and Tacoma.

The latest-generation platform and its bigger footprint should do wonders for the Prado’s driving manners both on- and off-road, especially in combination with the new electric steering, reworked suspension and upgraded electronics.

The Prado has always been one of the most capable large off-road SUVs available and that’s despite the outgoing model being nearly 15 years old.

Working in tandem with the new TNGA-F platform will be Toyota’s first sway bar disconnect system, which will help improve suspension travel and articulation while traversing challenging terrain, without impacting on-road performance.

We don’t know yet if this feature will be reserved for high-end variants or offered as standard across the range, but it still bodes well for the Prado’s versatility and whets our appetite for the eventual GR Sport (or equivalent) off-road flagship.

This might seem like a relatively minor thing to be excited about, but a transmission can make or break a vehicle’s driving experience and while there’s nothing inherently wrong with the old six-speed unit, the new Prado’s eight-speed auto should enhance its driveability in all scenarios.

The broader range of ratios and smaller jumps between them should ensure the Prado does a better job of maximising its torque delivery and improving fuel economy on the road, while providing lower gear ratios and more control off-road, especially when in low-range.

This particular feature has been a stalwart of the Prado ownership experience since day dot, but it’s pleasing to see the new model has retained a full-time 4x4 system at a time when the bulk of its competitors only offer part-time systems.

A ladder-frame vehicle will never be the yardstick for dynamic sophistication, but with the new Prado being bigger and probably heavier than ever before, drivers will continue to have the security of 4x4 grip on all surfaces, all of the time.

We don’t love…

There was so much hype and debate in the lead-up to the new Prado’s reveal surrounding what might be lurking under the bonnet, with the wishful thinkers longing for a V6 diesel engine like the 300 Series LandCruiser’s.

Others hoped for the upcoming HiLux GR Sport’s uprated 165kW/550Nm outputs – a move that would’ve elevated the Prado to the forefront of four-cylinder diesel power in a 4x4 wagon and provided a healthy power increase over the old model.

But instead the new Prado will arrive with the same 150kW/500Nm outputs from the same 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel as the model it replaces, albeit with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that’s said to yield a 10 per cent improvement in fuel economy (discounting the new 8AT).

As we’ve reported, only one out of the possible five powertrains will be offered in diesel-happy Australia (see above), which means we’ll miss out on the long-awaited turbocharged 2.4-litre petrol-electric hybrid system destined for North America and China.

It’s the same system as seen in the Toyota Tacoma and outputs a combined 243kW/630Nm – more than enough to outstrip any mainstream large SUV (monocoque or ladder frame) and confidently step on the toes of the 300 Series.

For a lot of people the redeeming feature of previous Prados was the fact they were smaller and lighter than the full-size LandCruiser alternatives and therefore didn’t cost as much to run.

Unfortunately for them the new model is just as wide and almost as long as the latest 300 Series, which will inevitably bring a range of strengths – like a bigger interior and a larger, more stable footprint – but also some weaknesses.

At least it will use less fuel than the LandCruiser’s twin-turbo 3.3-litre diesel V6.

The new Toyota Prado will arrive in local showrooms in “mid-2024” – that’s the official word from Toyota Australia as of this morning.

This means a couple of things: the closely related Lexus GX will arrive here first and that the current model will be almost 15 years old by the time it’s discontinued.

The current Prado is an expensive vehicle by any standard, especially when you remember it dates back to 2009, yet it still commands a long waiting list.

Given that will only grow longer with the new model changeover, and the significant advances in platform, suspension, steering, powertrain, multimedia and safety technology, the only question is how much prices will increase for the new Prado.

Toyota USA has announced a mid-$US50,000 starting price for its hybrid version, which equates to about $A83,500, so expect the new Prado to start well above current $62,830 price tag for the stripped-out GX and to extend well into LandCruiser territory (from $94,301).

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