As with most of its Toyota siblings, the Land Cruiser Prado has never been a car to carry airs and graces. Among its large SUV competitors, the ladder-frame-chassis Prado has always felt like one whose utilitarian origins are thinly disguised by a smart set of clothes.
And that’s exactly why South Africans enjoy this car so much. After all, its close relative, the Hilux-based Fortuner, has long occupied the top of the SUV sales charts and the Prado shares a similar rock-solid reputation for reliability and off-road performance. Indeed the two models even share the same 4,0-litre V6 petrol and 3,0-litre turbodiesel engines, as well as a five-speed auto gearbox.
Late last year, Toyota revealed a mostly cosmetic facelift of the Prado; most noticeably a redesigned nose. What was a fairly benign visage has now become far more characterful if not outright aggressive, with elongated, daytime-running-strip equipped headlamps, a grille like an upended mechanical digger and a redesigned front bumper. New kit includes allnew 18-inch alloy wheels and blindspot monitoring with warning lamps in the side mirrors.
The interior has also seen some changes. In the company it keeps – from the Land Rover Discovery to the German off-roaders – the Prado’s interior has always felt both a little cheaper and fussier. The build quality is excellent but the scattered controls appear borrowed from the parts bin and the quality of the plastics and leather isn’t quite as soft to the touch. The facelift, however, has tidied up the centre console and instrument cluster, and the centre stack now includes a Rocks & Dirt mode for the Multi-terrain Select system.
On the road it might roll in corners; have a light but rather dead steering; see its damping troubled by constant undulations; and have a diesel powerplant that takes its time to get to 100 km/h (12,99 secs) but these aren’t qualities outside the bounds of acceptability for a big SUV. Where it does shine is among the above-mentioned rock and dirt. Here it’s easy to forgive the car’s asphalt foibles and among the most challenging of off-road terrain – from dunes to rocks – the VX’s vehicle stability, active traction, Multi-terrain Select, crawl control, hill-start and downhill assist make it the consummate SUV.
TEST SUMMARY
Despite its ongoing popularity, the Prado is not without its faults. As reliable as it may be, Toyota’s trusty 3,0-litre turbodiesel is showing its age among the more efficient and powerful new-generation diesels. It may also be longer than most, but with only 88 dm3/384 dm3, it has the least luggage space and there is less elbow and shoulder-room. Despite this, its impressive spec, dual on/off-road prowess and the back up of Toyota’s extensive dealer network make it an excellent choice if “big, comfy SUV with off-road ability” is on your shopping list.
