2024 Toyota Prado: First UK reviews

The first all-new Toyota LandCruiser Prado since 2009 makes its way to Australia in the second half of 2024, but the Brits have already muddied up the new J250 Prado ahead of its Aussie arrival.

Toyota Australia isn’t offering an overseas preview drive for local media, instead going straight into a local launch when the new model lands Down Under sometime in the second half of 2024.

That means the recent UK launch is the best indication of what we can expect from the new model when it goes on sale in Australia.

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Key elements of the new 2024 Prado include a wider, longer body on a 2850mm wheelbase (up 60mm) with seating for five- or seven occupants inside a chiselled Land Rover-esque exterior design.

While there were several styling themes revealed in 2023 including a circular headlight treatment, Toyota Australia has confirmed local versions will feature rectangular headlights.

The fundamentals won’t change inside, but a digital instrument cluster will greet the driver alongside a 12.3-inch infotainment screen bringing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone compatibility.

The 150kW/500Nm 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel will continue but will bring a redesigned turbocharger and an eight-speed automatic transmission in place of the previous six-speeder.

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There will also be 48V mild-hybrid tech also coming to the Australia in the Toyota Hilux in 2024.

Underneath there’s a 50 per cent stiffer ladder chassis, while there’s also electric power steering, revised double-wishbone front suspension as well as a four-link rigid axle on higher spec GX Prado – one of five-models to making up the new Prado line-up.

There will also be full-time all-wheel drive with a low-range transfer case and locking centre differential.

While ground clearance is yet to be confirmed, greater approach and departure angels are also expected, while the braked towing capacity is likely to increase over the outgoing Prado’s 3000kg rating.

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While Australian buyers salivate over the new J250 Prado, the Brits have had their first taste – and it’s good news.

Autocar loves the ‘retro-inspired’ exterior design, which Car magazine calls “properly cool” and Top Gear said reminds them of the diminutive Suzuki Jimny, with “evidence of toughness everywhere you look”.

Top Gear also loved the number of physical switches inside – which goes against the grain of many car makers ditching buttons for touchscreens.

Autocar praised the cabin for finally bring the Prado into the digital age while staying true to its traditional virtues, saying “You wouldn’t call it luxurious, but nor does it feel cheap or unpleasant, just appropriately utilitarian”.

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“The quality is a real step up,” said Car, “without the pretences of being luxurious and usefully chunky controls that are perfect for working hands with muddy gloves.”

In the UK, where the new Prado wears only a ‘LandCruiser’ badge, it comes with the same 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel as it will be in Australia, including the new eight-speed torque convertor auto.

The 2.8-litre didn’t receive universal praise, described as a ‘lump’ by autocar and “designed for torque and hard work, not power and performance” by Top Gear, with acceleration “gentle but insistent” with engine vibrations “in keeping with the car’s attitude”.

Auto Express described the powertrain as much more refined than its behaviour in the HiLux, while Car said the Prado feels quicker than its predecessor despite the same power and torque figures.

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Driving impressions saw Autocar report much improved on-road manners, including smoother operation of the paddle-shift eight-speed automatic – which it said was still ‘slushier’ than some key rivals – with good comfort levels and “decent grip”.

Car said ride comfort is “a step up” over its predecessor, with the electric steering making it more stable and planted on-road.

That said, Top Gear reported the on-road behaviour as “ponderous and lollopy” with its “on-road drawbacks a legacy of its off-road competence".

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“Drive it off road and that vagueness comes into sharp focus,” it said, adding its average on-road skills were still impressive for a ladder-chassis-based vehicle.

Car concurs, saying Prado’s off-piste capability is “nothing short of remarkable”, noting the new feature that unlocks the front anti-roll bar for greater (Toyota says 10 percent) wheel articulation.

Auto Express reports how strongly the Prado’s brakes perform, with Car saying the greatest achievement of the new J250 is its on-road improvement being achieved without diluting its off-road prowess.

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It’s clear the cabin upgrades bring the Prado into the 2020s, with its popular styling adding to the list of attributes the Prado name is already known for – none of which, based on the UK media reports, have been reduced.

Prices – and real-world fuel economy including under towing conditions – mean a definitive verdict is still yet to come, as are direct comparisons with rivals which in Australia will include the highly capable Ford Everest as well as the Isuzu MU-X and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.

The 2024 Toyota Prado is scheduled for Australian showrooms in mid-2024.