First Drive: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado strikes gold

First Drive: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado strikes gold

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Toyota South Africa faces an uphill battle at the moment. The dominant force of regional mobility has one large concern on its mind: the increasingly successful sales of its toughest competitors, namely the blue-oval Ford and Isuzu. Both of these brands have enjoyed buoyant sales in 2024, showing increases over the last few months, while Toyota’s immense Hilux sales have shown the exact opposite. That’s not to say Toyota doesn’t still hold the largest market share, but the increasing success of its rivals is certainly a worry. That said, the new Prado’s recent introduction looks set to cushion the blow in some way, with the all-new Land Cruiser nameplate enjoying an exceptional first month of sales reception. 

The all-new Prado is one of Toyota’s most anticipated new models. One reason for this is the decidedly bold new design that replaces a staid and older approach. The new design presents Prado in a whole new light, with styling cues from a host of historical models, including the now-discontinued FJ Cruiser. It’s entirely modern in the sense that it doesn’t look like any modern large SUV Toyota before it. In what has become a new model launch tradition, the Prado was first introduced with a new First Edition model offered to a select few customers up front. Design-wise, the First Edition is a full-house VX-R model distinguished on the exterior by circular headlamps alongside strong T-O-Y-O-T-A grille lettering. Other key exterior features are the bi-tone colour and the special Sand option that Toyota SA has opted for. The interior, too, adds paddle shifters and some First Edition badging. Considering that all of these models were sold out up front, let’s rather focus on the Prado VX-R and TX, the two models on offer at launch. 

Toyota chose to launch the Prado to the media in Mozambique, opting for the wild expanses of the eastern coastline as the backdrop. We spent a significant amount of time driving in a variety of situations, such as stop-go traffic, open road driving, gravel travel, and, naturally, navigating through sludge and hauling up and over sand dunes. These environments are exactly why the Prado exists as a nameplate and why it has become so popular over the last few decades. It is meant to be a premium all-rounder, with seating for seven and the ability to tackle tough terrain. It certainly is that, but it feels like the new Prado has a new focus, such is its evolution. 

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For a start, Toyota is attempting to position the vehicle in a more premium segment, that of the Defender, to be specific. A car that costs anywhere between R1.4 million to over R2 million, the Prado certainly seems like a strong contender at its price point. The Prado certainly has a fresh design, but apart from that, the Defender sits in a niche segment that has done well for traditional Landy buyers while attracting a large portion of new buyers to the fold. Prado wants to do the same, and Toyota has made some interesting decisions to try and achieve this.

The design is a strong starting point. The next is the adoption of a new, one-engine option, that of a 2.8-litre turbodiesel unit with 150kW of power and 500Nm of torque. The towing capacity is 3.5 tonnes. The next is a focus on reducing the weight and improving the overall driving feel. The Prado now has electronic power steering for the first time, resulting in a weight reduction and the inclusion of new features such as Lane Tracing within the Toyota Safety Sense driving assistance suite. From behind the wheel, the Prado certainly feels lighter on its rubber, more agile, and has a faster steering feel. On-road, this makes sense in terms of comfort, but Toyota could have done more to change the steering feel off-road, where the new steering system feels too light in certain situations. Despite changing driving modes, the steering feel remains a little too pliable. 

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Remaining off-road, the new Prado takes a leaf out of the LC300’s book, with a new advanced Multi-Terrain Select system as well as nifty new features such as Crawl Control and a totally new stabiliser disconnect system. The Multi-Terrain Select system allows the driver to choose from a range of off-road modes, each of which makes changes to the steering, braking, and ESP systems for optimised handling on rocks, mud, sand, snow, and more. As part of a newly developed double-wishbone front suspension, perhaps the biggest news specifically with regard to off-road competence is the adoption of a new Stabiliser-Disconnect feature. This is a new anti-roll bar system with the ability to disconnect the stabiliser bar when increased wheel articulation is required on rougher terrain. It’s a simple selection from a button on the console. Added progressive features include a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) straight out of the LC300. It's an augmented reality camera view that offers a view under and around the car in off-road conditions. There are multiple angles and views to choose from, including the car's rear and rear wheels.

Priced at R1,296,300 for the TX and R1,448,900 for the VX-R, the Prado is, on paper at least, aggressively priced if it’s aiming to tackle that Defender market. But price aside, where the Defender range is high on accessories and personalisation, the Prado doesn’t quite have as much to offer, which keeps the price fair but excludes some of the really personal options. In the short term, expect some Toyota-approved accessories to be added to the purchase list.

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What are the key differences between the TX and the full-spec VX-R? The interior appointments of the VX-R include a larger duo of 12.3-inch screens for the driver’s and infotainment displays. The VX-R adds two additional driving modes as well as the Stabiliser Disconnect Mechanism, wireless charging, heads-up display, button-aided folding rear seats, and a more comprehensive suite of safety systems from the latest Safety Sense system. One of these added extras is something called Safe Exit Assist, which warns the driver if there is an approaching car or cyclist. 

So, where's the rub? Considering the first month of sales, the Prado is off to a far more successful start than even Toyota itself anticipated. The sales leader is forecasting a 400-500-a-month sales run for Prado and has admitted to concerns about stock availability to meet that demand over the course of the next few months. Despite this, waiting for cars is something that customers must be ready for. That said, the other question concerns the adoption of only one powertrain. Some customers already lament the culling of powertrains in the Land Cruiser 70-Series or even within the LC300, so there may be an issue with this new Prado only adopting the single 2.8GD unit. As mentioned, the sales to date tell a different story, and perhaps Toyota’s conquest strategy to lure new buyers into the fold will suit them well. Only time will reveal all. 

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