Toyota Prado: Attitude for Altitude

What is it?

I’ve spent a lot of quality time in the Toyota Prado over the last year or two clocking up thousands of kilometres in Outback Western Australia.

With four adults and their luggage, it was a bit of a squeeze at times and I would have loved to remove the two intrusive, fold-down third row seats to free up space.

Alas, I don’t think the rental companies would have been too impressed.

Given this close association, I was looking forward to driving the all-new, larger and dare we say odd-looking Prado — thankfully this time with fold flat rear seats.

The focus for designers this time around, according to Mr Toyoda himself, was “practicality, durability and dependability”.

The result in a rather boxy exterior inspired, we’re informed, by the J60 model from the 1980s and perhaps the FJ Cruiser?

We think Prado bears a passing resemblance to the Hyundai Santa Fe, when viewed from the front at least.

From the rear it looks like an 80 Series.

Both Prado and Santa Fe were revealed in August, 2023 — however the wraps came off Prado a week earlier.

What’s it cost?

Prices are up big time.

The previous model started from $60,830.

The all-new Prado comprises five grades, kicking off with the GX from $72,500 — almost $12,000 more.

GXL is priced from $79,990, VX from $87,400 and the top of the range Kakadu from $99,990, along with a new high-end Altitude variant from $92,700 that’s targeted at adventure-focused folks.

All are powered by a diesel petrol-electric combination and all come with an auto, but on-road costs must be added to these figures.

Eight exterior colours include the new Altitude-exclusive Tanami Taupe and Ningaloo Blue (optionally available with a white roof).

Premium paint adds $675 while Altitude’s two-tone paint job is $1675.

Our test vehicle, Altitude, is available as a five-seater only. So much for checking out any gains in luggage space.

Like Altitude, the entry-level GX comes with five seats, fabric upholstery, dual-zone climate control, manually adjustment for seats, smart entry and start, LED headlights, all-speed adaptive cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, front and rear parking sensors, 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, panoramic view monitor and 10-speaker audio.

GXL adds a third row of seats and synthetic leather, heated and cooled front seats with power-adjust driver seat, leather-accented steering wheel and shift lever, rear aircon controls, auto-dimming rearview mirror, heated and power-fold side mirrors and a powered tailgate.

VX steps up to 20-inch alloys, a black vertical grille with the Toyota bullhorn logo, body-coloured bumpers and wheel arches.

There’s also LED headlights with auto high beam, leather-accented upholstery, driver lumbar and seat memory, four-way power adjustable front passenger seat, power-adjustable steering wheel, refrigerated centre console box, a larger 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, multi-terrain monitor and 14-speaker JBL premium audio.

In keeping with its off-road focus Altitude features a more utilitarian look, with black fender flares, black door handles and tailgate garnish, and unique 18-inch alloys fitted with 265/70R18 Toyo Open Country all-terrain tyres.

It also scores head-up display, a digital rear view mirror, heated steering wheel and tilt and slide moonroof.

Multimedia across the lineup comes in the form of a 12.3-inch multimedia system with Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in satellite navigation with cloud function, AM/FM/DAB+ radio, Toyota Connected Services and a 10- or 14-speaker audio system.

There are six USB-C charging ports, one 12V accessory port and a 220V charging port, plus a wireless charging pad.

Access to connected services is complimentary for 12 months.

With nine airbags Prado has been awarded a full five stars for crash safety, with the latest generation suite of Toyota Safety Sense active safety technologies, along with Toyota Connected Services.

Driver-assist features are designed to work on- and off-road, with an improved camera and radar system that is able to scan the road with greater accuracy and over greater distances.

Systems include the autonomous emergency braking pre-collision safety (PCS) system,  rear parking support brake, lane trace assist and lane departure warning, road sign assist, blind spot monitor with safe exit assist, emergency driving stop system and a driver monitor camera.

A full-size spare is sequestered under the rear.

Prado is covered by a 5-year warranty unlimited kilometre and 5-year/100,00km capped price servicing, pegged at $390 per service with intervals of six months or 10,000km. 

What’s it go like?

Prado sits on the same GA-F platform as the larger Land Cruiser 300 Series.

It’s 30 per cent stronger than the previous model and that means the all-new Prado is larger, inside and out.

The figures show it’s 16.5cm longer and 9.5cm wider, with a 6.0cm longer wheelbase plus wider front and rear tracks (distance between wheels).

A low beltline, flat bonnet and big windows produce better visibility, especially when the driver has to navigate tight off-road situations.

Bevelled edges and high-mounted lights help to reduce the likelihood of damage, while the tailgate now lifts up instead of opening sideways, with a rear window that opens separately.

The third row of seats packs flat instead of being hitched to the sides of the luggage area.

The dash has been flattened, sitting upright and squared, with a clearly defined separation between driver and infotainment screens.

The flat Beetle-esque design presumably creates more cabin space.

Aircon gets its own space tucked under the centre screen.

Physical aircon and media volume controls are available, with buttons for transfer, drive modes and off-road settings are grouped around the transmission lever.

Electric power steering promises easier handling off-road, with improved maneuverability at low speed — plus it allows the lane trace assist system to be implemented.

Maximum approach and departure angles are 31 degrees and 22 degrees respectively, with a breakover angle of 25 degrees.

Ground clearance is 221mm (210mm for the GX and GXL), compared with the 220mm of the previous model and it has a wading depth of 700mm.

All variants are powered by the same hybrid 2.8-litre turbo-diesel drivetrain, together with full-time four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission.

It’s the same diesel as used in Hilux and develops 150kW of power from 3000-3400 rpm and 500Nm of torque from 1600-2800 rpm (same outputs as before).

But new Prado is heavier than old Prado and the power to weight ratio is worse, which means it won’t be as quick.

It’s the same 48-volt “V-Active” mild hybrid system that made its debut last year in Hilux, with a lithium-ion battery and electric motor to capture energy normally lost through braking.

It contributes a mere 8.4kW and 65Nm to the equation and is unlikely to be responsible for saving much fuel.

With auto engine stop-start and an eight-speed replacing the six-speed transmission, however, the wider spread of gear ratios will extract better performance from the drivetrain and contribute to fuel savings.

A higher final drive ratio delivers a more relaxed driving experience at cruising speeds.

The end result is that claimed fuel consumption is down from 7.9 to 7.6L/100km.

We were getting 10.1L/100km after 537km of mixed driving.

That’s surprisingly worse than the 9.2L we got when we drove the non-hybrid version Kakadu back in 2022.

Also down is maximum fuel capacity, which was 150 litres before if you elected to put the spare wheel on the tailgate.

The new one sees the spare located underneath and a capacity of 110 litres across the board.

This translates to about 520km less in range, a bloody big negative for the off-road-focused Altitude.

You’ll need to top it up occasionally with AdBlue too, with the addition of a 17-litre tank to reduce harmful engine emissions.

The move to the larger 300 Series platform sees Prado’s tow rating increase from 3000 to a more respectable industry-standard 3500kg.

Toyota describes Altitude as the most capable member of the line-up when pushing the vehicle to its off-road limits.

It features a full-time four-wheel drive system, with low-range gearing and a centre, torque-sensing Torsen limited slip diff. 

During normal straight line driving power is split 40:60 front-to-back.

A front stabiliser disconnect mechanism enables the front stabiliser bar to be disconnected in harsh environments.

It increases wheel articulation by about 10 per cent compared to the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS).

Only VX and Kakadu models are equipped with the variable suspension system.

Altitude has three drive modes, together with multi-terrain select and a multi-terrain monitor which provides a comprehensive view of the vehicle’s underfloor and surrounds when off-road.

Other driver assistance systems for on and off-road environments include vehicle stability control with active traction control, downhill assist control and crawl control.

Trailer sway control and an integrated towbar pre-wiring harness help facilitate the increased 3500kg braked tow capacity.

It all sounds good, but you know what?

Prado, particularly the Altitude model, promises even better off-road performance.

But the real story here is the packaging rather than the driving experience.

With a lower centre of gravity the ride is less jiggly but the front seats simply don’t feel as spacious as before.

The boot definitely has less capacity, despite the pack flat seats, down from 620 to 553 litres with the third row folded.

The difference is even more conspicuous with both second and third rows down — at 974 versus 1833 litres.

Where did all that space go?

That’s car design for you. It’s all about give and take in the tug-o-war between designers and engineers.

No one ever sets out to build a bad car, but it’s amusing the way new models are always so much better than their flawed predecessors.

By the by, if you like me, wear multifocal glasses, the digital rear vision mirror is a waste of space. 

To bring the image into focus you need to look towards the roof to access the lower section of the lenses.

What a laugh.

What we like?

• Not as jiggly
• Much more modern
• Tailgate lifts and separates
• Moonroof, what moonroof?

What we don’t like?

• Not as much room in front
• Not as much luggage space
• Bullbar makes it look weird
• That damn electronic mirror

The bottom line?

As good as it may or may not be, the off-road crowd is not going to buy this model.

No, siree. Typically the dirt brigade target the cheaper GX or GXL models on which they lavish too much time and money modifying.

The big problem from their point of view is that neither the GX or GXL come with a factory rear differential lock which is a bit of a deal breaker.

Guess Altitude will be spending the majority of its time looking good in the fashionable suburbs of our SUV-dominated cities.

You’d think by now Toyota would have a better understanding of its customers priorities?

 

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