The fifth-generation 2024 Toyota Prado has finally been revealed in all its boxy glory – and confirmed for Australia by mid-2024.
Powered exclusively by a 48-volt mild-hybrid version of the current model’s 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, as per the facelifted Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series and the 2024 Toyota HiLux, but with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The new Toyota Prado is bigger in every dimension than its 14-year-old forebear and now stands just 55mm shorter and 80mm lower than (but the same width as) as the Toyota LandCruiser 300 series.
But while the two LandCruiser models share almost identical exterior dimensions, they’re chalk and cheese when it comes to design. Dressed in the same squared-off sheet metal as its Lexus twin, the new Prado – or the LandCruiser 250 Series, as it will be known in other markets – debuts an all-new front-end design that Toyota says was inspired by previous-generation LandCruisers.
The overall theme is one of rugged capability with pretty much every element being square or rectangular – including the headlights – but things get a little murky here because Toyota has actually debuted two versions of the Prado: the mainstream offering and a limited-run, retro-inspired First Edition.
All Australian Prados will be powered by an electrified version of the current model’s 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder, however, the electrification measures only extend to a 48-volt mild-hybrid system.
Peak power and torque figures are unchanged 150kW/500Nm and the replacement for Australia’s top-selling large SUV will once again come standard with an automatic transmission and full-time 4×4 system.
While a carryover 2.8-litre diesel will remain available in Europe, Japan and the Middle East, a range of four-cylinder petrol powertrains will be offered in other markets.
