Ford takes swipe at Toyota Prado with its 'no compromise' Everest 4WD

Ford Australia senior management has taken a swipe at the controversial Toyota Prado boot saga. Speaking at the launch of the new Ford Everest Tremor, Ford Australia marketing boss, Ambrose Henderson, has made it clear he believes his company’s product offers better luggage space than its arch-rival.

While the Prado has a theoretical advantage, measuring 906-litres compared to the Everest’s 898L, Toyota didn’t design the third row seats to fold flat into the floor, so added a plastic riser box on the seven-seat Prado GXL, VX and Kakadu variants. The result is a higher load height and question marks over its usability from critics and would-be buyers.

The Everest was the best-selling large SUV in Australia in 2024 but the arrival of a new-generation Prado should create an intense fight for that honour in 2025. But if Ford is worried, Henderson is not showing it.

“You know, we're here to run our own race,” Henderson said. “And we're really confident in the range that we've put forward and the value proposition that that presents to customers as well. Really top of mind for us on everything we do is delivering for customers what they want and what they're telling us and making no compromise on that. And our strong belief is we've done that and that's why we got the results that we did last year.

“The [brand] that you speak of is a formidable competitor. And you know, they've had a very long run of having wonderful products in these spaces. But, I think when you compare our products back-to-back, you can see where we've made strategic decisions not to compromise, and others may have compromised items that are very important to customers in these segments.”

Henderson continued and made an unsubtle swipe at Toyota’s boot design for the Prado.

“As an example, being able to fit your luggage in the boot,” he said. “So, you know, there are really important things that we will not compromise when we deliver our products.”

He added: “When we deliver our products, it's about delivering what customers want and not compromising on that.”

However, Toyota may have the last laugh if the January sales data is a trend for the year. In the first month of 2025 the Prado out-sold the Everest 2847 to 1679 - more than 1100 units.

As we’ve previously reported, Toyota is confident in the packaging and presentation of the Prado, with customer interest remaining high. 

"The order bank for the new Prado remains very healthy and we are delighted with the level of customer acceptance for the new vehicle," a Toyota Australia spokesperson told CarsGuide in November.