Browse over 9,000 car reviews

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2020 review: GXL

The Toyota Prado GXL is the most popular variant in the Land Cruiser derivative's range.
EXPERT RATING
7.6
The Toyota Prado GXL has stood the test of time as the most popular variant in the range. We recently compared it to some of its key rivals - and in this review, we dive deeper into the 2020 Toyota LandCruiser Prado GXL variant to assess its strengths and weaknesses.

If you’ve seen our most recent comparison test where we put the Toyota Prado up against some of its fiercest rivals, you will know that the Toyota impressed us on many levels.

That comparison - where it went up against the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Ford Everest and its sibling, the Toyota Fortuner - saw us put the GXL variant of the Prado range through plenty of stress tests. 

But we thought we’d do a standalone deep dive review on the Toyota Prado GXL 2020 model - in case you don’t really care how it compares, and just want to figure out if you’re making the right decision choosing this variant. This review will help. We promise.

Toyota Landcruiser Prado 2020: GXL (4X4)
Safety rating
Engine Type2.8L turbo
Fuel TypeDiesel
Fuel Efficiency7.9L/100km
Seating7 seats
Price from$58,520

Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?   8/10

The 2020 Toyota Prado GXL has a list price of $63,690 before on-road costs. That’s for the automatic model - deduct $3000 if you’re going with a manual. 

Our car had the $3463 Premium Interior option pack, which added leather seats, heated and cooled front seats, and heated second row seats. That pack, as well as its optional premium paint ($600) pushed its as-tested price to $67,753. 

If you’re interested, there’s a Flat Tailgate pack available for the GXL automatic (also the VX and Kakadu), which deletes the tailgate mounted spare wheel in favour of a spare mounted under the car body. It downsizes the fuel tank from 150L to 87L and that’s how our car came - it doesn’t cost any extra.

In addition, the Prado comes decently kitted out for the cash, with standard items including 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, LED front fog lights, auto headlights, side steps, and keyless entry with push button start.

Other standard inclusions comprise a three-zone climate control with rear vents and rear fan controller, leather steering wheel, a 230-volt powerpoint in the boot, a nine-speaker sound system teamed to an 8.0-inch touchscreen media unit with sat nav, USB port (x1), AM/FM radio and CD player. There’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone mirroring.

The Prado GXL features a leather steering wheel. The Prado GXL features a leather steering wheel.

Safety spec is adequate for the class, but certainly not exceptional - read the safety section below for a rundown. 

If your curious about colours available for the Prado, there are a few to choose: Glacier White and Ebony  are the only no-cost choices, while optional premium ($600) colours include Peacock Black metallic, Dusty Bronze metallic, Graphite grey metallic, Wildfire red metallic, Crystal Pearl white, Silver Pearl and Eclipse Black mica.

Is there anything interesting about its design?   7/10

In terms of dimensions and size, the Prado is pretty compact when it has the Flat Tailgate pack. The length is 4825mm (on a 2790mm wheelbase), width is 1885mm and height is 1890mm. Add the spare tyre to the back door, and it pushes out to 4995mm.

I actually think the Flat Tailgate pack is one of the most interesting elements of the Prado’s design. The company has gone to the trouble of eradicating the rear-mounted spare, but still kept the side-swinging back door, which can be a pain in the neck if you’re trying to access the boot but have parked close to a wall or a car behind has parked you in. 

  • The exterior design of the Prado looks smart enough to catch your eye despite being ubiquitous. The exterior design of the Prado looks smart enough to catch your eye despite being ubiquitous.
  • The Prado GXL features a muscular grille. The Prado GXL features a muscular grille.
  • The Prado GXL comes standard with LED headlights. The Prado GXL comes standard with LED headlights.
  • The Prado is pretty compact when it has the Flat Tailgate pack. The Prado is pretty compact when it has the Flat Tailgate pack.
  • The Prado GXL has a beefy stance.  The Prado GXL has a beefy stance. 
  • The length of the Prado GXL is 4825mm, width is 1885mm and height is 1890mm. The length of the Prado GXL is 4825mm, width is 1885mm and height is 1890mm.

But there is a trick - the tailgate glass opens separately to the boot, which can be a saviour in situations like that… unless you’re loading or unloading something long, awkwardly shaped or heavy, or you’re shorter in stature as you might struggle to reach.

The exterior design of the Prado has been treated well over the years it has been around, and it still looks smart enough to catch your eye despite being ubiquitous. The muscular grille, squared-off haunches and beefy stance help.  

While design is more often equated with styling, or how a car looks, in 4x4s like this there is more than just the aesthetic of the metalwork to consider. They’ve also gotta be designed to deal with the rough stuff.

So, cue important specs for off-road enthusiasts: approach angle - 30.4 degrees; departure angle - 23.5 degrees; break-over/ramp-over angle - 21.1 degrees; ground clearance (mm) - 219; wading depth (mm) - 700; turning circle/radius - 11.6m. 

 

How practical is the space inside?   9/10

Unlike some of its closest competitors, the Prado is a purpose-built off-roader family SUV, where the others are derived from dual-cab utes. That means it’s wider and a bit more passenger friendly - even if there are things that we wish were a bit better, like the space on offer with all seven seats in play.

The Prado offers a meagre 104 litres (VDA) with all seven seats up, which is less than all of its main rivals. With five seats up there’s 553L (VDA), and if you fold down all the rear seats you should have 974L (VDA) at your disposal.

  • The Prado offers a meagre 104 litres (VDA) with all seven seats up. The Prado offers a meagre 104 litres (VDA) with all seven seats up.
  • With five seats up the boot spaces increases to 553L (VDA). With five seats up the boot spaces increases to 553L (VDA).
  • With all the rear seats folded down you have 974L (VDA) at your disposal. With all the rear seats folded down you have 974L (VDA) at your disposal.
  • With all the seats up there isn't much cargo space. With all the seats up there isn't much cargo space.
  • You can get bulkier items to fit with six seats up. You can get bulkier items to fit with six seats up.

There are roof rails if you want to fit a roof rack and luggage pod, or if you don’t need all seven seats and plan to use the boot all the time, a cargo barrier is available. Maybe get a luggage liner while you’re at it.

As mentioned, all three rows have air vents and there’s a fan controller as well, and there’s a third climate zone so those in the rear can set the temp as desired. 

Door openings are large, making access to the third row easy. Door openings are large, making access to the third row easy.

If you happen to draw the short straw and end up in the back row, you’ll be pleased that the ingress and egress is excellent. The door opening is large, meaning easy access, but taller occupants might struggle for head room, and you’ll need to make sure those in front slide the seats forward to allow better third row space. Some other SUVs in this space don’t offer a sliding second row.

In the middle row there’s good width to the seat, feeling comfortable and accommodating for adults. There’s easily enough knee room, headroom and shoulder space for three adults to fit side by side. There are cup holders in a flip-down armrest (though they are weirdly shaped), and bottle holders in the doors. Rearmost occupants have cup holders as well.

In the middle row there’s good width to the seats. In the middle row there’s good width to the seats.

Up front the seats offer good adjustment, and there’s a level of intuitiveness to the way the Prado’s cockpit is laid out. Everything falls to hand easily, and the storage is mostly good, with bottle holders in the doors, cup holders between the seats, a storage box below the media screen, and even a centre console bin with cooling, which is ideal for family drives.

Up front there’s a level of intuitiveness to the way the Prado’s cockpit is laid out. Up front there’s a level of intuitiveness to the way the Prado’s cockpit is laid out.

The media screen is decent, but not great. At least there are hard buttons either side and knobs for tuning and volume, rather than on screen touch controls like you find in some other Toyotas

The 8.0-inch media screen is decent, but not great. The 8.0-inch media screen is decent, but not great.

What are the key stats for the engine and transmission?   7/10

The engine specs are familiar if you’ve encountered a Prado in recent years. The motor is a 2.8-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder engine, producing 130kW of power (at 3400rpm) and 450Nm of torque (at 1600-2400rpm). 

In this part of the market, most models are close on horsepower and torque - only the Ford Everest Bi-turbo breaks away from the pack with 157kW and 500Nm.

Weighing up manual vs automatic? In GXL spec you can have the Prado with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic transmission, as tested here. If you get the manual you miss out on 30Nm, too. 

It has permanent four-wheel drive (4WD), so you could consider it to be all-wheel drive (AWD). What that means is there’s no need to switch to 4x4 mode when you depart the sealed stuff: there’s no 4x2 or 2WD mode. 

In GXL spec you can have the Prado with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic transmission. In GXL spec you can have the Prado with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic transmission.

Curious about whether the engine has a timing chain or timing belt? The answer is a timing chain.

What about towing capacity and towing specs? The Prado is capable of towing 750kg unbraked, while maximum towing capacity is 3000kg. If you’re thinking how that stacks up vs competitors, it’s there or thereabouts: the Everest and Pajero Sport can both manage 3100kg. 

Love numbers? The gross vehicle mass GVM) for the Prado is 2990kg, and the gross combined mass (GCM) is 5490kg. Its maximum payload, according to Toyota, is 665kg - so keep that in mind if you’re planning to fill all seven seats and also tow a load behind.

While Toyota has made strides in the world of hybrid SUVs in other parts of the market, the Prado has no such variant available in this generation. There’s no electric, LPG, plug-in hybrid or petrol models sold here either.

How much fuel does it consume?   8/10

Fuel consumption for the Toyota Prado GXL automatic is claimed at 8.0 litres per 100 kilometres. Choose the manual and the consumption claim is 7.9L/100km.

During our on road testing - across urban, highway, and back roads - we saw an impressive diesel fuel economy return of 8.3L/100km at the pump. And there’s not even an eco mode, that’s just how efficient it was.

When it came to dirt road and off road testing, the consumption was a little less impressive, using 12.7L/100km. That may matter to you, or not.  

All told, though, our combined average fuel use of 10.5L/100km over the entire testing period was decent. 

The fuel tank capacity of the Flat Tailgate-equipped Prado is 87 litres - which is still bigger than an Everest or Fortuner (both 80L) or Pajero Sport (68L) - but it loses the 63-litre sub tank. So if you think you want a long range tank, you’re best off getting the standard tailgate design. 

 

What's it like to drive?   8/10

We drove the Prado GXL on a mix of roads to see what it was like in everyday situations - and there were very few complaints, really - so long as you’re not rocketship acceleration or sports car handling, it’ll tick most of the boxes you need it to. 

The GXL is wider than its ute-based rivals and as a result it feels more planted on the road. The GXL is wider than its ute-based rivals and as a result it feels more planted on the road.

It is wider than its ute-based rivals and as a result it feels more planted on the road. That comes down to a wider track than most other rugged off-roaders, which gives a surefooted feel on all surfaces across a range of speeds. 

The Prado’s permanent four-wheel drive ensures confident progress on damp roads, too, and it felt confident for passengers and for the driver, too. 

The Prado’s steering was a bit slow and it felt slightly larger than its rivals negotiating tight streets. But it was manageable and predictable to drive.

The Prado’s steering was a bit slow and it felt slightly larger than its rivals negotiating tight streets. The Prado’s steering was a bit slow and it felt slightly larger than its rivals negotiating tight streets.

 The Prado’s engine didn’t feel punchy, but it did offer honest progress. The Prado weighs a couple of hundred kilograms more than the Fortuner, which runs the same powertrain, and in comparison the Prado feels the extra weight - it never really shoots away from a standstill.

But it is considerably more refined than its stablemate, offering a more agreeable driving experience. Not thrilling, but fine. And the six-speed automatic offered smooth and clever shifts at all speeds on road.  

What about the off road review? Here it is. 

The Prado made it simple to place the wheels right where you want them, no matter how rutted the tracks or slippery the sand. We had no issues with grip from the Dunlop AT20 Grandtrek tyres fitted, either - if you’re spec-curious, they were 265/65/17.

The Prado made it simple to place the wheels right where you want them. The Prado made it simple to place the wheels right where you want them.

The suspension - comprising double wishbone front suspension and four-link coil spring rear suspension - allowed plenty of wheel travel, and the Prado’s well calibrated off-road traction control system and a permanent four-wheel drive system ensured smooth progress on unsealed roads. It is arguably the best bush-ready 4WD you can buy and drive into the distance from the showroom floor. And there’s a rear diff lock if you think you need it.

The GXL is arguably the best bush-ready 4WD you can buy and drive into the distance from the showroom floor. The GXL is arguably the best bush-ready 4WD you can buy and drive into the distance from the showroom floor.

Sure it doesn’t have as much torque as a Ford Everest, but the Prado was excellent at delivering its grunt to the dirt effectively - all while feeling easy to drive and direct in its communication with the driver. The engine hardly ever felt stressed, and the auto transmission was effective at all speeds.

Warranty & Safety Rating

Basic Warranty

5 years / unlimited km warranty

ANCAP Safety Rating

ANCAP logo

What safety equipment is fitted? What safety rating?   7/10

The Toyota Prado has a five-star ANCAP crash test rating - but it was awarded almost a decade ago, with the local safety body having conducted its tests way back in 2011. 

Even so, over the years Toyota has added more safety technology to the Prado, and the GXL automatic has a number of standard items fitted.

They include auto emergency braking (AEB) that works from 10km/h-180km/h with pedestrian detection (that works between 10km/h-80km/h), as well as lane departure warning, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, and adaptive cruise control.

Missing items at this price point include cyclist detection, active lane keeping assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, a 360-degree camera and front parking sensors. 

There are seven airbags (dual front, driver’s knee, front side and full-length curtain), and the Prado has two ISOFIX child seat anchors and three top-tether attachments for baby seats.

Where is the Toyota Prado built? Japan is the answer.

What does it cost to own? What warranty is offered?   7/10

Toyota has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for all of its models. But if you maintain logbook servicing - it doesn’t have to be through Toyota’s network, just so long as you keep the owners manual up to date with the stamps - you will be eligible for an extended drivetrain warranty, out to seven years. That’ll help when it comes to resale value, too.

The Prado also has a capped price servicing plan, but it only spans three years/60,000km. And the service intervals are far more regular than most rivals, at six months/10,000km. 

Toyota has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for all of its models. Toyota has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for all of its models.

At least the maintenance is reasonably priced. Per visit you’re looking at $260. But remember, you have to go twice a year for servicing, which means an annual cost of $520. 

There’s no roadside assistance included in the Toyota ownership plan.

If you’re worried about common problems, complaints, issues, engine problems, DPF issues, transmission complaints or any other defects and recalls, you should check out our Toyota Prado problems page.

Verdict

There’s a reason so many people opt for the Toyota Prado, and plenty of those choose the GXL model, too. It’s a very impressive family off-roader that can tackle rough terrain straight out of the showroom, but also offer comfortable, family-friendly progress in daily driving as well.

It is showing its age and starting to lack some tech, but there’s no doubt it will continue to sell well because if you can overlook those shortcomings, it’s a highly impressive four-wheel drive.

Pricing guides

$63,149
Based on 404 cars listed for sale in the last 6 months
Lowest Price
$34,990
Highest Price
$92,990

Range and Specs

VehicleSpecsPrice*
GX 7 Seat (4X4) 2.8L, Diesel, 6 SP AUTO $62,590 – 71,940 2020 Toyota Landcruiser Prado 2020 GX 7 Seat (4X4) Pricing and Specs
GX (4X4) 2.8L, Diesel, 6 SP MAN $58,410 – 67,100 2020 Toyota Landcruiser Prado 2020 GX (4X4) Pricing and Specs
GXL (4X4) 2.8L, Diesel, 6 SP MAN $58,520 – 67,320 2020 Toyota Landcruiser Prado 2020 GXL (4X4) Pricing and Specs
GXL (prem Int) (4X4) 2.8L, Diesel, 6 SP AUTO $66,660 – 76,670 2020 Toyota Landcruiser Prado 2020 GXL (prem Int) (4X4) Pricing and Specs
EXPERT RATING
7.6
Price and features8
Design7
Practicality9
Under the bonnet7
Efficiency8
Driving8
Safety7
Ownership7
Matt Campbell
Managing Editor - Head of Video

Share

Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication.  Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.