Lexus UX300E vs Toyota Prado

What's the difference?

Lexus has released a revamped version of its smallest electric SUV, the UX300e and I’ve been driving the Sports Luxury grade this week with my little family of three.

This model sees a few key upgrades to its battery performance, driving range and technology.

These improvements should see it continue to be a solid competitor for its rivals, the BMW iX1 XDrive 30 M Sport, Mercedes-Benz EQA 250 and Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric. 

They call it the Toyota LandCruiser (two words) but to Australian eyes it looks like what we affectionately call a Prado. But it’s what’s underneath the surface, beyond the name, that makes this car so interesting.

We recently had the opportunity to drive the Toyota LandCruiser in the US, where the engine isn’t the usual turbo diesel found in the Prado, but rather a petrol-electric hybrid that Australian buyers are denied.

So we wanted to know if we were missing out on something special or if Toyota Australia made the right call to stick with a diesel-only option. Aside from the engine the LandCruiser is very similar to the Prado, so we’ll focus on the key difference rather than detailing the minor changes across the pair.

We spent time behind the wheel of the US LandCruiser to find out, spending a few days driving it around Los Angeles to get a feel for it.