Toyota Prado 2024 News

Toyota Australia has announced that 524 LandCruiser Prados sold locally have been recalled due to an assembly fault when fitting the optional Electric Brake Controller.Its cross-platform twin, the Lexus GX550, has also been impacted, with 28 Australian examples affected by the recall.According to Toyota and Lexus an error in fitting instructions for the Electric Brake Controller, which is designed to synthesise the vehicle's brakes with a trailer’s brakes, the lower driver’s airbag (which was removed during the accessory fitment) may have been reinstalled using the incorrect torque.Toyota and Lexus said: “This may cause the bolts to loosen and the airbag may not deploy as designed in the event of a collision, which could increase the risk of injury or death to vehicle occupants.”The issue only impacts Prados with build dates of between June 24 2024 and October 3 2024, while only GX550s built between March 6 2024 and September 17 2024 have been impacted.Both brands will contact owners of affected vehicles to arrange an inspection of the Electric Brake Controller, and if required, complete the recall free of charge. This will take approximately one hour.LandCruiser Prado owners can check if their VIN number on the list of affected vehicles here, while GX550 owners can check their VIN numbers here.

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If you regularly go bush, there’s something that might jump at you on the new 250 Series Toyota Prado’s spec sheet: a lack of locking rear differential on all but the Altitude trim. Previously, the 150 Series Prado range offered a rear locker on GXL, VX and Kakadu trims and now it comes exclusively on the Altitude off-roader, with the VX getting a limited-slip item. All other grades have open front and rear diffs.The inclusion of a locking rear differential aids off-road capability, particularly in very demanding situations such as off-set mogul climbs and deep mud or sand.They work by splitting 50 per cent of the drive equally between each wheel; an open differential, on the other hand, simply drives the wheel with least resistance. For 4WDs without lockers, this means the car relies on traction control to minimise wheel slip on tricky climbs or deep mud and this sometimes isn’t enough. Yet the Prado’s Australian vehicle development team is adamant the new 250 Series is more capable than the car it replaces despite missing the rear locker.“For the Prado, just the frame alone — that stiffer frame — eliminated a lot of need for tuning and adjustment on the software, on the safety systems,” in this case, Australian Vehicle Evaluation Engineer Russel Tomlinson is describing stability and traction control programs in the new Prado. “The safety systems had to work less because of the rigidity and then when we came to diff locks, the car was fit for purpose. “If we needed to go through mud, water crossings, loose stones, whatever, the target that we set — which was to improve on the previous LandCruiser — we achieved .” That’s the rationale for rolling with open rear differentials on most Prado trims.  All 250 Series Prados are equipped with a full-time four-wheel drive, an eight-speed automatic transmission, torsen centre differential with the ability to fully lock along with both high and low range transfer cases. Clever systems, including Crawl Control (an off-road cruise control) and multi-terrain select, are similar to the equipment offered in a Land Rover Discovery, for example. These are generally enough for most trails you’ll encounter and the rear diff-lock is usually reserved for only the toughest manoeuvres, for example when you’re bogged or bellied out. But it’s a nice insurance policy to have in remote areas.Vehicles you might cross-shop with the Prado, including the Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X, are equipped with locking rear differentials on all 4x4 grades, while new cut-price alternatives, such as the GWM Tank 500, are arriving with front lockers, too. The Prado’s rear differential lock situation is similar to that of the larger 300 Series, with front and rear diff locks reserved for the GR Sport off-road flagship. That said, the bigger 300 Series gets a limited-slip rear differential on all trims (like Prado Kakadu). There is currently no GR Sport model, with the Altitude the most off-road focused trim. Along with the rear locker, there’s also a new electronic stabiliser disconnect system and 18-inch Toyo Open Country all-terrain rubber. 

The 2025 Toyota Prado launched in Australia with a mildly-electrified 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder, but questions of a Prado hybrid are coming thick and fast. In the United States, the 250 Series Prado (where it’s known simply as LandCruiser) can be had with an i-Force Max petrol-electric hybrid that Toyota execs refer to as a ‘one motor’ system. Surely it can’t be far from reaching Australia, right?Toyota’s near-50 per cent hybrid sales mix suggests a Prado hybrid would be the right fit but Global Chief Engineer Keita Moritsu is not convinced the technology is up to snuff. “I recognise that carbon neutrality is very important but, as the chief engineer, I cannot compromise on the capability of the LandCruiser. At the moment, I believe that 48-volt is suitable for this market,” Moritsu-san told Australian media. “There is a hybrid variant available in the US, which we’re continuing to investigate. We wouldn’t rule it out. We certainly have no confirmation of that vehicle, or its suitability for Australia, but we won’t rule it out entirely,” clarified local Vice President Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley. CarsGuide pressed Hanley on the matter, with Toyota finally launching Tundra locally. The US-sized ‘big’ pick-up becomes Toyota’s first one-motor hybrid sold in Australia after a gruelling evaluation process to ensure the ute’s local right-hand drive conversion is up to par. Designed with ultimate grunt in mind rather than efficiency, the Tundra’s twin-turbo V6 based powertrain turns out impressive outputs of 325kW/790Nm, allowing a braked tow rating of 4500kg, when equipped with a heavy-duty hitch. The Lexus LX — the LandCruiser 300 Series’ uptown cousin — is confirmed to score a version of the twin-turbo V6 engine in Australia shortly, adding further fuel to the fire that Toyota could soon sell a hybrid LandCruiser product in Australia. “Anything’s possible,” said Hanley, “while I don't have any confirmation of the hybrid moving beyond where it is today, the realities are that through this platform we have options and flexibilities, and depending on the needs of each individual market, we can adjust if we need to.”Hanley clarified that it isn’t the hybrid drawing buyers to the new Tundra, though, “primarily, they just love the idea of a big ute!“I think that one-motor hybrid works for the car. It does work. I'm not sure it's the driving force behind someone buying one. I think it's more about the lifestyle — the towing, what it can do — before it comes down to the motor. “What they want in Tundra is capability. The one-motor hybrid delivers that capability; it gives everything they want,” explained Hanley. The snag comes from the LandCruiser 250 Series hybrid’s credentials in the United States. Despite the 250 Series’ i-Force Max engine punching out 243kW and 630Nm — far more than the 150kW/500Nm from the V-Active boosted diesel — the braked towing rating 2700kg, a way off the 3500kg Australian customers see as the standard. CarsGuide understands that the 250 Series’ hybrid powertrain is yet to undergo the rigorous evaluation the V-Active diesel engine was subjected to, much of which takes place in Australia. A version of the powertrain could still arrive, however."Toyota's multi-pathway approach is already helping customers reduce their carbon footprint. Everything from the fully-electric bZ4X and Mirai, to hybrids and 48-volt technology. But, having said that, we also know that we need to do more,” said Hanley.“We need to evolve our model portfolio to accelerate the opportunity for all customers to reduce their carbon footprint. For the next few years, I can tell you, we are well placed with our electrification of passenger cars and SUVs. “But we still, as we stand here today, have a big challenge ahead of us with heavier vehicles,” admitted Hanley before qualifying that HiLux and LandCruiser nameplates are here to stay. Don’t expect a Prado hybrid before the end of 2025, however. 

Toyota Australia looks to have learnt its lesson. After the hot potatoes that were the LandCruiser 300 Series, 70 Series and RAV4, it won’t be making the same mistake with the new 2025 Prado. Instead, Toyota is being very upfront about how many Prados are coming in the first 12 months — and it looks like the family-friendly 4WD is set for a record-breaking year in 2025. Toyota Australia Vice President Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley announced that the country’s biggest new-car seller is holding plenty of orders for the new Prado: “As of today, our dealers have taken more than 17,000 orders,” he says.“It’s a level of demand that has prompted us to a whole new way of doing business, in terms of allocating these vehicles and communicating with customers,” he explains. This is Toyota’s response to the pandemic-related production slowdowns that saw LandCruiser 300 Series, 70 Series and RAV4 saddled with wait times exceeding 18 months. For high-demand models, such as the new Prado, Toyota customers will now be able to place an expression of interest to join a waiting queue before putting a deposit down to increase delivery time certainty. “We will not go back to the days of open-ended order taking for such a popular model. It’s not in our own interest and certainly — definitely — not in the interest of our customers,” says Hanley. Without giving likely sales figures away for 2025, Hanley announced Australia will get in excess of 25,000 new Prados, with that number likely to swell to 27,000 in total in its first full year on sale. For reference, the previous best Prado sales year was in 2021, when the 150 Series found 21,299 buyers. If Toyota manages the full complement of 27,000 deliveries next year, it will easily break records for both Prado and large SUV sales. “If you have a look at the fact that we’ve ‘sold’ 17,000 in a very short time, it’s quite conceivable. But in the end, customers will decide that…It’s probably probable,” jokes Hanley. He noted that, as long as enough cars get off ships, through customs and into customer hands before December 31, the company is likely to set a sales record for 2024, too. “If we don’t, it won’t be because of customer demand,” explains Hanley. The latest 250 Series has drummed up plenty of interest with its retro-chic appearance and new TNGA-F underpinnings it shares with the full-size 300 Series. Known as just the LandCruiser in other markets including North America, the UK and Europe, it joins the 70 Series and 300 Series Down Under. With a revised version of the 150 Series’ 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder with ‘V-Active’ 48-volt technology, the Prado develops peak power and torque of 150kW and 500Nm, respectively. A new eight-speed automatic drives all four wheels through a permanent AWD system. For the latest generation, enhanced stiffness in the body and chassis — up 30 per cent — help to make it capable of towing a 3500kg (braked) load, 500kg more than before. Toyota expects most buyers (50 per cent) to go for the mid-spec GX described by Hanley as a “sweet spot”, with 10 per cent opting for GX, 20 per cent for VX and the remaining fifth of buyers split between flagship Altitude off-road and Kakadu luxury trims. The Prado has arrived in Toyota dealers around the country now. Keep an eye out for CarsGuide’s in-depth review on November 21. 2025 Toyota LandCruiser Prado pricingPrices listed are before on-road costs