2020 Toyota Prado vs 2021

What's the difference?

It’s basic, sure, and it feels a bit dated, but the Prado, even in entry-level GX form, tackles everything you throw it at – and that includes quite hard-core 4WDing – without ever breaking a (mechanical) sweat.

The Prado is a relaxed and comfortable on-road cruiser and a very capable off-roader, but it feels a bit old and the engine just isn’t quite as gutsy as it should be. 

However, this Toyota tourer remains a genuine all-purpose vehicle and one of the best ready-to-go 4WDs available.

All in all, the Prado is a very functional and comfortable daily driver and a very capable 4WD tourer.

The increases in power and torque and the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and driver-driver-assist tech to the range have simply added even more appeal to what is one of the market’s most popular quiet achievers.

It's good in the city and more than capable in the country and, when all is said and done, it may not be the most exciting 4WD available, but it’s certainly one of the best all-rounders.

The Prado looks formidable enough, with a blocky presence.

In terms of physical dimensions, it is 4995mm long, because its spare is mounted on the rear door of the vehicle rather than on the underbody which would reduce overall vehicle length to 4825mm. It is 1885mm, and 1845mm high. 

It has a listed kerb weight of 2240kg, because it’s a five-seater; a seven-seater GX weighs 2300kg.

The GX does not get roof rails or side steps, so don’t go looking for them on this Prado.

The Prado’s appearance will never elicit manly grunts of admiration the way the LandCruiser or HiLux do, but that’s beside the point. It has an inoffensive, easy-to-like visage.

It’s a chunky machine with real on-road presence, but make up your own mind. You might hate it. Each to their own.

The Prado’s interior is plain but functional with very impressive build quality. It’s also a very roomy and well laid-out cabin, with an easy-to-use feel to it: all controls, dials and buttons on the centre console are big and placed well, so they're easy to locate and operate on the go. 

Having said that, the 8.0-inch colour touchscreen is a bit difficult to operate with precision when you’re on the move.

The cloth seats are comfortable all-round, with plenty of head, knee and legroom – even in the second row (40:20:40 split, sliding). 

Second-row passengers also get a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders, air vent controls and a 12V power socket (both in the rear of the cool box), as well as hard-plastic bottle holders in the doors, and driver and front passenger seat-back map pockets.

The second-row seats have three top-tether points and two ISOFIX locations.

Upfront, driver and front passenger have access to a few storage spaces: glove box, door pockets, an air-conditioned (not refrigerated) cool box (in between driver and front passenger), and cup holders. There’s also USB charge points, as well as a 12V power socket.

The driver also gets the 4.2-inch multi information display – between the instrument dials – so you can monitor your speed on a digital display.

With all five seats in use, cargo capacity is listed as 640 litres. No figures were listed for the total space made available when those seats are stowed away.

The rear cargo area has a retractable cargo blind so you’re able to conceal your luggage from prying eyes. There are also tie-down points and a 220V outlet.

In terms of dimensions, the Prado is 4825mm long, with 2790mm-long wheelbase. It is 1995mm wide, 1819mm high, and it has a listed kerb weight of 2265kg.

From front to back the Prado’s cabin is quite an open, functional and family-friendly space. Though not a lot has changed, the interior does look a little better than it did before and the new bigger media screen – at nine inches, it’s now a full inch bigger than the previous version – is largely to thank for that. That screen is easy enough to operate and now has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and that functionality has quite a lot of appeal for many people, apparently.

A good mix of durable hard plastics and leather accents (included in the premium interior pack option) There are plenty of storage spaces – including cupholders, door pockets, and a deep centre console bin – as well as a USB port to charge up your smartphone and other devices. 

Front seats, as well as being rather comfortable, are power-adjustable, heated and ventilated (again, as part of the premium interior pack).

Second-row passengers get plenty of head, knee and leg room across the row. These seats are heated (a premium interior pack inclusion) and there is a fold-down centre arm-rest with two cup-holders, as well as climate control, directional air vents, grab handles above the doors, and pockets in the doors, incorporating a bottle holder. 

The second-row seats are a 40:20:40 split-sliding configuration and have three top tether points and two ISOFIX points.

The third row seats are squeezy – but that’s never unusual in a seven-seater – and this row is a 50:50 split-fold-flat configuration

There are a cup-holder for each passenger and directional air vents.

Nothing has changed much in terms of cargo capacity since the last time we tested a Prado a few months back.

With the third-row seats in use, boot space is a claimed 104 litres; with the third row stowed way, there’s a claimed (combined) 553 litres; and with the second and third rows stowed way, there’s 974 litres.

The Prado interior had been feeling a bit dated prior to this, but that’s less of a case now.

The GXL as standard has a manufacturer suggested retail price of $66,540 (before on-road costs). It has the line-up’s 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine – shared with the HiLux and Fortuner – and that has been upgraded to produce 150kW (an increase of 20kW over the previous Prado) and 500Nm (an increase of 50Nm).

It has a six-speed automatic transmission, and a full-time four-wheel drive system with high- and low-range. 

Standard features on this seven-seater include 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, smart entry and start, active cruise control, three-zone climate control, bi-LED headlights, LED daytime running lights and foglights, side steps, roof rails, 17-inch alloy wheels and rear parking sensors.

It also has a comprehensive suite of driver-assist tech – Toyota Safety Sense – with AEB with pedestrian detection (day and night) and cyclist detection (day only), high-speed active cruise control, lane departure alert (with steering assistance via braking), and road sign assist.

As well as that, our test vehicle had the $600 premium paint (bronze) and it has the $3470 premium interior pack, which includes leather accents, power-adjustable front seats with heating and cooling, as well as heated second-row seats. It also has a $1150.73 wiring set-up with towbar, tow ball and wiring harness.

All of those options push this GXL’s price to $71,760.73.

The test vehicle had the no-cost flat tailgate pack, which moves the spare tyre from the rear door to the Prado’s underbody – that allows you, among other things, a bit more easy access to the rear cargo area via the glass hatch/window. There is a trade-off though – by moving the spare tyre to the undercarriage, you lose the 63-litre sub tank, reducing your total fuel capacity from 150 litres to 87 litres and that reduces your driving range. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The GX has a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which produces 130kW at 3400rpm and 450Nm from 1600-2400rpm.

It's paired with the six-speed auto and that’s generally a good combination, but in real-world applications it errs on the side of sluggish, rather than any sense of liveliness.

And that engine, while effective enough off-road, could do with more power and torque.

The 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine produces 150kW at 3400rpm and 500Nm at 1600-2800rpm. Its pairing with the six-speed auto is a low-key but effective combination.

The Prado is rarely stressed, even during difficult low-range 4WDing, but it’s also never the liveliest match-up on the road or track.

The Prado has a full-time four-wheel drive system with high- and low-range.

Fuel consumption is listed as 7.9L/100km (combined). 

We recorded 8.5L/100km over more than 250km of driving, including about 10km of low-range 4WDing.

The GX has a 150L fuel tank (87L main and 63L sub tank). Buyers of higher-grade Prados can opt for the no-cost tailgate pack option (which moves the full-size spare from it’s usual rear-mounted position to the underbody) it’s worth noting that, by doing so, does free up your back door so access to the rear space is even more touring-friendly, but that spare-tyre relocation reduces your total fuel capacity from 150 litres to 87 litres because you lose the 63-litre sub tank.

Fuel consumption is a claimed 7.9L/100km on a combined cycle. 

It was showing 9.4L/100km on our dash, but our actual fuel consumption on test, after more than 300km of driving (including four hours of 4WDing), was 10.9L/100km. 

This Prado has an 87-litre fuel tank – because it has the flat tailgate pack and so loses the 63-litre sub tank. Remember?
 

Pretty bloody nice, actually.

The seats are very comfortable with a plush feel about them.

Steering is mostly light and precise, always a welcome attribute in a 4WD wagon, but it exhibits a slower, heavier feel at lower speeds on urban streets.

The engine and auto are dependable, but, as mentioned earlier, that match-up definitely errs on the side of sluggish, rather than lively, with noticeable lag under throttle.

But it is very quiet inside.

The Prado feels wide and sure-footed on the road but it still exhibits that ol’ Prado body roll. It's not as pronounced as in previous iterations, but it is definitely still there. 

Turning circle is listed as 11.6m, which is nowhere near as tight and city-friendly as some of its rivals, such as the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, which can get around in 11.2m.

Be aware that it doesn’t have any parking sensors, front or rear. There you go, I’ve just prevented you from touch-parking your GX into a concrete something, or another car.

It’s pretty decent for a large 4WD.

On road, there are no surprises: the Prado is a comfortable blacktop cruiser and gets the job done with very little stress. 

Steering is well-weighted, the engine and auto is a quietly dependable combination, without ever being actually exciting, and there’s still some discernible acceleration lag under throttle. It’s not exactly as sluggish as it was, but it’s not terribly dynamic either. (Don’t be too critical of it – I reckon you’d need a bit of encouragement to get moving as well if you tipped the scales at 2265kg.)

Ride and handling are pretty well sorted, and the Prado body roll of old has been mostly ironed out and only ever creeps in on bendier stretches.

The suspension set-up – double wishbone, independent and coils all-round – is aimed at maximising comfort but the Prado’s ride can tend towards firm at times, although maybe some of that can be attributed to too-high tyre pressures.

The Prado rarely feels cumbersome on busy city streets and with a turning circle is 11.6m, it’s no go-kart to steer around, but it’s not a school bus either.

Overall, it’s a very comfortable daily driver.

The Prado has a five star ANCAP safety rating as a result of testing in 2011.

Safety gear includes seven airbags, AEB, lane departure alert, road sign assist, trailer sway control, reversing camera, and more.

The second row has two ISOFIX child seat anchor points (one on each outer seat) and three top-tether points.

The Prado is covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

Service intervals are scheduled for every six months/10,000km, with service costs set at $260 per visit for the first three years/60,000km.

Toyota states: The warranty period for any new vehicle bought after 1 January 2019 is a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty that covers any part, panel and accessory made by Toyota. 

In addition to this, Toyota will extend your engine and driveline warranty from five to seven years if the annual service schedule is adhered to.

It has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with an additional two years of engine and driveline warranty if the vehicle is properly serviced and maintained per its Warranty and Service Book.

Capped price servicing is $260 for 6 months/ 10,000km for the first 3 years / 60,000km.