ADVICE: Should I buy a Toyota Prado?

You have to wonder how the Toyota Prado manages to be such a popular vehicle. This old soldier of the large SUV brigade is selling more now than ever.

This year Toyota has sold 14,239 Prados to the end of September and so it is well on track to beating the current record set in 2012, when 17,045 units were sold.

The Toyota Prado is also the top selling vehicle in its class and has been every year except in 2014 when the Jeep Grand Cherokee had its relatively brief moment in the limelight.

The Toyota Landcruiser Prado is click-worthy too. Its 2017 refresh was the top news story on carsales.com.au last year and the 4x4 attracts search volume that is far beyond its direct competitors.

But does this aging old-school body-on-frame 4x4 deserve its favoured nation status?

In some ways, the Toyota LandCruiser Prado’s popularity does not make sense.

Even though it was refreshed last November with a new 200 Series LandCruiser-style nose, tidied-up interior and more safety features (and also featured other significant updates in 2013 and 2015), the 2018 Toyota Prado is still based on a vehicle that was released in 2009.

Some Prado design approaches, such as its side-swing tailgate with spare wheel bolted to it and side-folding third-row seats, were popular last century and are ones that most competitors gave away… Sometime last century.

The 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel’s 130kW/450Nm outputs are at the back of the field. Combine that with a heavy kerb mass and power-sapping full-time 4WD and you’re left with one of the slowest wagons in the class. The engine is noisy and NVH is pretty average too.

Let’s face it: live-axle, separate-chassis SUV wagons are not meant to handle like sports cars, but the Prado is one of the least dynamic of its ilk. It understeers and body rolls just looking at a corner.

The years haven’t been kind to the Prado’s cabin, where – despite a tidy-up as part of the upgrade last year – it looks like an aftermarket switch company went mad. Not to mention the so-so ergonomics and infotainment shortfalls.

The Toyota Prado’s towing capacity increase last year from 2500 to 3000kg only highlights how woeful it is towing anything heavy .

It feels twitchy with more than about 1500kg on the towball, and try to tow close to its 3000kg limit and the four-cylinder turbo-diesel becomes very thirsty and has to work hard. All the time.

Although the Prado’s reliability and build quality have been rarely questioned, the recent issue with a faulty air cleaner assembly (which allows dust to enter the mass air-flow sensor, upsetting the engine’s air/fuel ratio) does not inspire confidence in a vehicle intended to travel deep into the bush.

At least you can rely on a long warranty, right? Well, no… When at least five years’ warranty is becoming the norm, Toyota has continued with three years/100,000km cover.

So, are Prado owners (and those who aspire to be) just a little crazy? The arguments for Prado suggest that maybe they’re not.

While at first glance the Prado appears to be pricey, it has become pretty good value in recent years as prices on key variants has actually fallen and equipment levels increased.

For example the 2009 Prado GXL auto was $62,590 (plus on-road costs) when new. How much is the new 2018 Toyota Prado GXL auto you ask? Just $62,990 (which is actually $1200 less than the pre-facelift 2017 model). That’s despite having a more powerful engine, a new auto transmission with an extra ratio, more equipment (such as AEB, lane departure alert, automatic high-beam, rear diff lock and satnav just for starters) and fresher sheetmetal and interior.

Competitors like Isuzu MU-X and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport are much cheaper but the Ford Everest has similar pricing while Jeep Grand Cherokee and Land Rover Discovery are more expensive.

It’s not just new-vehicle buyers who love Prado; the used market chases them too. Redbook valuation figures indicate that after three years/45,000km the Prado GXL 2.8 auto registers 81 per cent retained value, well ahead of the 73 per cent for Mitsubishi Pajero Sport GLS seven-seat, 72 per cent for Isuzu MU-X LS-T and Ford Everest Trend and 69 per cent for Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 3.0 CRD.

Toyota’s Capped Price Servicing program offering for Prado is one of the cheapest in class for scheduled servicing, although the Toyota services are more frequent (six months/10,000km versus typically 12 months/15,000km for the others).

If you do take advantage of the Prado’s ability to head bush, it’s reassuring to know that Toyota also has one of the most widespread dealer networks in Australia.

Speaking of heading bush, the Toyota Prado is built tough and (at least in some versions) has a sophisticated 4WD system — but like any standard 4WD, it will need modifications and accessories to better handle tough bush work.

Good news here is the Landcruiser Prado is one of the better catered-for 4WDs in the aftermarket. You can take your pick of suspension lift kits, snorkels and bullbars.

Even though the side-swing rear door is heavy and awkward to use, at least Toyota now offers the option of a lighter door (with the spare relocated to underneath) on GXL, VX and Kakadu -- although it means losing the auxiliary fuel tank in the process.

Which leads to another Toyota Prado advantage… If you don’t elect for the option of having the spare wheel under the vehicle, Prado delivers by far the biggest fuel capacity in the class — 150 litres, giving up to 1500km before having to refuel.

Even though the Prado has proper off-road credentials, it seems as though most people just buy it for the school run. For either use, the Toyota Prado offers plenty of space/capacity in its seven-seat interior.

Even though it may not handle terribly well, the Prado has the most supple ride of the separate-chassis SUVs in its category.

There are cheaper large SUV wagons and there are far more modern ones yet the Toyota Prado has the right mix of versatility, features, price and (let’s not underestimate this) the perceived credibility of the Toyota badge to keep a firm hold on its sales crown.