Best used off-road 4x4 for 2019

There are SUVs... and then there are off-roaders. Originally known as 'all-terrain wagons'  or just 'four-wheel drives', these vehicles offer few of the concessions to comfort, passive safety and on-road driveability that soft-road SUVs do.

And people love them for that.

These wagons are aimed at a niche-market buyer – one who tows a ski boat or a caravan at the weekend and drags the family along to remote and inhospitable parts of Australia. Mostly they're rugged to the point of indestructibility for precisely that purpose.

For the carsales Best Used Car Awards for 2019, the winner in the off-road category and the two 'honourable mentions' have been deduced from combining a RedBook score out of 50 with individual scores out of 10 from each of five judges.

And in 2019, the carsales best used off-roader is the 2013...

Leading the pack with a score of 83.2 points (42.2 from RedBook and 41 from the judges), the Prado has displaced last year's winner and stablemate, the 200 Series Toyota LandCruiser GXL. In its favour, the Prado had been updated in 2013 and the Kakadu flagship gained the active anti-roll bars of the 200 Series LandCruiser (KDSS) and a revamped interior. RedBook values the 2013 LandCruiser Prado Kakadu at $52,600, sold privately in average retail condition.

Road Test Editor at carsales, Matt Brogan, says of the Prado: "More compact than its big brother, the Prado is a capable off-roader that'll go just about anywhere."

You can read more about the Toyota LandCruiser Prado in our launch review. The writer of that review, Marton Pettendy, noted at the time: "If you need your daily driver to be able to tackle the Simpson – and don’t mind the polarising new look and higher pricetag – the Prado now fits the bill even better."

In his 'buying used' retrospective for the Prado, Cliff Chambers described the 150 Series Prado as "a very handsome package with all the interactive in-car communication stuff, including digital radio, and a nifty 'Crawl Control' function that saved the brakes on long descents."

Find a used Toyota Landcruiser Prado Kakadu on carsales

Honourable mentions:

A winner in 2018, the 200 Series LandCruiser GXL scored 40.9 points from RedBook and 41.0 points from the judges for a total of 81.9.
Red Book value: $58,600

"The long-serving LandCruiser is a terrific all-rounder that's proven to go the distance on rough Ausssie roads" – Matt Brogan, carsales Road Test Editor

Scored 41.5 points from RedBook and 33.0 points from the judges for a total of 74.5.
Red Book value: $36,900

"Great looking spacious vehicle with 4wd credentials. Get a good one and you are on a winner" – Ross Booth, RedBook Data Services Director

What makes a car eligible for carsales Best Used Cars Awards?
• Less than six years old,
• Standard side-curtain airbags,
• Standard Bluetooth,
• Standard stability control,
• Standard reversing camera for SUVs.

How did RedBook weight the categories for scoring?
• 10 per cent for resale,
• 10 per cent for ANCAP rating,
• 20 per cent for cost of ownership,
• Five per cent for service intervals,
• Five per cent for number of days for vehicle to sell

Read all about carsales Best Used Cars for 2019 here.