Toyota LandCruiser Prado 250 Series 2024 Review – International

Precise pricing for the all-new 2024 Toyota Prado 250 Series has yet to be specified for Australia, but we expect it to cost a few thousand dollars more than the outgoing model spec-for-spec, suggesting a starting price of at least $65,000, rising to more than $90,000 plus on-road costs.

We do know that it’ll be available in five different trim levels covering everything from a fleet-friendly GX model right up to the luxurious Kakadu.

All model grades will initially be powered by an updated version of the familiar 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, helped out by a new mild-hybrid system that includes a small starter-motor and generator, running on a 48V electrical system.

Models in the US and some other markets will also have access to a full-hybrid powertrain called the ‘i-FORCE MAX’, which pairs a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a small electric motor. Toyota Australia has already said the hybrid will come here “sooner rather than later”.

As is the case now, Prado will rival traditional body-on-frame SUVs like the Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X that draw their underpinnings from narrower dual-cab utes, limiting space inside and their relative sophistication.

For those using the Prado more for its family haulage duties, SUVs like the Hyundai Palisade, Mazda CX-90 and Nissan Pathfinder could also be considered rivals – although none offer any semblance of off-road ability. The ageing Nissan Patrol is a closer fit.

The GWM Tank 500 has also just arrived, while the Land Rover Defender stands as a more sophisticated and expensive alternative.

All 2024 Toyota Prado 250 Series models will feature a basic suite of passive and active safety elements including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, lane assist, blind spot monitoring and rear emergency braking assist, plus parking sensors, a 360-degree camera system, nine airbags and trailer sway control.

Beyond this, the fleet-focused GX will kick off the range with a set of 18-inch wheels and darkened front and rear bumpers, sills and wheel-arch surrounds.

Inside, the five-seat-only model has a 12.3-inch infotainment display with wireless smartphone projection, embedded sat-nav and DAB+ digital radio, a 7.0-inch colour driver’s display and a 10-speaker sound system. Keeping to the rugged requirements of this model, the seats are cloth-covered and feature manual adjustment, plus there’s rubber all-weather floor mats and a 220V power outlet.

Upgrades to the GXL include roof rails, privacy glass and a powered tailgate outside, plus an upgrade to the bumper trim from black to silver. Inside, the seats are now wrapped in synthetic leather that are heated, cooled and electrically adjustable.

There’s also leather for the steering wheel and gear selector, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, tri-zone climate control, a wireless phone charging pad and two extra USB-C ports. The key difference for families, though, is the standard inclusion of a third row of seats.

Next up is the VX, which adds in 20-inch wheels, body-coloured elements on the front and rear bumpers, plus different mouldings over the wheel-arches and a rear guard trim. The headlights are also uprated to a set of auto-levelling bi-LED units, while inside things take another step up with real leather upholstery on the seats, full power adjustment for the front passenger seat and memory functions for both.

The steering column is also now electrically adjustable, there’s a refrigerated bin in the centre console and proper carpeted floor mats.

On the tech front, the driver’s display is upgraded to a full 12.3-inch unit, with extended driver modes including a multi-terrain response control and all-round cameras with an off-roading function. The sound system is also upgraded to a 14-speaker JBL system, and for the first time on a Prado there’s an Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) system.

New for the Prado range will be the Altitude model, which builds on the VX’s comprehensive equipment list, but adds in some extra rugged elements. These include a return to matte-grey 18-inch alloy wheels with a more off-road-focused set of tyres, plus a range of black exterior design elements.

The Altitude also features a sway bar disconnect system that’ll improve wheel articulation by 10 per cent, plus there’s a few extra luxuries in there too such as a sunroof, head-up display, digital rear-view mirror and heated steering wheel.

Finally, sitting at the top of the tree is the Kakadu, which circles back to the VX in terms of design with its 20-inch wheels, plus includes a larger panoramic sunroof, illuminated side steps, heated and ventilated rear seats, adjustable driver’s seat thigh support, digital rear-view mirror, head-up display and a limited-slip rear differential.

The new-generation 2024 Toyota Prado 250 Series has yet to undertake any form of officiated crash tests in Australia or abroad, but Toyota will no doubt be aiming for a full five-star rating on all tests.

Inherently, Toyota has done an excellent job of stiffening the basic structure, with a huge 50 per cent increase in the chassis stiffness, and 30 per cent in the body.

All LandCruiser Prado models feature nine airbags, plus autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, lane assist and blind spot monitoring. The lane assist system works by giving you a visual and audible warning if you stray outside the white lines, but if you do cross it’ll gently goad you back into the lane by applying a small amount of steering correction.

We found the system to be fairly intrusive on the narrow roads in Scotland, and the actual icons telling you what active safety elements are and aren’t active can be rather small. If this is something that you’ll often be switching on and off, they’re also buried fairly deep inside the driver’s display, which can be fiddly to use on the move.

Prado has autonomous emergency braking whilst reversing, plus a full 360-degree camera system, which is a first for the Prado.

The LED headlights are good, but don’t feature any intelligent Matrix functionality. It’s also worth noting that the round headlight option available in some markets won’t be available in Australia, instead sticking to the oblong units.

If you were impressed by the step-up in style between the all-new 2024 Toyota Prado 250 Series and the current 150 Series, the interior technology will blow you away.

All Prado models feature an excellent 12.3-inch infotainment system that runs a new user interface that’s both clean and relatively easy to use. There are some fiddly icons, and you do need to dive into menus for specific functions, but for daily use it’s a massive step on from the systems found in previous Toyotas.

All models feature wireless phone projection, and thanks to the separate air-conditioning and driver mode functions, you might not ever need to come into contact with the embedded system. But if you do, it’s by no means a pain.

Beyond this, VX models and up feature a full 12.3-inch driver’s display that’s crisp and fast-reacting. It’s also very configurable, with multiple display options and plenty of personalisation in terms of available information.

Beyond this, the upgraded JBL stereo of our test car sounded great and had no trouble being heard over the roar of the off-road tyres on our rough test roads.

Beyond the wireless charging pad there’s also plenty of USB-C points in the front and back, although our cars weren’t fitted with seven seats, so any third-row-mounted tech wasn’t on display.

All 2024 Toyota Prado models in Australia will feature the venerable 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine.

This is the same basic unit as the outgoing 150 Series generation and other models like the Toyota HiLux ute, but feels like a completely different animal here. Power and torque are rated at a relatively subdued 150kW and 500Nm of torque, but the numbers don’t relay how the Prado feels on the road.

Refinement is much, much better than any previous application, with little to no vibration coming through into the cabin. The engine also emits only a subtle grumble at low speeds, but once you’re on the move the engine quickly fades away into the background, slipping into a high gear effortlessly.

The new eight-speed automatic shifts smoothly and cleanly, and comes with a more aggressive lock-up, giving both a cleaner feeling of acceleration and helping with off-road throttle control.

The models we were driving in the Scottish Highlands weren’t fitted with the new mild-hybrid system as that’s due to follow in the beginning of 2025 for EU models. Toyota Australia’s decision to wait for this MHEV model is the reason for the Prado’s delay, but we think it’ll be a worthwhile wait.

All Prados have a high- and low-range transfer box and full-time four-wheel drive, with the option – depending on the trim level – for lockers on either the centre or both the centre and rear differentials. Top-spec models also feature the new front sway bar disconnect system, all of which are selectable outside of the terrain modes.

Towing has also been at the core of Prado development, with Toyota rating a maximum braked towing capacity of 3500kg – on par with most rivals, including most dual-cab utes.

Toyota has yet to officiate fuel consumption ratings for the new 2024 Toyota Prado 250 Series, but given the similarities with the outgoing 2.8-litre diesel – and the fact we were driving the non-mild-hybrid version (we’ll be getting the MHEV in Australia) – we’d expect Euro-spec combined-cycle economy to be roughly comparable with the 150 Series at 7.9L/100km.

On test, we averaged 10L/100km, which included a fair amount of off-roading in sticky mud. In normal driving, we’d suggest this is more likely to settle at around 9L/100km, again an increase on the previous model’s official figure.

We’ll wait and see how Australian-market mild-hybrid versions are rated in terms of both official and real-world mileage.

The long-range dual-fuel tank is now also a thing of the past, as Toyota has decided to mount the spare tyre under the boot floor where the previous supplementary tank once sat. This means the Prado now has a standard 115-litre tank, which won’t be enough for a stop-free run across the Simpson Desert. EU models use a smaller 80-litre tank.

The new-generation 2024 Toyota Prado 250 Series still drives like an off-roader, but feels more resolved in terms of its on-road handling.

The biggest change concerns its electric steering system. It certainly adheres to its off-roading brief by having a relatively slow and measured steering rack, but the feel and weighting is now much improved.

At low speeds it’s light enough to be an easy steer in car parks, but at speed wakes up with a good amount of heft that nicely reflects the sheer amount of car you’re driving. It’s also now accurate in a way previous-generation models never were, and feels in tune with the rest of the handling characteristics.

The ride quality is also largely driven from its off-roading capability, as like all body-on-frame SUVs it never quite settles to a smooth flow at high or low speeds.

It’s firm, but suspension noise is totally isolated from the cabin, and with that firmness is a good handle on body roll. This is by no means a sporty SUV – that level of stability is there purely to control the weight – but it’s a more measured and comfortable SUV on the road than before.

Road noise is exceptionally well compressed, an impressive feat considering the flat-fronted windscreen and massive mirrors. In fact, overall isolation in the cabin has been massively improved, feeling both robust and comfortable – if not particularly plush.

Our EU-spec Prados weren’t fitted with the new Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), but we found that variants on both the 18- and 20-inch wheel options drove largely the same, with little in the way of compromise in versions on the larger wheel option. All Prados feature a solid rear axle combined with a double-wishbone front-end.

Models with the AVS system will vary across three on-road driving modes – Normal, Comfort and Sport – constantly adjusting the damper force depending on load and driving style. It also has anti-squat and anti-dive functionality to keep the car level under hard acceleration and braking.

It’s impossible not to compare the new Prado with at least one of its key rivals in the Land Rover Defender, which has the option of more sophisticated air springs. And while the Defender certainly rides far more calmly (in 110 and 130 form, anyway), the durability of such systems is still a question mark – something the new Prado will have no issues with.

The same comparison can be made to the Prado’s primary on-road rivals like the Mazda CX-90 and Hyundai Palisade as both ride more calmly thanks to their car-like monocoque chassis designs.

Up against rivals like the Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X, however, it may as well be a Bentley as it’s much better thanks to its more sophisticated suspension design – a gap that will only likely get bigger on cars fitted with AVS.

We drove the new 2024 Toyota Prado 250 Series over the course of lots of different off-roading situations, with not a single moment of hesitation or anxiety.

We started our journey on a very rocky trail up and over the Highlands, which put ground clearance and wheel articulation to the test. Despite the dangerous-looking rocks, there were few scrapes on the underside, but the all-round cameras helped us avoid the most dangerous of them.

During this exercise, we kept the transmission in 4H and didn’t bother with the terrain modes or locking differentials, easily cruising over the trails while barely breaking a sweat. At no point did we wish for a height-adjustable system for a bit of added insurance – and despite being a large and wide vehicle, the new Prado also proved to be very easy to place thanks to excellent visibility and easily defined corners.

Later in the day, we were faced with a stickier off-roading situation, literally, as the rain started to fall just at the point of reaching a more challenging off-road course. In this case, the forested track was heavily rutted and very muddy, with troughs that were easily sill-high full of mud.

In this case, we leaned on the off-roading modes and selected 4L, after which point the Prado just carried on without any slip or drama.

We didn’t even bother activating the lockers or sway bar disconnect, with just the one moment of slip going up the very steepest climb to get out of a muddy pit. Even then, as soon as wheelspin was detected, a little more throttle was all it took to get the lumbering 2330kg wagon up without any trouble.

It was hugely impressive.

The 2024 Toyota Prado 250 Series might be the ‘small’ LandCruiser, but this is a big vehicle – especially when traversing narrow Scottish roads barely wide enough for a couple of ancient Land Rovers to pass by one another.

Total length is 4925mm, or 165mm longer than before, but it’s the 1980mm width (without mirrors) that’s a huge 95mm wider than the previous generation. It’s also 100mm taller, at 1935mm, and thanks to the very square proportions feels that big in person.

Boot space is something of a mystery at this stage, as official figures haven’t been revealed, but judging by the closely related Lexus GX 550, that SUV features 292 litres behind the third row, 1138 litres with the third row folded (up to the roof) and a huge 2187 litres with both second and third rows folded.

A big practical change is the adoption of a typical roof-hinged tailgate that replaces the side-opening door of the last generation. As well as being more user-friendly to most, it also now has a separate glass hatch opening too if you’re wedged in a tight spot.

Toyota has rated towing to 3500kg, and gross vehicle weight is 3150kg, which leaves 820kg of load capacity when you take into account the 2330kg kerb weight figure.

Once again, these are for EU-market models, so might vary slightly, but make for a good start until Toyota Australia releases its figures.

Like so many elements of the new 2024 Toyota Prado 250 Series, the interior is all revolution. The cabin architecture is completely different, it feels more stylised and more integrated – designed from the get-go to be a modern, funky, pleasant place to spend time.

The materials aren’t plush, but they’re incredibly hardy and feel almost indestructible – a nice interplay with the Prado’s legendary reliability.

Yet the best bit is that it hasn’t given up any of its practical side in offering a new look and feel.

Everything is as functional, if not more, than it ever was. The cabin has a clear emphasis on toughness and usability, and that can be seen in the fact almost all of the switchgear can be used while wearing gloves.

The buttons and switches are all tough, accessible and large, with the exception of the fussy driver information controls on the steering wheel.

The wide centre console features a chunky, high-mounted shift lever, surrounded by a logical layout for all the off-road and drivetrain controls. The drive mode switch takes pride of place, and sits to the right of your wireless phone charging pad and a somewhat hidden volume knob sits under the main air vents.

The screen is high-set and easy to access, and thanks to the high driving position never gets in the way of forward visibility. In fact, overall visibility in general is very good, while the squared-off corners makes this nearly-two-metre-wide wagon perfectly easy to place in traffic and car parks.

Second-row space is vast and comes with 60/40-split folding rear backrests. The seats don’t fold flat into the load bay, a curse of body-on-frame SUVs; instead, they fold forwards to give you a deeper, if not longer cargo area.

There were no seven-seat models on test, but the vast boot should make for plenty of space for third-row passengers.

It must be mentioned, though, that the lasting impression was the new Prado’s sheer quality. Over the course of our many miles both on- and off-road, there wasn’t so much of a squeak or rattle to mention.

While the materials aren’t luxurious in the same sense as a Land Rover, they feel more in keeping with the family off-roader notion.

They’re also significantly better than the outgoing Prado 150, which was built well but still featured some pretty nasty plastics and even a few shades of faux wood on the dash and steering wheel.

The 250 Series is not that sort of car.

Previously, when it came to buying a tough, reliable and practical family off-roader the answer almost always ended up at the Toyota Prado.

Yet this typically came with more than a few issues. Its relatively unrefined powertrain, sometimes-gawky looks, plasticky interior and average on-road dynamics were all considerations that needed to be made when signing on the dotted line.

Now, though, Toyota has remedied the powertrain – it’s just as reliable and tough, but comes with far more refinement and no loss of performance or capability.

It has also sorted the on-road behaviour, wrapped it up in a brilliant-looking body and given it a fantastic new interior.

If the 150 Series was popular, the new Toyota Prado 250 Series might just be an absolute sensation.

If you’re thinking of buying one, best put your name down now as, while allocations for Australia will be generous, the whole world has its eye on this one and everyone wants in.

2024 Toyota Prado 250 Series at a glance:
Price: $65,000-$90,000 est (plus on-road costs)
Available: Final quarter 2024
Powertrain: 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 150kW/500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 10L/100km (on test)
CO2: To be confirmed
Safety rating: Not tested