Toyota LandCruiser Prado GX 2025 Tow Test

You’ll be up for $72,500 plus on-road costs (ORCs) for this entry-level 2025 Toyota LandCruiser Prado GX, so it might be the entry-level model but it’s far from cheap. On the contrary, it’s expensive, especially when a Ford or Isuzu rival is around $15K cheaper.

Options included for our test vehicle included prestige paint ($675), an on-road towing kit ($271 fitted), 12-pin trailer wiring ($411 fitted), an electric brake controller module ($212 fitted) and a brake controller wiring kit ($458 fitted). All up, the Prado GX on test comes to $74,526 (plus ORCs), with all options prices rounded to the nearest dollar.

The Prado is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty while servicing is due every 10,000km or six months, with pricing capped at $390 per visit for the first 10 services.

The main equipment ingredients on the GX include 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and front fog lights, side steps, keyless entry and start, and dual-zone climate control. That’s not such a flash list at $50K, let alone $70K, but here we are.

Exterior features include heated and power-folding side mirrors and rain-sensing wipers, while inside the GX there’s seating for five with fabric seat trim, rubber mats over carpeted floors and a total of 12 cup holders.

Inside there’s a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster with a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless smartphone connectivity, satnav and DAB+ digital radio. There’s also a 10-speaker audio system, six USB-C charging ports and an HDMI port.

You also get one year of free access to Toyota Connected Services, which includes Safety and Security features, Multimedia Connect, Driving Insights and Remote Connect, all accessible via the myToyota Connect smartphone app.

Even though creature comforts are on the low side, at least the base-model Prado is well stacked with safety equipment. The Toyota Safety Sense bundle wraps autonomous emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, driver monitor camera, lane-trace assist, emergency driving stop system, road-sign assist and safety exit assist. There’s also a reversing camera with guidelines, front and rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. Nine airbags are fitted, while the Prado received a five-star ANCAP rating late in 2024.

The Toyota Prado GX shares its powertrain with the rest of the range – a mild-hybrid-assisted 2.8-litre turbo-diesel with 150kW of power and 500Nm of torque. This runs through an eight-speed automatic transmission with full-time 4x4, a dual-range transfer case and a viscous centre differential. Front and rear diffs are open, but crawl, downhill and traction control assist the off-road action.

We’ve reviewed the 2025 Toyota LandCruiser Prado a few times already so here we’re mostly focussing on the towing angle for Toyota’s all-important large SUV. We were able to hook up a 3000kg off-road caravan thanks to the boys and girls at RV Connection in St Marys North, NSW.

The Toyota’s rear-view camera is crisp and clear for hitching up solo and now the full-size spare is underneath (rather than on the tailgate as with most of the previous 150 series Prados), the camera angle now includes the towing hitch within view.

The addition of about 300kg of towball weight didn’t tip the Prado’s body, which only dropped 20mm at the rear and rose 15mm at the front. Even though this van is only 200kg more than that used in the Prado 150 towing test, towing performance seemed more responsive in the new model off the mark and at low speeds, while highway performance was similar.

The Prado chugged up the test hill at 81km/h, from 90km/h at the base of the climb, which is not bad considering its outputs and the weight towed, and a clear advance on the last model that breached the same hill at 70km/h towing 2800kg. Perhaps two more forward ratios have helped, because this Prado is heavier and has the same outputs as before.

The descent was handled well, with some speed creep from the 70km/h start needing only a dab of brakes to keep the pace safe. Even better was the fuel consumption, which averaged 16.3L/100km with the van, and got down to 8.4L/100km with no load at highway speeds.

The 2025 Toyota LandCruiser Prado is firmer unladen than its predecessor, which gives it more responsive handling at speed but loses that supple, lush low-speed ride that distinguished the previous model from its peers.

On test, the transmission shunted between second and third gear occasionally and when cruising at 100km/h the auto seemed happiest in sixth gear but was a bit unsettled, dropping into seventh gear and sitting at around 1800rpm before kicking down to sixth again.

Towing stability in the old Prado was not always ideal, depending on what trailer was used behind it. The new one is seemingly better, but it still doesn’t have the ‘planted’ feel some vehicles do with any trailer behind them. It was soft at the front, bobbing around a bit too much – yet all of this can likely be addressed with a weight distribution hitch.

The rear cross-traffic alert did not disengage automatically with the caravan hitched, meaning that reversing with the van was met with one very upset safety system. It can be switched off, but it cycles back on when the engine is started.

Even though it’s not directly a towing issue, if you’re loading heavy stuff in the back you won’t appreciate the very high load area floor.

Even though the Prado’s towing fuel consumption is good (you’ll get at least 600km on a 110-litre full tank of fuel when towing, assuming you average about what we achieved), we can’t help but feel the 150-litre fuel capacity of the previous model will be missed.

Finally, let’s talk about weight. The Prado GX is lighter than the upper-spec Prado models yet it still has a limited payload capacity when towing. The Prado is not the only tow vehicle with the problem, but the Prado’s remaining 255kg payload when at the maximum permitted 350kg towball weight is not great.

Presuming you like to travel with company (let alone with any luggage), you really need to think about a diet before taking a family caravanning holiday in the Prado, no matter what your Body Mass Index looks like.

The new 2025 Toyota Prado is a better tow vehicle than before, with as good if not better towing, fuel economy and performance, and the peace of mind of finally having a 3500kg legal towing capacity. But there is a lack of inherent towing stability (although it can be fixed with a weight distribution hitch) and payload is on the short side.

If you’re purely after the best large SUV for heavy towing, there are better choices.

2025 Toyota Prado GX at a glance:
Price: $72,500 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel mild hybrid
Output: 150kW/500Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 200g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five stars (ANCAP 2024)

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