Toyota LandCruiser Prado Kakadu 2024 Review

The current 2024 Toyota Prado Kakadu is not cheap – a factor that clearly hasn’t deterred buyers throughout its 15-year lifespan.

In fact, at $87,468 plus on-road costs, the Prado Kakadu has held roughly the same price (give or take $1000) since the current 150 Series launched in Australia in 2009.

The Kakadu tops a four-model Prado line-up that starts at $62,830 plus ORCs for the base Prado GX, before moving up through respective GXL and VX grades. All have the same engine, transmission and 4WD layout.

The Prado range measures unfavourably on price against its competitive set, headed by the impressive Ford Everest (from $54,240 plus ORCs), plus the Isuzu MU-X (from $47,400) and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (from $44,940).

This flagship pricing also brings into play the capable Land Rover Defender 110, which starts around the $100K mark.

With that said, the outgoing Prado 150 undercuts the incoming 250 Series by some $10,000 across a similar five-model range, kicking off at $72,500 plus ORCs and topping out at $99,990 plus ORCs for the new Kakadu.

The 2024 Toyota Prado Kakadu offers 19-inch alloy wheels with a full-size spare, bi-LED automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, tri-zone climate control, keyless entry/start, partial-leather seats, woodgrain steering wheel and dashboard centre fascia, heated and ventilated front seats, a moonroof, illuminated side steps and roof rails.

Seven seats are offered standard on all Prado models except the entry GX (which offers it as a $2550 option).

Optional across the Toyota Prado range is metallic paint for an extra $675.

The Prado GXL, VX and Kakadu are also available with a no-cost flat tailgate option that sees the spare wheel moved to under the rear. This feature enables a handy lift-up glass panel on the tailgate, which is great for accessing smaller items on trips away, but also deletes the 63-litre sub-fuel tank – reducing capacity from 150 litres to 87L.

The Prado is backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and requires servicing every six months or 10,000km – which is more frequent than industry standard.

Capped-price services are set at $290 each for the first three years or 60,000km ($1740 in total), but they get a lot more expensive after that.

The 2024 Toyota Prado covers the basics in terms of active and passive safety, but its age is reflected in the fact its previous five-star ANCAP safety rating – based on assessment conducted in 2011 – expired at the end of 2022.

That said, every Toyota Prado has the car-maker’s ‘Safety Sense’ suite of driver assistance features including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and daytime cyclist detection, lane departure warning, active cruise control and road speed sign assist.

There’s also blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, a reversing camera, rain-sensing wipers, electric stability and traction control, hill start and downhill assist, trailer sway control and seven airbags.

Prado VX and Kakadu models additionally feature front parking sensors, plus a ‘panoramic and multi-terrain monitor’ for the VX as a minimum.

And unlike some rivals, the Prado’s curtain airbags also protect third-row occupants as well.

The 2024 Toyota Prado is armed with a 9.0-inch colour touch-screen display offering Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, MP3 connectivity, an AM/FM tuner, sat-nav and Bluetooth.

A separate 4.2-inch digital info display resides in the instrument cluster, surrounded by traditional analogue gauges.

Meanwhile, the Prado Kakadu also adds a digital radio and a 14-speaker JBL premium audio system, together with a Blu-Ray/DVD entertainment system with three wireless headsets.

There’s nothing ground-breaking about the rear entertainment system, which unfolds from its roof fixing to offer an obscure view from the second row (think a craned neck), but it sure does make for a helpful road-trip accomplice with kids.

Although the bones of the Toyota Prado have remained unchanged since 2009, it has been subject to a few updates along the way, including a new drivetrain in 2015 as well as a power and torque boost in 2020.

Assuming pride of place under the bonnet is Toyota’s ubiquitous 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine, the 1GD-FTV.

The oiler outputs 150kW/500Nm and is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission powering all four wheels all the time.

Off-road aid is provided by a two-speed transfer case and locking centre and rear differentials.

You should be aware that since 2015 the Prado (and its HiLux sibling) has been powered by an engine that has had both diesel particulate filter and dusting issues, both of which Toyota now says are fixed.

The same basic engine will continue to live on in the forthcoming Prado, too – albeit in a mild-hybrid form.

Toyota claims a combined-cycle fuel consumption rating of just 7.9L/100km for the 2024 Toyota Prado Kakadu, a pretty admirable figure given the 2455kg kerb weight.

For what it’s worth, we managed to achieve 8.3L/100km over an 800km loop that included highway and an around-town passage – most of it with four occupants and their luggage on board (average speed 52km/h).

Inoffensive isn’t exactly a desirable description for a car’s ride and handling, yet it perfectly encapsulates the 2024 Toyota Prado Kakadu.

Initially, the Prado’s approximate steering and its long, inconsistent brake pedal action makes the vehicle feel quite ponderous in the cut and thrust of city driving. This is, after all, a circa-2500kg SUV that measures nearly five metres long, 1885mm wide and 1880mm tall.

Similarly, the turbo-diesel engine sounds and feels agricultural and lacks the immediacy of newer turbo-diesel and turbo-petrol options. Ditto the six-speed automatic gearbox.

But more time behind the wheel of Toyota’s 4x4 ladder-frame SUV reveals a strangely endearing on-road skillset, especially in the context of its proven towing and off-road capability.

The Prado’s on-road credentials are underlined by a very relaxed demeanour that seems uncannily suited to the open road: the ride is connected and composed, and the engine somehow percolates effortlessly, even with a family and their luggage on board.

At 100km/h, the engine spins comfortably below 2000rpm, and the long-legged suspension happily soaks up washouts and road joins alike, making for a peaceful cabin environment.

It means on the flat, main thoroughfare roads that connect Australia’s pockets of populations, the Prado feels most at home, all the while seating its occupants in relative comfort and with no shortage of space.

Naturally, piling on more speed only tends to elicit body roll and pitch, highlighting the limitation of the Prado’s weight and its ladder-frame underpinnings.

This trait also shines a light on the Kakadu’s rear-end, which has had coil springs replaced with adjustable airbags for better height adjustment off-road. From afar, we’d suggest there are occasions where the coil-sprung option fitted to every other Prado model feels slightly more controlled over harsher obstacles.

The 2024 Toyota Prado Kakadu is very sound off-road.

Although we didn’t leave the bitumen on this occasion, previous experience has shown the Prado up as a very competent off-roader. The combination of mechanical drivetrain aids, off-road traction control (the acronym is A-TRC), substantial wheel articulation and ground clearance and video views around the vehicle help you clear most broken ground with ease.

Similarly, a minimum ground clearance of 220mm and a water wading depth of 700mm ensure it holds its own in most off-road settings.

The Prado won’t perform its off-road tricks with the same grace as some rivals. There’s a cacophony of industrial-sounding electronics doing their thing whenever the hill descent control system or traction control are challenged.

And then there’s the fact it will drag its tow bar on steep pinches – but it always manages to get the job done.

For all the rhetoric around the outgoing 2024 Toyota Prado Kakadu’s age, there is something simple and legible about its interior.

The analogue gauges and banks of hard-wired buttons and switchgear make the Prado a vehicle that is very easy to gel with. Less is truly more.

From a design perspective, there’s less to be enamoured with. The woodgrain inserts on our test car look and feel a bit forced, and the different surface treatments aren’t really in keeping with the circa-$100K price tag – think hard plastics and a mish-mash of materials.

Similarly, the touch-screen and odds-and-ends storage are hardly redefining SUV cabin layouts.

But this is the thing – do real-world buyers care? We’d suggest not, especially after two weeks behind the wheel. Everything about the cabin is tight and hard-wearing, an ideal backdrop for a busy family.

The seats are versed towards outright comfort. The front buckets are broad and soft, and although bolstering and support is limited, Toyota has come up with something long-serving buyers will appreciate.

The driving position is relatively high-set to enable decent outward vision, and we found the Prado quite approachable in tighter scenarios such as car parks or inner-city traffic.

The rear seat is quite accommodating when it comes to space and comfort, with ample legroom, knee-room and shoulder-room, and access to roof-mounted air vents.

Access to the third row is done via a fold-and-tumble action on the second row, opening a relatively tight passage to climb through.

It’s clear the bleachers are best reserved for little ones rather than adults, but would again be a handy fallback for weekends.

The third-row bench can be electrically stowed from a bank of buttons in the boot area, which makes for quick split-folding access and extends the boot area from 120 litres to 620 litres.

The boot space can be stretched up to 1833 litres with the second-row seats folded flat, and also includes a three-pin domestic power point.

If you are planning the Big Lap of Australia, or regular cross-country trips, the current 2024 Toyota Prado Kakadu 150 Series remains a relevant proposition.

Even in this expensive trim, there’s little doubt the Prado is feeling its age inside and out. But there’s also consolation in its no-fuss approach and a largely proven (ahem, dusting and diesel particulate filter issues withstanding) track record.

Throw in Toyota’s unchallenged dealer network in regional Australia, and the argument stacks up nicely.

If it was your correspondent’s money, however, we would be waiting for the new Prado 250 Series, which uses the same engine, offers loads of new tech and leans on the same aftersales assurance. It also promises a much more thorough design that will stand the test of time.

What’s more, with such a long lifespan you can expect the new Prado to remain relevant a whole lot longer. But there’s no doubt the outgoing version has aged well.

2024 Toyota Prado Kakadu at a glance:
Price: $87,468 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 150kW/500Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 209g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Unrated