Toyota Prado buyer's guide: The best picks for the school run and off-road adventures

Few nameplates resonate with Australians quite like the Toyota Prado.

First conceived back in the 1980s as a LandCruiser-lite, the Prado has always met so many of the rigorous demands of Australian new car buyers – seven seats? Check. Off-road chops? Check. A reliable and easy to run diesel powertrain? You guessed it – check again.

That winning formula has contributed to huge sales figures Down Under over the best part of three decades. And for the first time since 2009, an all-new Prado hit Australian shores late last year, prompting a flood of orders and intrigue across the industry.

The 250 Series LandCruiser Prado bears a retro boxy design, and packs the same 2.8-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine as before, retaining its 150kW and 500Nm outputs but gaining 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance.

Five variants are available in the Australian market, from a budget-friendly base model to upscale luxury and adventure-focused variants at the top of the range.

Keen on a Prado but not sure which trim fits your needs? We’ve broken it all down in this 250 Series Prado buyer’s guide.

CarExpert can help you to find the best deal on a new Toyota LandCruiser Prado. Check out our latest offers, and let us put you in touch with a dealer.

Pricing

To see how the Toyota LandCruiser Prado stacks up against its rivals, check out our comparison tool

Lifecycle

The Toyota LandCruiser Prado has been in production since 1984, when it debuted as a ‘light duty’ variant of the 70 Series LandCruiser.

Since then we have seen several generations of Prado, which now serves as a standalone model in several markets across the globe.

The fifth-generation LandCruiser Prado launched in Australia late last year, replacing the long-lived 150 Series. As such, the 250 Series Prado is right at the start of its lifecycle, meaning it will likely be in local showrooms for many years to come.

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Dimensions

Deals are being offered on 100s of new cars now. Contact a dealer using CarExpert for the best deal or call our Concierge team on 1300 587 992.

Drivetrains and Efficiency

On paper, the engine in the new Prado looks very similar to the outgoing model.

There are two important additions, however, first of which is a 48V mild-hybrid system. It doesn’t boost power, but it does remove strain from ancillary functions by adding a motor generator, 48V battery, and DC/DC converter.

CarExpert can help you to find the best deal on a new Toyota LandCruiser Prado. Check out our latest offers, and let us put you in touch with a dealer.

Safety

The Toyota Prado 250 Series wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on tests conducted in November 2024.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• 9 airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
  • Forward, reverse
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane Trace Assist (lane centring)
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Parking sensors – front, rear
• Trailer sway control
• Trailer pre-wiring harness
• 360-degree camera

In addition, VX and Kakadu grades gain tyre pressure monitoring.

Standard Equipment

The are a total of five variants in the 2025 Toyota Prado lineup.

Prado GX highlights:

• 5 seats
• 18-inch dark grey alloy wheels
• Front grille with ‘TOYOTA’ lettering
• LED headlights
• LED daytime running lights
• Folding body-coloured mirrors
• Darkened front and rear bumpers, side sills, wheel arches
• Manual tailgate
• Fabric upholstery
• Rubber floor mats
• 6-way manual driver’s seat adjustment
• 7.0-inch multi-function instrument display
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• 10-speaker sound system
• Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
• 4 x USB-C ports
• Embedded satellite navigation
• DAB+ digital radio
• Toyota connected services
• Dual-zone climate control
• Downhill assist control
• Crawl control with five speed settings

Prado GXL adds:

• 7 seats
• Roof rails
• Rear privacy glass
• Silver front and rear bumper trim
• Power tailgate
• Synthetic leather upholstery
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat
• Leather-accented steering wheel and gear knob
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Wireless charging pad
• Rear climate control
• 2 x extra USB-C charging ports

Prado VX adds:

• 20-inch dark metallic alloy wheels
• Lux grade front grille
• Bi-LED headlights with dynamic auto-levelling
• Adaptive high-beam assist
• Body-coloured front and rear bumpers
• Over-fender (wheel arch) moulding
• Rear guard trim
• Leather-accented seats
• Power lumbar and memory function for driver’s seat
• Four-way power-adjustable passenger’s seat
• Power-adjustable steering wheel
• Carpet floor mats
• Refrigerated centre console
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 14-speaker JBL sound system
• Adaptive Variable Suspension
• 5 drive modes
• Multi-terrain select
• Multi-terrain monitor

Altitude adds:

• Front grille with ‘TOYOTA’ lettering
• 5 seats
• 18-inch matte grey alloy wheels with all-terrain tyres
• Locking rear differential
• ‘Stabiliser disconnect mechanism’ (in place of Adaptive Variable Suspension)
• Black door handles and tailgate trim
• Black wheel arch moulding
• Sunroof
• Two-tone colours available
• Digital rear-view mirror
• Heated steering wheel 
• Head-up display

Kakadu adds (over VX):

• Panoramic sunroof
• Illuminated side steps
• Heated and ventilated rear seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Adjustable driver’s seat thigh support
• Torsen limited-slip rear differential

Colours

There are eight available paint colours for the LandCruiser Prado, with premium options available for an extra $675.

Available finishes include:

• Glacier White
• Ebony
• Eclipse Black
• Frosted White
• Midnight Alloy
• Dusty Bronze
• Tanami Taupe
• Ningaloo Blue

Two-tone finishes including Tanami Taupe and Ningaloo Blue (both paired with a light-grey roof) are exclusively available on the Altitude for a $1675 premium.

Servicing and Warranty

The 250 Series Prado is covered by Toyota Australia’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Coverage for the engine and driveline can be extended to seven years if you maintain your service schedule within the brand’s dealer network.

Toyota has stuck with shorter six-month, 10,000km service intervals for the 250 Series, unlike rivals which have 12-month, 15,000km intervals.

CarExpert can help you to find the best deal on a new Toyota LandCruiser Prado. Check out our latest offers, and let us put you in touch with a dealer.

Competitors

Due to its wide-ranging talents, the pool of rivals to the Prado is relatively small.

There’s no shortage of large SUVs on the market, but the pre-requisite of off-road ability narrows down the selection considerably.

Popular alternatives include the Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X, both body-on-frame SUVs that offer four-wheel drive and the option of seven seats.

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport also fits into that basket, however a new ADR regulation covering autonomous emergency braking systems is forcing Mitsubishi to axe the model from March 1.

Another left of field option is the GWM Tank 500 – China’s answer to the Prado. The Tank 500 is the biggest, most luxurious, and most expensive model to grace GWM showrooms in Australia, with a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain and a luxurious interior for base Prado pricing.

At the premium end of the market, five-door examples of the Land Rover Defender can be had for Prado Altitude money. Then there’s the Lexus GX, the Prado’s more luxurious twin-under-the-skin.

Sales Data

The fifth-generation Prado has only been on sale for a couple of months, but it’s already making an impact.

After briefly ceding the title to Ford, Toyota once again boasts Australia’s favourite large SUV, after the Prado outsold the Everest in December, January and February. A total of 2847 Prado deliveries were recorded in January 2025, compared to 1679 Everest sales and 786 for the MU-X.

The Prado has traditionally been a high volume model for Toyota in Australia, and that looks almost certain to continue for the foreseeable future.

Toyota Australia has said that close to 27,000 examples of the all-new Prado will land Down Under over its first 12 months on sale, which should result in a new sales record for the popular nameplate in 2025. The Prado’s current annual sales record is 21,299, set in 2021.

Buying a Toyota Prado

Each of the five Prado variants offers something different, so it’s important to opt for the model that suits your needs. Here are our picks of the range based on different lifestyles.

For the street

Large SUVs are no longer solely the domain of families. Indeed, many single motorists are transitioning to larger vehicles, even white collar types who do most of their driving between home and the big city.

Prado buyers in this category are undoubtedly chasing luxury, without the requirement of seven seats. That leads us to recommend the Altitude, priced at $92,700 before on-road costs.

It comes with five seats, meaning plenty of boot space; and premium features including a sunroof, heating steering wheel, head-up display, leather upholstery, and a 14-speaker JBL sound system.

Not to mention, the Altitude is equipped with Toyota’s advanced adaptive cruise control technology for tackling peak-hour highway traffic.

Interested in buying a Toyota LandCruiser Prado? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here

For the family

The Prado is a staple vehicle for Australian families, and there isn’t a variant in the range that can’t be used for the school run.

However, seven seats opens up carpooling possibilities, and ensures that extended relations aren’t left out of family adventures.

Three variants are offered with seven seats as standard – the GXL, VX, and Kakadu – all of which have their benefits and drawbacks.

At $79,990 before on-road costs, the GXL isn’t short on family-friendly features. You get a power tailgate, heated and ventilated front seats, rear climate control, a wireless charging pad, and extra USB-C outlets over the base model.

The VX and Kakadu both dial up comfort while adding mechanical enhancements, however they both command significantly higher price tags – as such, we’d recommend the GXL.

Interested in buying a Toyota LandCruiser Prado? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here

For the weekend

So, you need a rough-and-tough off-roader to tackle roads less travelled. Enter the Prado Altitude, once again.

It may seem odd to recommend a single variant for both street and off-road use, but the up-spec Altitude really does offer the best of both worlds.

In addition to interior upgrades, the second-from-top variant has all the mechanical fruit. That means a locking rear differential, stabiliser disconnect mechanism, multi-terrain select, and multi-terrain monitor.

In other words, everything you need to hit the trails in outback Australia.

Interested in buying a Toyota LandCruiser Prado? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here

MORE: Everything Toyota LandCruiser Prado