New Toyota Land Cruiser Prado tames concrete jungle with ease

Few cars have sparked the kind of interest the new Toyota Land Cruiser Prado has been able to do since its world debut a year ago.

A prime example of the anticipation ahead of its eventual local debut was our coverage of the Japan Mobility Show which we attended in October. Our reports on a host of other new cars and bakkies didn’t come close to the kind of attention the video we posted of the new Prado exhibited at the event.

This scenario repeated itself as the new Prado stood out like a sore eye against all the other Toyotas previewed at the manufacturer’s State of the Motor Industry Address (SOMI) at Kyalami in January. And it broke the internet at the Nampo Harvest Day expo outside Bothaville in May.

New Prado makes grand entry

So when the all-new Toyota Land Cruiser Prado was finally officially rolled out in July after a few delays, it’s fair to say expectations where sky-high. And it most certainly lived up the hype by showing it is every bit as good as expected. If not even better.

It backs up the statement it makes with its modern retro looks that has become a lot more squarer than its predecessor with an excellent overall package.

After experiencing the new Prado’s off-road prowess during its launch drive in Mozambique, The Citizen Motoring had one as a house guest for a week. While it ripped up a variety of off-road surfaces out in Moz, this time the SUV got some exposure to the kind of life most of them will live. As a family-orientated SUV in the concrete jungle.

Third-row seats fold flat

In this regard, the improved practicality on offer compared to its predecessor is already a win. Like with the Toyota Fortuner, we were not a fan of the third-row seats that stowed to the sides of the previous Prado. It just felt like a waste of space and even though putting them in place was easy, it felt prehistoric doing it.

Fortunately the Toyota designers have finally redeemed themselves to make the two seats in the third row fold down flat, at the touch of a button nogal. And as an added bonus, you have the option of just opening the glass panel to quickly grab or stash something in the boot without having the open the whole thing.

With the third-row seats folded down, which is the configuration which will mostly be in use, boot space is all of 620 litres. Once these two seats are up, boot space drops to 160 litres.

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New tailgate more practical

The tailgate morphing from a mechanical barn door into an electronic one that lifts vertically makes a massive difference in itself. Because the spare wheel was fixed to the previous Prado’s tailgate, closing it when parked on an incline was not the easiest thing to do, especially for small children.

On the new Prado, the spare wheel is underneath the car similar to the Fortuner and Hilux at the expense of the 150-litre long-range fuel tank.

While the outgoing Prado carried its 15-year-old age with a good degree of decency, it does feel quite long in the tooth when compared to the modernised cabin of the new model. It starts with two twin 12.3-inch digital screens in front and continues through a host of tech and creature comforts throughout the cabin. Standard inclusions on the VX.R are a panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated first and second row seats, heated steering wheel, digital rear view mirror, head-up display, wireless smartphone charger and 10-speaker sound system.

ALSO READ: PODCAST: New Prado every bit as good as they said it would be

Kudos to the designers for persisting with a volume knob for the sound, albeit it being a bit cramped for space underneath the row of climate control buttons.

New gearbox works a charm

We thought the Chestnut Brown leather interior worked quite well in the new Prado VX.R. The overall look and feel matches the car’s exterior ruggedness. Yet it is elegant enough for fancy dressed occupants making their way to the opera.

Fitted standard with Safety Sense 3, the new Prado boasts an impressive list of features to keep its occupants safe. This includes the likes of Blind Spot Monitoring, Adaptive Cruise Control and Trailer Sway Control.

When Toyota showcased the car at SOMI, they promised that the new eight-speed automatic transmission “transforms” the carried-over GD-6 150kW/500Nm 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine. That turned out to be very accurate. It’s not a case of the previous transmission being terrible, but more a case of the new box being outstanding.

New Prado easy on the juice

While the shorter gear ratios worked a charm in the rough stuff, the additional gears at the top do wonders for fuel economy. With the revs not even threatening the 2 000-mark when reaching the national speed limit on the highway, the engine dies not feel underpowered and hardly breaks a sweat. Our tester averaged 9.5 litres per 100km over seven days, with the number dropping in the low eights on the open road.

This should enable the new Prado to cover well over 1 000km on its 80-litre fuel tank and 30-litre reserve. That is nothing short of impressive for a 2.5-ton machine.

At R1 448 900 the new Toyota Land Cruiser Prado VX.R is out of reach of most buyers, yet it still seems like a bargain judged by how they first batch has been snapped up. This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that it managed to live up to all the hype. And then some.