A roomy and quite luxurious off-roader with every possible electronic assistance. The Prado is a brand-new car. It has more in common with the flagship Land Cruiser 200 than with its predecessor. You can choose between a nippy new diesel engine (the 3,0 D-4D, which also does duty in the Hilux and Fortuner) and a powerful V6 petrol engine. The new technology makes it 250 kg heavier and slightly larger than the previous Prado.

On tar it clings to the road around corners. We drove the Bainskloof and Gydo passes in the Western Cape, and the new Prado doesn’t rock sideways like its predecessor did. In fact, the old Prado feels a bit like the postman’s bicycle compared with this one. The Prado’s suspension (Toyota calls it a kinetic-dynamic system) adapts to the terrain you’re driving on: On tar you get something similar to a sedan (with a stabiliser on both axles); when you’re off-road, a slightly more robust suspension kicks in. On tar, the five-speed auto­matic gearbox is a pleasure, especially in the petrol model, which has more power in the higher gears than the diesel does.

Some 4x4 gurus don’t like in­dependent front suspension on a 4x4, because it’s too soft and the vehicle doesn’t clamber well over obstacles. But the same multi-purpose suspension that makes the Prado float on tar eliminates this problem. The stabilisers on the axles can eliminate play between wheels on rocks or through a donga. The other attribute that 4x4 drivers like is a strong ladder-frame chassis with the bodywork mounted on top instead of an integrated design.
A ladder-frame chassis consists of two steel rods, held together with cross-beams, on which the engine, gearbox and drive shaft are mounted. The Prado now also has a Multi Terrain Select function, a system of different 4x4 modes similar to the Land Rover Discovery 3 and 4. With the push of a button you select the surface on which you’re going to drive, such as sand, mud, loose stones or rock. On sand, for instance, the computer will ensure that the wheels don’t roll or lock and that the vehicle maintains momentum. Other features are crawl control – a system to help you drive evenly over stony terrain by controlling the power and brake pressure to each wheel – and an electronically coupled rear diff lock.There are four cameras so you can see how far each side of the vehicle is from encroaching rocks or plants. A by-product of all these 4x4 aids is a thick owner’s manual to study thoroughly. Good luck!
With these driving aids it’s possible to drive off-road even if you can’t parallel park properly. This isn’t always a good idea; an inexperienced driver can easily land in a dangerous situation.
Experienced 4x4 drivers may be interested in the TX, which comes without all the electronic off-road aids (and costs about R100 000 less).

Toyota claims the petrol model uses 11,3 ℓ/100 km and the diesel 8,5 ℓ/100 km, but no manufacturer’s foot is as heavy as yours or mine.
The Prado has two fuel tanks, which can swallow a combined 150 ℓ, compared with the previous model’s whopping 180 ℓ.
According to Toyota the new model is so much more economical that you should be able to travel the same distance with the new tanks as with the previous ones. With the diesel it should be 1 770 km (roughly from Cape Town to Polokwane) and with the petrol model 1 320 km.

Most guys who drive the big Cruisers – the 60, 70, 80, 100 and 200 series) have always somewhat arrogantly considered the Prado a pavement 4x4 for bored housewives in Sydney, Parys, Sandton, Waterkloof, Heuwelsig, Oranjezicht...
But those days are long gone. Some buyers may even think it’s slightly less showy to buy a Prado in these straitened times instead of the huge Cruiser 200.

You predict the success of a Blue Bull rugby team by looking at who’s wearing the No 10 jersey. I measure the luxury of a vehicle by the number of speakers it has. This one has 14!
There are also (heated) leather seats, a satellite navigation system with voice recognition, a cool box between the front seats, cruise control, and, and, and…
The car also has air conditioning that each passenger can adjust – even little Janie and Billy on the rear jumper seats. And the steering wheel has controls for the sound system and trip computer.
Making the two back seats fold away in the floor is like a moment from a Buck Rogers episode: You press a button and bzzzzzzt, there they go. (Just remember to remove Janie and Billy first. – Ed.)

The Prado is really a rather ugly creature.
You’d never expect a carmaker to come up with something almost as ugly as the Ssangyong Korando. The Prado resembles the old Toyota Condor crossed with that boxer dog with the human teeth that Toyota uses in all its ads nowadays.

The Prado has air bags for the driver and front passenger, knee- and curtain air bags for the rear passengers. It also has a whole bunch of steering aids to make it safer. This includes all-terrain anti-lock brakes, electronic brake distribution (which stops the car from slewing when you brake), a system that gives more brake power when you do an emergency stop, and a vehicle stability control system that senses when you’re slipping and helps to get the car under control by controlling the engine power delivery and braking each wheel individually. Hmm, a mouthful.

I reckon people who want the same level of luxury as the R918 000 Land Cruiser 200 but don’t have that much money.
The petrol model, the 4.0 V6 VX (automatic), costs R650 000.

(Note: Prices accurate in March 2010)

Engine: 4.0 V6 petrol or 3.0 D-4D diesel

Performance:  Petrol: 202 kW and 382 Nm
                            Diesel: 120 kW and 400 Nm

Ground clearance: 23 cm

Tank Capacity: 150 ℓ in total

Fuel Consumtion:  Petrol: 11,3 ℓ/100 km 
                                  Diesel: 8,5 ℓ/100 km

Warranty and service plan: 5 years/90 000 km

Price: R650 000 (petrol VX); R638 00 (diesel VX); R558 500 (petrol TX); R546 000 (diesel TX)

(Note: Prices accurate in March 2010)