Well, here we are guys ‘n gals. One of the most hotly anticipated vehicle releases of recent years is upon us, and Unsealed4X4 was present at the brand-spanking 2025 Toyota Prado 250 launch. Aptly held in Kakadu (like the Prado model, geddit?) in the beautiful NT, where over 40% of vehicles are Toyotas – more than the next seven brands combined. That’s double the national average and `Yotas have been the best-selling brand for 24 years running. Sheesh. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the Prado itself has been on sale for 27 years in total, has been the best seller for 21 of them, and the runner-up for 5 years. Remarkable stuff.
And if you’re one of those hard-to-impress folks who think the game of Rugby League has gone soft, Usain Bolt “ain’t that fast” and reckon this new-fangled 2025 Toyota Prado won’t sell, it’s probably worth knowing that Toyota Australia were allotted 25,000 Prados over the next 12 months and they’ve already pre-sold 17,000 of them. So yeah, they’re already on track to break sales records. So, if you’re thinking about buying one, you might want to hurry.
Anyway, the 2025 Toyota Prado launch took place over several days, across several terrains and with the full range of spec-variants available. Given that this is the first upgrade of the marque since the Prado 150 hit our shores 15 years ago (a hell of a model run by anyone’s yardstick), there are understandably quite a few changes. Most for the better, some not so much so. But we’ll get to that.
The looks
Personally, I like the looks of this thing. It makes me think of the FJ Cruiser we should have got instead of the FJ Cruiser we did get. Four-door, turbo dizzle, and it actually shares a lot of body lines with the OG 40 Series LandCruisers, such as the trapezoidal wheel arches, the low belt line, and the slimline, upright A-pillar. Hell, they even have a white roof on the blue Altitude model on the launch. Take that, 55-Series-based FJC owners (I still love those things).
There are actually subtle nods to previous Toyota models on the 2025 Prado all over the place. The (now digital) pitch and roll display is a nice throwback to the early 60 and 70 series models. The split rear tailgate is reminiscent of the drop-down rear window in the four-runners of the 1990s. It’s really a modern version of the older 4X4s of yesteryear, which got me all misty, given I’ve owned most of them.
It’s big too. Wider than the 150 Prado by 3-inches and longer to boot. In fact, where the previous Prados shared a lot of DNA with the HiLux, the 2025 Toyota Prado has much more LC300 in its biology. The wheelbase is longer than the 150 (nope, SWB versions aren’t on the horizon unless there’s enough customer demand), and the chassis and diffs are shared with the three hundred, along with a bunch of other stuff. A good thing in my eyes.
One thing that sticks out is that there is no round headlight option for the Australian market. Why? Essentially, Toyota America released the round headlights for one reason only: the retro appeal. The rectangle headlights are higher tech, have better globes and reflectors, and basically put out more lumens. Even so, you can bet your house that there’ll be aftermarket kits to swap over to the round options before too long, so if you really want them on your 2025 Toyota Prado, don’t stress too much.
Speaking of bolt-on mods
Toyota Australia was involved in the development of the 2025 Prado from the get-go, and as such, they were able to include the Genuine Accessories department. So, there’s a bunch of gear available straight from the dealer. The steel winch bar is integrated into the body, and a Warn 8000lb `leccy winder is an option, along with 8000kg recovery points and 5mm ally bash plates. Just quickly, the standard plastic front bumper is painted in sections, so if a section gets damaged in a minor bingle, the whole bumper won’t need replacing, and you can hang onto that kidney you’d otherwise be selling. Nice!
The tech
Let’s start at the frame. As mentioned, it’s the same TGA-F platform as the Toyota Tundra and LC300, which was developed here in Australia, and a lot of that work has been carried over to the 2025 Prado 250. Robot-welded in the Toyota factory, the chassis has less overhang than the 150 models and has gained 50% more torsional rigidity through the use of high-tensile steels and mega-strength body adhesives.
The suspension is the tried-and-true solid rear axle with a five-link and coils, while the front features the double A-arm and coilover strut combo, all of which have been paired with the new Adaptive Variable Suspension (in the VX and up models). The AVS is essentially a series of gas canisters that automatically adjust the damping of the shocks to suit the terrain as determined by a bunch of microprocessors and sensors. The driver also has some control over it through the drive modes.
Is it helpful? Actually, yeah, it made a noticeable difference. However, it’s early days and I’m not sure it’d stop me from upgrading the shocks to something a little more “known,” but that’s me.
The 2025 Prado is the first Toyota off-road vehicle with electric power steering, and I have to give a nod to the engineers on this one. The directional input felt great and never seemed to struggle, even when sliding through corners (not that I would ever do that, officer), and I didn’t notice any bump steer, even when hitting washouts or step-ups.
The engine and mild-hybrid system
The 1GD 2.8L turbo-diesel engine is backed up by a mild-hybrid system that Toyota calls V-Active 48V technology. In a nutshell, it uses a belt-driven generator that runs to a DC-DC converter that is connected to the 48V lithium battery under the third-row seating. It’s all waterproofed to maintain the 700mm wading depth, and the stop-start uses the generator to restart the engine rather than the starter motor, making things more efficient. Beyond that, it was unintrusive to the point where it was difficult to notice it doing much at all. Even the fuel figures varied between 9-11L/100km, so as far as hybrid tech goes, I can’t say it was either good or bad. More just “meh.”
One does have to wonder why there’s not a more robust hybrid set-up, like the one on the Tundra, available? That question was put to the engineers on the launch, who replied that Toyota is well and truly a global brand and global demand is based around petrol. It’s also a helluva engineering challenge as diesel have a much flatter torque curve than petrol engines, and slotting in the hybrid power delivery is difficult, to say the least. With that said, Toyota did emphasise that beyond those two points, there’s no reason the technology can’t be adapted. Just so you know.
One thing that’ll appeal to a lot of four-wheel drivers in the 2025 Toyota Prado was the 200A alternator, which I can only imagine will charge up an auxiliary battery in record time or run a whole bunch of 12V accessories without a worry. Meanwhile, inside the cabin is a 14-speaker JBL sound system (in the higher-end models), and the massive driver and multifunction displays control things like the information the driver receives and the orbit of the international space station (probably).
Another win for the 2025 Toyota Prado
Another win was the fact that the stereo, AC and drive mode controls (VX and Kakadu get six drive modes, while other models get four) are all manually controlled via big, easy-to-reach buttons. No scrolling through eleventy touchscreen options to turn the Billy Ray Cyrus up.
Also, there is the usual array of safety aids on the 2025 Toyota Prado that are all listed in the brochure and aren’t really worth talking about. Mainly because I’m not a fan and would rather gargle glass shards that have lane-keep-assist take the wheel from me. That’s my job only, or when my talent runs out and I’m flying into a ditch, Jesus’s job. Nobody else should be able to muck around with the steering wheel, in my opinion. Thankfully, the majority of safety aids can be turned off when off-road; some remain on in the background, but to be fair, they’re not intrusive.
The off-road ability
For those thinking that the Prado is a bit soft when the going gets tough, I have to disagree. Make no mistake, they’re exceptionally good at soccer-mum duties and as daily drivers in general, but when it’s time to drop tyre pressures and lock that Torsen centre diff, these things are down to get rowdy.
During development of the 2025 Prado, Toyota developed a philosophy of ‘Kowashikiri’ which loosely translates into, ‘test it until it breaks.’ And they did, with extensive testing in Australia under some of the most gruelling conditions, to the point that they drove at speed through bulldust so they could get the sealing bang-on.
The chief engineer on the Prado, Kietsu Moritsu-san, said, “If it can survive in Australia, it can survive anywhere.” Fair enough, I reckon. With this in mind, the wheeling section of the launch was fairly comprehensive, involving scrabbly rock climbs, muddy water crossings, off-camber undulations through dry creek beds, plenty of dirt road driving and heaps of sandy bulldust. While not exactly a Tuff Truck Challenge course, that’s not what this car is designed for, but it was more than a fair representation of long-distance touring, and given it’s a stock vehicle, it handled it all like a champ.
The Altitude has a sway bar disconnect that reportedly delivers 20% more front flex over the 150 Prado, as well as Toyo AT tyres and a selectable rear locker that has been refined to engage and disengage nearly instantaneously. The Multi-Terrain System (again, shared with the LC300), particularly Crawl Mode, gives a bunch of controllability via the in-cab twist-dial (twist it one way to go faster, the other to slow it down) and is just downright cool.
It’s difficult to fault the egonomics
It’s actually really difficult to fault the ergonomics on the 2025 Toyota Prado. Visibility from the driver’s seat is expansive, with clear views out across the bonnet and the low instrument panel, skinny A-pillar, low window line and decent-sized mirrors (not to mention the 60,000 cameras) make wheel placement and overall vehicle awareness right up there with the best of them.
So yeah nah, it ain’t no soft roader. Four-wheel driving (and towing) were actually key development areas and were recognised by Toyota as one of the top desirables among the Prado owners who they tested with across a variety of terrains. They even went so far as to limit cooling efficiency with the addition of bullbars and spotties and towed campers through the sand across the desert to make sure it was up to the task. Spoiler alert: it was. Also, it’s rated to lug 3500kg (GCM is 6600kg) behind it, the same as your Ranger or HiLux or 79 Cruiser.
The stuff we’re sad about
The 2025 Toyota Prado is not all Tomahawk steaks and 18-year-old single malts, though. I do have some gripes, some of which aren’t really Toyota’s fault as such, more the machinations of global emissions regulators. Namely, this is the first Prado with Adblue, which, again, I fully understand but will never like.
The second big departure from the Prado tradition is the lack of a second fuel tank thanks to the underslung spare. There’s still 110L from the main and sub tanks, so it’s not exactly a huge L, but it’s worth mentioning.
The 48V system intrudes significantly on the third-row seat space and makes it a lot less comfy compared to, say, the Everest, and a couple of the bigger blokes on the test commented that the driver seat was a bit narrow thanks to the transmission tunnel and big old centre console (refrigerated on the up-spec variants). I’m 180cm and 90kg, and I didn’t find it uncomfy (quite the opposite), but if you’re a bit of a tank, then it may be worth paying attention to on your test drive.
Also, there’s no front locker. This probably won’t be an issue for 99.99% of Prado owners, but this is a four-wheel driving publication and lockers are life.
Which brings us to the engine
It’s adequate and nothing more. I would have loved to have seen maybe a single-turbo, de-tuned V6 from the three-hunnid on the 2025 Toyota Prado, or something a little more grunt than the 1GD four-banger and the 48V (very) mild hybrid system (exclusive to Australia and West Germany – the more you know). It’s certainly not bad, and I can’t say it won’t do the job, I just feel that when a nearly-decade old Amarok has more power than your brand-new Prado there’s something amiss.
It still has 500NM on tap and 150 killer wasps, and the 8-speed is brilliant (again, the Amarok had one back in 2016, just sayin’), but I can’t help but feel they’ve missed a chance at creating something magic. Regardless, it’s already selling like hotcakes, so I’m clearly in the minority. But yeah, I don’t love the choice in powerplant.
The bottom line
How will the 2025 Toyota LandCruiser Prado 250 hold up against the likes of the GWM Tank 500, the Everest and the MU-X? Pretty darn well, I’d say. The fact that it’s already sold most of its allotment is a testament to the longevity and perceived value of the brand. Oh, and just as a side note: Toyota has rejigged its ordering system to cut down on lead times. The absolute longest you’ll wait now is 12 months, so no more four-year waiting lists.
No matter how you slice it, the Prado has always been a bit of a jack of all trades, master of none, which makes it pretty difficult to fault. And no matter what your intended usage is, this side of a comp truck, it’ll do it well. Daily driving, camping, towing, touring, it’ll handle it while delivering decent economy and high levels of comfort.
The NVH levels are great, the build is (predictably) high quality with no rattles or squeaks after rallying it for several days over some fairly inhospitable tracks, the seats are supportive, the headroom is professional-basketballer-friendly, and the blind spots are nearly non-existent. The cameras are all super high resolution, and the tech, in general, is easy to live with, minimally invasive and can largely be turned off if you’re not a fan.
There’s a reason people love these things and why so many 2025 Toyota Prados were sold on pre-order. Plus, the modern (ironically retro and boxy) look not only fits in with the Joneses across the street but is also a nice acknowledgement of the models that made Toyota the powerhouse that it is in this country.
The pick of the models?
For me, the pick of the bunch is the base-model DX, with its cloth seats and lower levels of tech. I’d spend the twenty-odd-gorillas I’d save on lockers, some barwork, suspension and tyres and have a ten-year vehicle that would do nothing excellently, but do everything nicely, which is about centre of the bullseye for a single vehicle I reckon.
2025 LandCruiser Prado 250 pricing:
| Model | $$$ |
|---|---|
| GX | $72,500 |
| GXL | $79,990 |
| VX | $87,400 |
| Altitude | $92,700 |
| Kakadu | $99,990 |
Unfortunately a bit disappointing, performance down on lack Lastre previous generation and that boot space storage is a shocker. Toyota needs to give the option of 5-seater across hole range, that 7 seat configuration in the VX which I am looking at is a deal breaker, sends me back to look at Everest.
For 90k I think Toyota is living on its badge and needs to put in more engineering effort