2025 Toyota LandCruiser Prado VX review

It’s finally here.

Deliveries of the new-generation Toyota LandCruiser Prado finally commenced late in 2024, several months after stock of the previous-generation model had effectively dried up.

That had allowed the Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X to storm past it in the sales charts, and we dare say some would-be Prado buyers defected to the popular off-roader’s arch-rivals.

Having now driven the new Prado, we’re in a position to validate those defecters’ decisions and determine whether those now in the market should buy the boxy Toyota.

And the Prado sure makes a good first impression, ditching the conservative design of the last model – which was an evolution of its predecessor – for something much bolder and boxier. It’s especially sharp in second-from-top VX trim with its black wheels, matched on our tester to black metallic paint.

WATCH: Paul’s video review of the 2025 Toyota LandCruiser Prado Kakadu

Not only is the Prado’s design dramatically different, but it now rides the same TNGA-F architecture as the larger LandCruiser 300 Series, and gains mild-hybrid assistance.

Sadly, the turbo-petrol hybrid offered overseas hasn’t come here, at least not yet, and there’s nothing to directly rival the Ford Everest’s excellent turbo-diesel V6.

With competition from Ford and Isuzu tougher than ever, and even a fresh new rival from China, has Toyota done enough to ensure its LandCruiser Prado takes back the title of segment best-seller?

How does the Toyota LandCruiser Prado compare?

View a detailed breakdown of the Toyota LandCruiser Prado against similarly sized vehicles.

Toyota

LandCruiser Prado

How much does the Toyota LandCruiser Prado cost?

Yikes. With the new generation, prices rose by as much as $12,500.

Sure, there’s a new platform and transmission and new features, but for something with the same power and torque and inferior packaging (more on that later), it’s a tough pill to swallow.

The new Prado is not only considerably more expensive than the old one, it’s also much more expensive than rivals.

Our Prado VX tester rings up at $87,400 before on-roads. That means you can get a top-spec Ford Everest Platinum, complete with a turbo-diesel V6, for less money ($81,200 before on-roads).

An Isuzu MU-X is even cheaper, with the top-spec LS-T priced at $73,990 drive-away.

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

What is the Toyota LandCruiser Prado like on the inside?

Where the Prado makes a case for itself over cheaper rivals is in its interior. Where it also falls down flattest against them is in its interior.

Let me explain, and let’s start at the rear first.

As mentioned, the new Prado now features mild-hybrid power, and in other markets is offered with a full-hybrid powertrain.

That means a high-voltage battery has to go somewhere and that somewhere is on the floor at the rear, so therefore the third row doesn’t fold flat into the floor. Instead, it sticks up significantly above the load floor.

The Prado isn’t the first vehicle to have this issue, mind you, and Toyota sought to go further than rival brands that just stick a carpeted board back there to create a consistent height for the load floor, instead incorporating a removable storage box.

While this is more useful than a simple board, it’s also surprisingly cheap and flimsy in feel. Shorter folk may also find the higher load floor makes it harder to load groceries and gear into the back.

There’s 182L of load space behind the third row, expanding to 906L with it folded and then 1829L with the second row folded. There are no straps for the third-row seats to easily drop or pull them into place.

The third row hasn’t gotten any more habitable with the new generation, at least not for adults. Despite the big, boxy body, my head was pressed up against the roof and my knees were pressed up against the seat; for reference, I’m 180cm tall.

At least it’s easy to get back here, with a simple pull of a lever tumbling one of the second-row seats forward. But with one hand Toyota giveth, and the other it taketh away – the second-row seats no longer slide, so you can’t free up extra space for those in the rearmost row.

Once you’re back there though, you’ll find a single USB-C outlet and a pair of cupholders on each side; there’s also a 220V/120W outlet just nearby in the boot area. There are also air vents in the roof, though you won’t find any child-seat anchor points.

You will find a pair of ISOFIX points plus three top tethers in the second row, which is much more hospitable. There’s also a 12V outlet, a pair of USB-C outlets, and a climate control array that allows passengers to adjust the temperature, mode and fan speed.

Up front in the cabin is where the Prado really shines. While the rival Everest and MU-X, even in their top-spec trims, feel too much like the utes they’re based on, the Prado has a cabin that’s more richly appointed.

There’s soft-touch trim across the top and front of the dashboard and on the doors, and huge padded leatherette inserts on the sides of the centre console for your knee to rest against. The centre console bin lid is also delightfully soft.

We welcome the availability of a tan (sorry, Chateau) interior colourway on the VX and Kakadu, though this particular shade of tan isn’t to my tastes… and I say that as somebody who actually owns a black car with a tan interior.

The chunky steering wheel feels good, though the switchgear is a bit plasticky. And why do you press left and right arrows to skip tracks, but use a bodgy up/down rocker switch to adjust the volume?

Ahead of the steering wheel you’ll find a fully digital instrument cluster. It’s quite customisable, with different views and the ability to toggle what information appears on either side. There are even animations of the vehicle when you change drive modes.

There’s a map you can display in the centre, though don’t expect Volkswagen Group levels of detail – sometimes if you’re on a minor road or in a tunnel, it won’t display anything. It will display when you’re at a set of traffic lights though. Go figure.

The climate control array is attractive and functional. There are no knobs, but there are plenty of physical controls including rocker switches to adjust the temperature.

Below this you’ll find a rather awkwardly placed volume knob and camera button, plus three USB-C outlets and a HDMI port.

Drive mode selection is done via a handy rotary dial on the right-hand side of the centre stack, while also near the shifter you’ll find switches for functions like the crawl control and low-range gearing.

Toyota has fitted a wireless charging pad on the centre console, while the cavernous centre console bin is actually a cool box – something I forgot when I put my sunglasses in there one day, only to take them out and have them instantly fog up. Yes, it gets quite chilly in there…

It’s not often you see a sticker inside a car that tells you not to put a fish somewhere, either.

Toyota’s latest generation of infotainment is a huge step up on what came before, with crisp graphics for the large 12.3-inch screen. There’s wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as well as satellite navigation.

Finally, the VX’s 14-speaker JBL sound system is hard to fault.

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

What’s under the bonnet?

Power and torque is unchanged compared to the old model, but braked towing capacity is up by 500kg to 3500kg – finally matching the Everest and MU-X – and fuel economy has improved by 0.3L/100km.

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

How does the Toyota LandCruiser Prado drive?

The Prado’s turbo-diesel four-cylinder may have the same outputs as the previous-generation model, but it feels peppier than before.

Credit to this goes to the eight-speed automatic transmission, up two gears on the old model’s unit. It’s a smooth-shifting unit and is well-suited to this engine which, while not as powerful as an Everest V6, is well and truly competitive with four-cylinder rivals.

The Prado feels quite sprightly off the line, making the old model feel a bit sluggish in comparison. You don’t need to work this engine hard, at least not when it’s just you or a handful of people on board.

The transmission isn’t afraid to hold onto a gear instead of rushing up the ratios as quickly as possible, though if you do want to take manual control there are no paddle shifters.

Despite this, in testing of the Kakadu we recorded a 0-100km/h time of 11.27 seconds – slightly slower than the 10.5-11-second figures we recorded in the previous-generation model.

Another big change is the steering, which is now electrically power-assisted instead of hydraulically. It definitely feels lighter than the old car, which may be a bit of an adjustment, but it makes this big SUV an absolute doddle to park.

You can twirl the Prado around town, and the 500Nm of torque – available from just 1600rpm – makes this feel quite eager. But remember it’s now about the same size as the 300 Series, so it’s much bigger than the model it replaces.

The switch to electrically assisted power steering has also enabled the introduction of steering-based lane smarts, while the old Prado had only brake-based lane-keep assist.

Get onto the highway and the push of a single button will activate the adaptive cruise control and Toyota’s Lane Trace Assist, which helps keep the Prado centred in its lane. It even managed a curved bridge approach staying perfectly centred, without feeling jerky.

These lane smarts make the Prado an even better road trip car than its predecessor. It also features a driver monitoring system, but unlike those in some rival brands it didn’t throw out any false warnings.

Ride comfort is quite smooth, including on unsealed surfaces. You get the occasional quiver through the structure, as you’ll often find in body-on-frame vehicles, but no harsh jolts.

On some patchy roads it gets just a touch fidgety in the standard drive mode, which also gives the Prado a touch on float and sees it take a moment to settle on some undulations.

Like the top-spec Kakadu, however, the VX has adaptive dampers so you can firm up the ride a bit. The Ford Everest has a well-judged ride without this trick technology, but we’d need to drive the two back-to-back to determine the winner in this category.

There are selectable Normal, Comfort, Eco, Custom, Sport and Sport+ drive modes.

This is still a tall, heavy vehicle on a ladder frame, so don’t expect handling like a similarly priced crossover. Nevertheless, the Prado handles quite well for a body-on-frame vehicle.

There’s the typical gruff engine note of a turbo-diesel four-cylinder, making the Prado sound like any ute. To be fair, Toyota has deadened engine noise quite well – and overall the cabin is quiet – but it’s not as pleasant to listen to as a V6 Everest.

We were unable to do much off-road driving in the Prado VX, though a modest trail drive revealed the Prado to feel stable and surefooted and easy to place even with the light steering.

One issue did present itself on our limited off-road drive, and that was Toyota’s ‘parking support brake’. When reversing to turn around on a flooded track, this feature slammed on the brakes twice when it detected tall grass.

The surround-view camera system with its transparent chassis mode, in contrast, was technology we welcomed off-road. This allows you to clearly see where the vehicle is on a trail, and we could see this being very useful.

Ground clearance is 221mm, with a quoted wading depth of 700mm.

Off-road hardware includes selectable low-range gearing, a locking centre differential, crawl control with five speed settings, hill descent control, and five selectable terrain modes: snow, mud, sand, dirt and auto.

If you want a locking rear differential or front stabiliser bar disconnect, your only choice is the Altitude which ditches the third row of seating and the adaptive suspension.

When you get back on bitumen, you can engage a full-time four-wheel drive mode that can be used on the road. This is something rivals like the Isuzu MU-X lack. However, there’s no two-wheel drive mode.

The Prado features automatic stop/start, though it’s not over-eager like in some rival brands’ vehicles. You need to brake firmly to activate it, and the Prado will display a message in the instrument cluster to tell you this.

It also features an electronic parking brake with an auto hold function, though this defaults to off.

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

What do you get?

There are five members of the 2025 Prado lineup. The GX and Altitude have five seats, while the GXL, VX and Kakadu have seven seats.

LandCruiser 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
• Six-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
• Four 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

LandCruiser 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
• Eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat
• Leather-accented steering wheel and gear knob
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Wireless charging pad
• Rear climate control
• Two extra USB-C charging ports

LandCruiser Prado VX adds:

• 20-inch dark metallic alloy wheels
• 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
• 4-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 x drive modes
• Multi-terrain select
• Multi-terrain monitor

LandCruiser Prado Altitude adds:

• 5 seats
• 18-inch matte grey alloy wheels with all-terrain tyres
• Locking rear differential
• ‘Stabiliser disconnect mechanism’
• *Removes Adaptive Variable Suspension
• Black door handles and tailgate trim
• Black wheel arch moulding
• Sunroof
• Two-tone colours available
• Digital rearview mirror
• Heated steering wheel 
• Head-up display

LandCruiser Prado Kakadu adds (over VX):

• Panoramic sunroof
• Illuminated side steps
• Heated and ventilated rear seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Adjustable driver’s seat thigh support
• Digital rear-view mirror
• Head-up display
• Torque-sensing limited-slip rear differential

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

Is the Toyota LandCruiser Prado safe?

The Toyota LandCruiser Prado has a five-star safety rating from ANCAP, based on testing conducted in 2024.

Standard safety features include:

• 9 airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Stability control with active traction control
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane trace assist (lane centering)
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear parking support brake – stops if a static object is detected
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Trailer sway control
• Trailer pre-wiring harness
• 360-degree camera

The VX, Altitude, and Kakadu grades gain tyre pressure monitoring.

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

How much does the Toyota LandCruiser Prado cost to run?

Visits to the Toyota dealership tend to cost less than rival brands, but with its off-roaders it asks you to go there more often.

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

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

CarExpert’s Take on the Toyota LandCruiser Prado

The new Prado mightn’t have moved the needle much over the last one on paper, but it feels better to drive and looks more modern and handsome inside and out, with much-improved technology.

Still, it has received a sharp price hike for a vehicle with no extra power and torque and a heavier kerb weight. It has also gone backwards in terms of interior flexibility, which grates.

In a vacuum, the Prado probably looks like good value given the capability and equipment on offer. Unfortunately for Toyota, the large SUV segment isn’t a vacuum, and against key rivals the Prado looks overpriced.

You can get a top-spec Everest with a turbo-diesel V6 for a few thousand less than this. Sure, if you buy the Prado you’re getting that Toyota reputation, a nicer interior, adaptive dampers and a couple of other novel features, but you’re also getting a vehicle with less power and torque, a less practical interior, and shorter servicing intervals.

We’ve waited a long time for a new Prado and in that time its rivals have improved dramatically, so much so that we doubt Toyota has done enough to make its ‘Son of Landcruiser’ reign supreme in what’s a very competitive segment.

It’s a Toyota, though, so we fully expect it to sell like hotcakes regardless.

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

Click the images for the full gallery

MORE: Everything Toyota LandCruiser Prado