Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 250 Series long term review

The launch of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 250 Series in Australia was accompanied by some initially lukewarm feedback — cool styling, shame about the old engine — while questions also abounded about the durability and necessity of a new mild-hybrid system.

Despite that, Australians have flocked to the new Prado in their thousands. A generationally popular nameplate, the Prado’s success has translated to strong local sales of the new version, with nearly 16,000 units delivered in the first six months of 2025 alone.

With the noise about the new Prado across traditional and social media appearing to clash with buyer sentiment, we decided the only way to solve it was to spend a decent amount of time with the Prado.

That meant five months: while that’s not a bona fide ownership period but for a car reviewer that’s in and out of new metal daily, this duration allows for far deeper insights to be gleaned about a model while allowing time for issues to come to the fore.

The general plan is to do with our GX as most owners of a brand-new Prado would: no deep mudding, but rather mostly daily tarmac work, plus mild to moderate off-roading.

While some punters perceive Toyota as conservative and even lethargic when it comes to innovation, it is clear that an enormous amount of time and effort has been poured into getting the 250 Series right for Australia.

Further, there is great potential to improve the product further in the future, particularly in the powertrain department—though the 2.8-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder making 150kW/500Nm will suit most people just fine.

Still, despite its overall suitability, there’s a feeling the Prado is standing on the precipice of great change. Strict new vehicle emissions laws in Australia will make it hard to sell pure-diesel (or pure-petrol) cars, 4WDs and utes in future, and innovation will be required to maintain sales momentum.

Whatever that looks like, the basis of the new Prado is solid.

Navigate this long-term Land Cruiser Prado review

• Month 1: Starting at the bottom
• Month 2: Am I a Prado person now?
• Month 3: Effortlessly likeable, Prado GX won’t suit most

Month 3: Effortlessly likeable, Prado GX won’t suit most

So what sort of buyer is the entry-grade GX variant really for?

With the months ticking by, while travelling all over New South Wales, spending more time in the Prado GX has reinforced a simple truth.

The base model is an easy car to like. It is honest, rugged, and free of pretense. But it is also clear to me that the GX is not the right fit for most private/family buyers.

The next step up in the range — the Prado GXL — is a smart $6000 upgrade and most people will find it the sweet spot.

To give me a comparison, I spent a couple of weeks with a GXL seven-seat (a five-seat config saves $1000). This confirmed the GXL’s suitability, and also the fact that seven seats should be avoided.

While it is more money, the circa-seven percent increase in spend buys easier family life. A power tailgate makes sense with your hands full, while the artificial leather (vinyl) seat upholstery is darker and will clean up more easily from spills than the GX’s grey cloth, as much as we love the fabric.

Wireless phone charging, two extra USB ports, a rear climate control panel and auto-dimming rear-view mirror, plus stand-off roof rails, complete the GXL’s family-duty pitch, and when it comes time to sell, we imagine the GXL’s easier recipe will translate to stronger resale on the private market.

So, who is our GX for?

We reckon it suits either fleets (who need the Prado’s raw capability and good safety scores), or private buyers who utterly prioritise function over frills: maybe retirees, maybe families that want Prado size and durability without the budget blow-out. Or rural operators just needing a basic but modern tool.

The purity of this spec continues to appeal to us: no fake leather trim, no long list of gadgets—just the bones of what makes the Prado appealing. It performs off-road and on-road with relative ease. The fact that none of the higher Prado trims include a more premium engine also makes us cynics prefer low-end versions.

In this way, the GX embodies core Prado DNA.

It isn’t for everyone, and most buyers will be happier with the feature-rich GXL, VX or even beyond (we just wouldn’t recommend sinking six figures into an Altitude or Kakadu without really thinking about it).

Month 2: Am I a Prado person now?

Cheap and cheerful in some areas, the GX is a little low-rent in others

I’ll admit that I never really saw myself as a ‘Prado person’. I respect Land Cruisers, for sure—they have a job to do – but relatively high pricing for such relative simplicity didn’t really vibe with me.

Yet after the first month of life with the GX, I’m starting to really understand the appeal here.

For starters, the seats are a bit of a revelation. People tend to laugh off the spartan GX, which is the only Prado with cloth seats. But these fabric pews feel surprisingly premium, they are resistant to heat and cold, and they are deeply comfortable in the way that matters on long drives.

Despite their simple upholstery, manual adjustment and lack of any seat heaters or ventilation, the Prado makes hours-long stints behind the wheel easy. It’s a shame that the steering wheel is cheap-feeling urethane plastic (this is replaced by unnamed “premium” material on higher-end trims).

The Prado still feels like a big truck, but the 250 Series has been to finishing school. The shift to the upmarket TNGA-F platform (used by 300 Series, Tundra, Lexus GX/LX and the like) has improved the handling of the Prado from vague yet secure enough in 150 Series form to surprisingly deft in new-gen form.

The slow steering, wallow and pitch that defined country road driving in the old Prado has been banished: the electric power steering is radically improved and body control is tighter everywhere.

Unfortunately, the passively-damped suspension hasn’t been improved nearly as much, and a stint in the variably-suspended Kakadu showed that, on that variant’s 20s, it also does not ride comfortably. No Prado handles potholes and expansion joints as easily as it should.

In that way, we suppose the Prado has not lost its rough and ready attitude. The GX shrugs off accidental kerb bumps that would make you wince in a Volkswagen Touareg, and there is something liberating about not worrying about your family SUV too much. The plastics are tough, the paint hardy and the vehicle feels like it can take punishment.

The toughness is backed up by a real sense of quality. While the interior isn’t plush or luxe, the doors thunk properly and there are no rattles or squeaks; even in base form the Prado feels properly engineered.

The technology story is refreshingly modest — there is just enough tech, but it does not overwhelm. All trims have a big and presentable 12.3-inch screen in the centre, with a straightforward Toyota system (though we tend to use wireless CarPlay/Android Auto), and the safety systems, while present, tend not to constantly beep.

Second row seating is perhaps not as spacious as you’d hope, and it isn’t on rails – so legroom can’t be expanded. However, six-footers fit and, in GX-standard five-seat form, the boot is large.

But it is the simplicity winning me over. Knobs and switches fall easily to hand, the driving position is excellent, and with easy climate control hardware, and you don’t need to dig through menus to change fan speed or song track. It’s ergonomic and unfussy.

Month 1: Starting at the bottom

What is it?

The Toyota Land Cruiser 250 Series is the latest version of one of Australia’s best-selling family 4WDs. Following the 16-year run of its 150 Series predecessor, the new Prado is a total recalibration, both in terms of the chassis beneath and the styling on top.

Only the familiar 2.8-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder engine carries over, holding the Prado back from feeling completely new.

Cosmetically, Toyota has returned the Prado to its ‘90s roots with an endearing retro-modern take on the model’s historically boxy proportions. Less retro is the Prado’s switch to the premium TNGA-F frame, shared with the full-size Land Cruiser 300 Series and the closely related Lexus GX.

The squared-off body and upright stance evoke the 90-series Prado, with similarly industrial shapes inside incorporating modern and well-integrated tech with practical ergonomics.

How much is it?

Five grades make up a familiar Prado range in Australia. With prices up across the lineup, we’ve opted for the most accessible model: the entry-level GX, which costs $72,500 plus on-road costs or around $78,000 driveaway for retail buyers.

Stepping up into the family-friendly GXL adds features, while the popular mid-spec VX now crosses into the mid-$80,000 zone before on-road costs; you can easily spend more than $100,000 driveaway on a Kakadu. That’s pricing that would have been associated more closely with Lexus a few years ago.

Pictured: the Kakadu

What’s the spec of our car?

Most of the noise around the arrival of the 250 Series Prado centred on the Altitude and Kakadu, which serve effectively as twin flagships (one with an off-road focus and the other with a luxe on-road demeanour). The family-favourite GXL received little attention, and the workhorse GX even less…

We chose the Prado GX to test the purest expression of what the 250 Series is all about. It is five-seat only where the option of seven seats can be had further up the grade walk.

Power comes from an engine critics would call ‘ageing’, but which others would label ‘tried and tested’: the 2.8-litre single-turbo diesel ‘four, producing 150kW/500Nm, paired to a new eight-speed automatic and 48-volt mild hybrid system.

Full-time four-wheel drive (that operates in ‘four-high’) is standard, as is a centre differential lock, while the TNGA-F ladder frame chassis adds refinement — and kerb weight, with even our relatively basic Prado tipping the scales at 2495kg.

It might be the base model, but even the GX includes a few conveniences that were regarded as premium touches even a few years ago. The seats might be cloth fabric, but the trim level is quite appealing and features some enticing specifications, including:

• 18-inch alloy wheels with 265/65R18 tyres
• 110-litre fuel tank
• Keyless entry and start
• LED lighting
• Auto-folding and heated mirrors
• Rains-sensing wipers
• Liftgate with rear window hatch
• Mechanical front seat adjustment
• 7.0-inch digital driver’s screen
• 12.3-inch touchscreen media system
• Satellite navigation
• DAB+
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 10-speaker audio
• Dual-zone climate control
• Five USB-C outlets
• Single AC 220v outlet
• Reversing camera
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Full-size spare wheel

The step-up to GXL brings further niceties such as synthetic leather trim, electric front seats, a powered tailgate, etcetera.

How long is it sticking around for?

We’re running our Prado GX for half a year: long enough for many of the strengths and shortcomings of early ownership to come to the fore.

Over the next few months, we’ll also rotate (on the side) into the GXL, VX, Altitude and Kakadu to understand the breadth of the Prado lineup and to know whether the GX is the pick, or not.

What are we going to do with it?

Our plan is simple: we’ll be using the Prado as a pragmatic family car while also checking out the suitability of the GX for rural operators. Errands, school runs, Sydney traffic, highway trips, gravel and fire trails — we’ll be out there to see which environments suit the Toyota.

We’ll also line the Prado up against direct rivals that appear to be better value on paper, including the GWM Tank 500.

Initial performance

After our first few weeks, the new Prado feels large and agricultural (as expected), but with some surprising polish to its dynamics that the 150 Series never had. TNGA-F appears to have transformed steering precision and body control, with the Prado now tracking cleanly and confidently at speed, resisting wallow more than ever.

If there’s a trade-off so far, it’s ride quality: even on the GX’s chunky 18-inch alloys, potholes and joints punch through into the cabin more than you’d hope, while the diesel engine is loud. But it’s also torquey, flexible, and apparently relatively economical.

The new auto ‘box is also an unexpected star, improving the Prado’s tested 0-100km/h time to around 10 seconds neat.