All-new ‘Son of LandCruiser’ will grow up to become more like the LC300’s brother
- It will look awesome
- It will be bigger than ever
- It will launch with a four-cylinder engine
- There’ll at least be room for a V6
- It will have a mountain of new tech
- It will be revealed this year
- There’ll be astronomical demand
- Join the conversation at our Facebook page Or email us at [email protected]
The fifth-generation 2024 Toyota Prado will be one of the most significant new-vehicle releases of the decade and more information about the replacement for Australia’s top-selling large SUV is emerging almost every day.
The official teaser campaign for the debut of the all-new Toyota Prado 250 Series has begun, but leaks, overseas reports, industry intel, the reveal of its Lexus GX twin and renders like these from Kolesa.ru continue to contribute to the story and the rumour mill is showing no signs of winding down.
With so many unofficial and speculative details floating around, we thought it was about time we cleared things up once and for all… at least until the next major bombshell is dropped.
So without further ado, here’s everything we know about the all-new 2024 Toyota Prado.
It will look awesome
The recent reveal of the new Toyota Prado’s more luxurious Lexus GX sister model has given the world perhaps the ultimate insight as to what the new seven-seat off-road wagon will look like and the answer is macho.
Save for the Lexus-specific front-end design, the new Prado will look almost identical to the chunky new GX (and very unlike the outgoing Prado first launched in late 2009), with the same boxy body, squared-off wheel-arches, stepped lower side window line, chiselled body lines and clamshell bonnet.
These fresh renders by Russian outlet Kolesa.ru replace the GX’s squinty front fascia with an adapted take on the 300 Series LandCruiser’s front-end, while the full-width rear lighting signature has been replaced by a more contemporary tail-light arrangement.
It will be bigger than ever
We’ve known for a long time that all of Toyota’s next-generation off-roaders would eventually make the switch across to the Japanese giant’s latest TNGA-F ladder frame, but few would’ve predicted the next Prado will share its wheelbase with the 300 Series.
The new Prado will have the same 2850mm wheelbase as the full-size LandCruiser (up from 2790mm) and, like the new Lexus GX, a body measuring about 5004mm long – without a tailgate-mounted spare wheel, which may also disappear as an option for the Prado in a move that could reduce fuel capacity from the current model’s 150 litres (via an 86-litre main tank and 63-litre sub-tank) and the 300 Series’ 110 litres.
At about five metres long, the new Prado will be almost 180mm longer than its predecessor (4825mm without a spare on the tailgate) and longer than some LandCruiser 300 variants (only the flagship Sahara ZX is longer at 5015mm, with the GR Sport measuring 4995mm and all others being 4980mm long).
And given the GX measures 2114mm wide (229mm wider than the current Prado at 1885mm) and at least 1915mm high (up by between 25 and 70mm depending on the variant), the 250 Series will be by far the biggest Prado ever.
Approach, breakover and departure angles of the new Lexus GX 550 generous at 26, 24 and 23 degrees, which compares to the current Prado’s 30.4, 21.1 and 23.5 angles, but we don’t expect Toyota will compromise on approach angle so the front-end of the new model should remain off-road friendly – aided by all-terrain tyres as big as 33-inch, at least for Overtrail versions of the GX, which will be available with 18-, 20- and 22-inch wheels.
It will launch with a four-cylinder engine
The 2025 Lexus GX 550 will be launched in North America and Australia with the same 260kW/650Nm 3.4-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 as the Lexus LX 600, but a 2.4-litre turbo-petrol hybrid powertrain is expected to become available in both markets later.
But recent reports citing data out of Japan claim to have uncovered the new Prado’s engine line-up, which will reportedly be led by the familiar 2.8-litre ‘1GD-FTV’ four-cylinder turbo-diesel as seen in the current model as well as the HiLux and Fortuner, but perhaps with the same 48-volt mild-hybrid system that’s coming to the HiLux early next year.
But if the 1GD-FTV engine does end up leading the charge Down Under, odds are it will be the uprated 165kW/550Nm version as seen in the HiLux GR Sport.
Other 2024 Prado engines, at least for some markets, will reportedly comprise the ancient 2.7-litre ‘2TR-FE’ four-cylinder petrol and a mystery ‘LT4’ thought by many to be some form of four-cylinder hybrid – but apparently not the ‘T24A-FTS’ 2.4-litre turbo-petrol/electric system from the new Toyota Tacoma.
There’ll at least be room for a V6
The fitment of the Lexus LX 600’s twin-turbo 3.4-litre petrol V6 under the bonnet of the smaller Lexus GX, which can tow up to 8000lb or 3630kg, proves there’s room for a V6 powertrain in the engine bay of the new Prado.
Odds are the volume-focused Toyota SUV won’t be offered with a petrol V6 in Australia in order to leave breathing room for the premium-positioned Lexus (and LandCruiser), but we wouldn’t be surprised if a detuned version of the 300 Series’ 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel V6 makes an appearance at some stage – potentially under the bonnet of the probable Prado GR Sport flagship.
It will have a mountain of new tech
Toyota has been upgrading the infotainment and safety systems of its models almost every model year of late, and the changes have been even bigger when it comes to new-generation models.
A monumental technology upgrade is therefore coming to the next-generation Prado, which replaces a 14-year-old model first launched locally in 2009, and while the current model’s infotainment set-up has been upgraded over time it’s still a long way off Toyota’s latest-generation multimedia systems.
Expect an 8.0-inch touch-screen in the lower/base grades and a bigger 14-inch unit in the higher grades, along with a digital instrument cluster and the latest connected services.
It will be revealed this year
Reveal and release dates for the new Toyota Prado have been the subject of heated debate among fans and industry experts, but overseas reports, company insiders and traditional timelines have long pointed to a world debut by around September.
They also suggest an Australian launch in the first half of 2024 – just like the new Lexus GX, which will be produced alongside the next Prado in Tahara, Japan.
The latest expectation is for the new Prado to make its global debut before the fourth quarter of the year, mid-way through which production for some major markets will commence. Whether or not Australia is one of them remains to be seen.
There’ll be astronomical demand
The Toyota Prado has been Australia’s best-selling large SUV for more than a decade now, despite it comfortably being the oldest.
An all-new platform, chunky new design, upgraded powertrain and next-gen multimedia and safety technologies will undoubtedly attract even more buyers to the iconic nameplate, regardless of expected price hikes.
And if early demand for the 300 Series was anything to go by, that will lead to wait times of well over 12 months – especially since the new Prado will share its bones and be as big as the full-size LandCruiser, for less money.
Digital images: Kolesa.ru
Join the conversation at our Facebook page Or email us at [email protected]
Keyword: Everything we know about the new Toyota Prado