The new Toyota Prado - one of the most anticipated new arrivals of 2024 - inches closer to landing in showrooms in the middle of this year.
Paperwork filed with the Australian government shows the vehicle has now been approved for sale and has revealed a few extra details of the rugged four-wheel-drive.
It shows that both five and seven seat versions will have a payload capacity of about 660kg, give or take 10kg or so, which is of particular importance to those towing with a fully-loaded vehicle.
Keen off-roaders will want the 18-inch alloy wheels with chunkier tyres that provide 220mm of ground clearance compared to slighter 18-inch rubber that provides 210mm of room. The 20-inch wheels worn by high–spec variants also have 220mm of ground clearance.
Toyota hasn’t revealed prices yet, but we do know it’ll arrive with five different model grades starting from GX and moving through GXL, VX, Altitude and Kakadu.
All variants will be powered by a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine paired with 48-volt mild hybrid technology matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The same set-up is found in this year’s HiLux and makes a combined 150kW and 500Nm.
Unlike Toyota’s other hybrid vehicles the small electric motor never drives the wheels, instead it’s used to power the starter motor and other electrical components.
Every model has full time four-wheel drive with low-range transfer case, a locking centre differential and a 3500kg braked towing capacity.
Prado GX buyers can expect 18-inch alloy wheels, “TOYOTA” lettering on the front grille, LED head lights and a glass hatch on the tailgate.
A big 12.3-inch multimedia screen is paired with a small 7.0-inch digital information screen for the driver.
GXL variants add a third row of seats, roof rails and silver exterior highlights on the front and rear bumper.
There are luxe items such as a power adjustable driver’s seat and heating and ventilation for front passengers. Connectivity is boosted with a wireless device charger and extra USB charging ports.
The Prado VX builds on this with synthetic leather upholstery, 20-inch alloy wheels, fully digital driver display, 14-speaker JBL stereo and a refrigerated centre console box among other items.
An off-road focused Altitude variant is new to the Prado range and is five seats only. The Altitude's 18-inch alloy wheels are wrapped in beefier all-terrain tyres and it includes hardware upgrades such as a locking rear differential and a new sway-bar disconnect feature that allows for increased wheel articulation when covering rough terrain.
The Kakadu dials up the luxury with a panoramic moon roof, heated and ventilated rear seats, heated steering wheel, digital rear vision mirror, head-up display and limited-slip rear differential.
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