Toyota's tough secrets revealed: How the Toyota Prado muscled up to crush the Ford Everest and Nissan Patrol: Report

It is fair to say that the Toyota Prado is the most anticipated new vehicle launch of 2024. 

The retro-tough looks, vastly improved interior, towing capability and famous Toyota toughness make the new Prado an Australian buyer's dream — even though we're yet to sample one.

Speaking to British Car Magazine, 250-series Assistant Chief Engineer Minoru Takayama revealed how Toyota tests its flagship off-road products.

“We have the kowashikiri process [literally, “completely destroyed” in Japanese], where we test something until a part breaks, and then you improve that and test it again to find the weak points. That process is unique to the LandCruiser,” he told Car. 

Specifically, Takayama-san spoke of the difficulties of producing the underside of an off-roader in extreme conditions. Toyota starts with one set-up and goes out testing — the ‘kowashikiri’ way — to find weaknesses until there are no more. 

He admitted that keeping the Prado’s underbelly away from rocks and gravel is the ideal goal but isn’t always possible, so Toyota engineers “work out which parts are allowed to touch the ground and which can’t.”

While the destructive off-road element of testing the Prado is unique to LandCruiser nameplates, Takayama told Car the rest of the process is much the same as any Toyota model.

“The testing formula is very similar to other passenger vehicles. However, what they don’t do is the off-roader test. The Land Cruiser has to go anywhere, everywhere and come back in one piece,” he said.

Takayama is not new to LandCruiser having taken the lead on the previous Prado’s steering and brake pedal development before being tasked with leading the air suspension program for overseas market 300 Series LandCruisers.

With the new Prado, he wants to go back to the nameplate’s tough roots “to bring back some of the LandCruiser-ness,” he told Car.

The LandCruiser Prado is gearing up to launch in Australia imminently with the order books officially opening this month.

The Prado went on sale in April this year in Britain, the United States, Japan and Europe as the 250-Series LandCruiser but Australian cars will be fitted with the 48-volt 'V-Active' system from the start — other markets got a head start with diesel-only models.

Our Prados use a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine that produces 150kW and 500Nm. The addition of AdBlue and V-Active tech should make the new 4WD a cleaner burn.

The Prado will face off with the Ford Everest and eventually Nissan’s new V6-powered Patrol 4x4. The Toyota is rated to tow 3500kg braked and feature four-wheel drive, a locking centre differential and low-range transfer case. 

Pricing will start from $72,500 for the GX base model and climb to the $99,990 Kakadu via the new off-road focused Altitude ($92,700, all before on-road costs).