Toyota Prado vs Bentley Bentayga

What's the difference?

The Toyota LandCruiser Prado GX showcases a massive improvement to the handling and styling of this popular 4WD. The base grade doesn't pretend it's anything other than entry-level but there is still enough charm and character here to satisfy a family long term. I also like the new technology.

So, has it been worth the wait? Yeah, I reckon it has but I hope we don’t have to wait another 15 years until we see something new!

The Bentley Bentayga Azure may look a bit awkward and it surely isn't great value for money, but it is a true Bentley and a very good family SUV that not only provides terrific practicality but superb performance and comfort.

When you compare the new Prado to its predecessor in terms of design it's chalk and cheese.

'Blocky' feels like an appropriate descriptor for its new shape but the retro elements help it avoid looking boxy. The car's LandCruiser roots are proudly showcased in the old-school style grille, triple LED headlights and narrowed body panelling. Gone are its softly curving wheel arches and rear-mounted spare wheel. It's a good looking 4WD.

If the outgoing model was considered the smaller child of the full-size LandCruiser 300 this is more like a teenage offspring.

Heading inside is a reminder that you're in a Toyota base grade as there are a lot of plasticky surfaces, including the steering wheel.

However, everything looks well built and there are no rattles. It helps that all the places you regularly lean on, like the middle console and armrests are soft to touch.

There is a military vibe going on with the design aesthetic and again, the word blocky comes to mind when you look at the almost vertical dashboard and chunky accent panels housing the climate control and air vents.

It looks a smidge basic at times but it's a pleasing cabin to spend any length of time in and that's commendable.

You'd think of all automotive brands Bentley, with its beautiful swooping and powerful saloons, would be able to floor us with something just exquisite in SUV form. But right from the 2012 concept the Bentayga has struggled to stun the world with its design.

So, while there are Bentley family traits all over the Bentayga, from the intricate headlights and mesh grille, to the oval tail-lights and body which squats over the rear wheels, the overall design looks awkward to my eyes.

To me it appears the boxy design with the tall, flat roofline and elevated ride height favours practicality over the sleekness possessed by a lower, more coupe-like SUV.

I favour dark coloured clothes because it hides my shapes, creases and bulges, but these are the things you want to see in a car and our Bentley's 'Onyx Black' paint, despite being a beautiful colour with a blue hue added, make it a featureless blob in the sunlight.

A lighter shade or something outlandish like a turquoise or yellow would look amazing, and even better, upset your neighbours.

Let's look at the interior design which is lavish with all the quilted leather and Mulliner customisation, but lacks the modern look of many contemporary cabins with its smallish media screen and busy mosaic of buttons.

I like the little chrome plungers for the air vents, the winged styling to the dashboard and the stitched leather upholstery, but it's easy to spot parts that are shared by other members of the Volkswagen Group (which owns Bentley).

For example, there are the indicator and wiper stalks, as well as the steering wheel buttons, all from Audi. Surely Bentley should have its own crafted parts?

The interior colour scheme on our Bentayga is 'Beluga' (black) and 'Camel' (tan) and the Mulliner option split the colours with a cream tone.

From a family perspective the tan and black will hide dirt, although the cream will struggle. It's possibly the best leather on the planet, however, coming from cattle living high enough that their hides are unblemished by insect stings.

The cabin of the new Prado delivers simple practicality. As it's a base grade, you don't get luxurious features like heated seats but you do get a functional space which will work for lots of families. Whether it's the all-weather floor mats, ample head- and legroom or easy-to-use technology.

Each row enjoys lots of space and despite it appearing narrow inside, you don't jostle your neighbour's elbow. The tightly woven and speckled fabric upholstery looks more durable than the predecessors velour-like trim.

Seat comfort is excellent in both rows due to the thick padding and side bolsters. The manual front seats are easy to set to a comfy position and while they lack adjustable lumbar support you won't be fatigued on a long journey.

Amenities are decent for a base grade with each row enjoying a couple of cupholders, drink holders, USB-C ports and a single 12-volt socket.

The front gets a third USB-C port for media access and an HDMI port. There's a 220-volt domestic outlet in the boot for larger appliance charging. The front row gets dual-zone climate control.

Individual storage is what you'd expect with a glove box that can hold an owner's manual and some tissues, a large middle console and a dedicated phone cradle.

You miss out on any 'clever' storage, though, like a sunglasses holder, drivers' knee cubby or shelving in the dashboard.

In the rear the storage burden is shouldered by two seatback map pockets and small storage bins.

My eight-year old enjoyed the back seat and the low window sills afford him a great view. Access is easy due to the side steps and multiple grab handles. You might still be helping in young children, though.

The boot is the biggest change as the side-hinged door has been replaced by a top-hinged tailgate. This is far more practical for car parks and small garages but you now notice the lack of powered assistance. The rear lid isn't particularly heavy but can be cumbersome to open when you have your hands full.

The boot offers a large 954L storage capacity behind the second row, expanding to a generous 1895 litres with all seats folded. But the level loading space has been raised to accommodate the 48-volt battery. This just means you'll need more lifting power to get bigger items in and out.

The updated 12.3-inch multimedia display looks great and the touchscreen is super responsive. Worth noting it runs the Lexus operating system which means menus are logically laid out and it's easy to use.

The 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster offers plenty of customisations and the information is easy to read. The wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are easy to connect to but you have built-in sat nav should you need it.

Being shaped like a bus does nothing for the Bentayga's beauty but makes it spacious for cargo and roomy for people.

With its large doors and elevated ride height (the car can be lowered for easier access) it's great for families.

Our Bentayga is a five-seater, which is fine for my little family of four, but there are four- and seven-seat configurations available, too.

Second row legroom is exceptional, even for me at 189cm tall, and sitting behind my own driving position there's still plenty of room.

Headroom is also outstanding throughout. We could be a family that loves top hats, on our way to the top hat championships, and not have to remove our top hats. That's how good headroom and hat room is.

Sun blinds in the second row are vital in Australia, and the electric ones in the Bentayga raise and lower quickly, not just offering protection but also more privacy.

Storage is good throughout with big door pockets and five cupholders.

It seems the cabin space eats into the cargo area because the boot isn't overly large at 484 litres with all seats in place.

Buttons in the cargo area allow the rear of the car to be raised and lowered to make it easier to hoist items in the boot.

For devices there's a wireless phone charger up front along with USB ports in both rows.

Reviewing every type of car on the market provides a pretty good perspective, but when it comes to Bentleys we enter a realm where value-for-money often isn't as crucial as it is for more mainstream options.

The same goes for the price. Bentleys are among the most expensive cars in the world. So if, like me, you flinch at the thought of paying more than half a million dollars for an SUV, it may not be the car for us right now.

With that I can tell you the Bentley Bentayga Azure's list price is $475,000 and our car with all of its options comes to $515,000.

That's more money than any SUV from Mercedes-Benz and BMW costs. Even Range Rover can't quite reach that mark.

Only the likes of Aston Martin's DBX 707 and Lamborghini's Urus can match the price.

There are always bigger fish, though, and Rolls Royce's Cullinan swims in at $700,000, making the Bentayga's price seem quite reasonable.

Let's look at the standard features.

Coming standard on the Bentayga Azure are the prettiest LED headlights in the world. There are LED tail-lights, too, as well as a proximity key, roof rails and a panoramic glass roof, plus a hands-free tailgate.

Inside there's the 10.9-inch media screen, sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto.

The diamond quilting to the door trims is also standard and so are the Bentley sports pedals.

Many of these features are standard on lower grades in the Bentayga range, but the point in choosing the Azure is that many of the optional bundles on offer are fitted as standard here.

So, while leather upholstery is of course standard the 'Colour Specification' package gives you a choice of all interior colour combinations and an extended choice of hide colours.

The 'City Specification' brings extra safety tech like rear cross-traffic alert and a top view camera.

The 'Front Seat Comfort' specification adds 20-way power front seats, ventilation and massage as well as comfort headrests.

The 'Touring Specification' brings adaptive cruise control, a head up display, lane keeping assistance and 'Night Vision'.

And then the 'Sunshine Package' adds electric sun blinds, which are great for kids in the back.

Despite the multitude of standard packages there's plenty left to option on the Azure.

Our car was fitted with about a dozen options including piano black veneer ($5884), 22-inch alloy wheels ($4733), rear privacy glass ($2617), LED welcome lights ($2238), self-levelling wheel centre caps ($1208), a heated acoustic windscreen ($1094), luggage management for the boot ($937) and a heated steering wheel ($543).

Then there's Mulliner, Bentley's in-house customisation division which will personalise your Bentley.

The Mulliner custom features on our Bentayga Azure include the addition of an extra colour in the leather upholstery ($13,492), 'Honeycomb' stitching on the steering wheel ($5391) and contrasting stitching on the quilted areas of leather trim ($2688).

Best family features would have to be the privacy glass, temperature control in the second row and the rear sun blinds.

The second row also comes with a removable tablet which can be used to adjust the climate control, sunroof and media settings among other functions.

In the hands of children this is every parent's nightmare and there's a 100 percent chance of the tablet being lost forever, possibly on the motorway between Sydney and Canberra.

All new Prado grades share the same four-wheel drive set-up as the previous model but features a more efficient version of its 2.8-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The efficiency gain comes courtesy of a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that assists with acceleration.

The engine produces up to 150kW of power and 500Nm of torque and that now supports a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity!

The new Prado has high- and low-range gearing, a rear diff lock and three different drive modes to suit most off-road occasions. All in all, it still has all of the capability you love and expect from a Prado.

When Bentley stopped putting its W12 into the Bentayga this year I was unsurprised yet sad. The world is moving toward tighter fuel emissions but the twin-turbo petrol V8 in this Azure is still a beast.

The 4.0-litre turbo-petrol V8 is from the Audi family and I love it as much for its plentiful torque and superb acceleration as the deep rumble of its exhaust.

Making 404kW and 770Nm the V8 can lift and throw the 2.5-tonne Bentayga to 100km/h from a standstill in 4.5 seconds and onto a top speed of 290km/h. I reckon you could get it to 300km/h with the wind behind you.

Drive goes to all four wheels via an eight-speed transmission and a Torsen-type centre differential.

Default drive balance is 40/60 front to rear, with up to 70 per cent of power able to be sent to the front wheels and up to 85 per cent to the rear axle.

I don't think you'll be astounded to hear this powertrain uses a lot of fuel? Let's go there...

For such a large SUV, the Prado has a low combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel consumption figure of 7.6L/100km and based on its 110-litre tank, theoretical driving range is around 1450km. Which is great for a family car, especially one you can take off-road and do big trips in.

After doing one longer road trip and lots of urban diving my average popped out at 8.5L/100km. Which is pretty darn good for a big SUV and equates to real-world range of close to 1300km.

Bentley says the Bentayga Azure with the V8 petrol engine will use an average of 11.4L/100km over a combination of open and urban roads.

But what happens if you live in the suburbs not far from the city and drive the Azure every day to do the school drop offs and trips to the shops and then take in some fun country roads? You use an average of 22.8L/100km according to the car's trip computer.

This is still not as high as I was expecting. I've driven V6-powered SUVs which use more than this under the same conditions.

That said, even when using as much fuel as Bentley says you should, an 85-litre fuel tank is only going to deliver an approximate 745km driving range.

The Bentley Bentayga doesn't have a safety rating as like many extremely high-end cars it hasn't been assessed by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.

That said, the Azure grade comes standard with an armoury of safety tech including AEB (with turn assistance), lane keeping assistance, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, evasive steering assistance, and adaptive cruise control.

Front and rear parking sensors are standard (and the most relied-upon feature I use daily), while exit warning saved my child and myself more than a few times from leaping out into the traffic on the school run.

Toyota offers the new Prado with a five-year unlimited km warranty which is pretty basic nowadays but you can extend it up to seven years if you schedule on time and through a Toyota service centre, which is more competitive.

There is a five-year capped price servicing program for $390 a pop which is great but service intervals are annoyingly spaced at every six months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first. This won't be the best selling point for some.

The Bentayga is covered by Bentley's three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 16,000km.

The good news is all new Bentley's have five years regular servicing included in the cost of the vehicle.