Australia is an extremely important
market for the Toyota Prado, ours being the second largest in the
world in sales volume for the tough ladder-frame 4WD. So it came as
no surprise to learn that the Prado's chief engineer, Makoto Arimoto,
came to Australia for two extended visits with test vehicles in the
early stages of development of the all-new fourth-generation Prado.
After covering in excess of 100,000
kilometres Arimoto-san and his team (comprising both Japanese and
Australian engineers) made numerous changes to suit our local market.
To the extent that he told us during the press launch that Australian
imports of the Prado are virtually a unique design to suit our
country’s harsh driving conditions. And, of course, set up to suit
Aussie drivers’ preferences.
It's because of that sort of commitment
that the Japanese marque is number-one in this country in overall
vehicle sales by a large margin. It also explains why almost 15,000
Prados have been sold to Australians in the past thirteen years. (By
the way, before anyone tells us this is the third-generation Prado,
not the fourth-, we should point out that the first-generation didn’t
make it downunder.)
The 2010 Toyota Prado is being imported
not only with the usual five-door station wagon body, but also in
three-door sporty format. That's an interesting move considering that
arch-rival Mitsubishi has just discontinued imports of its three-door
Pajero. We road tested both the three- and five-door Prado models
extensively during the press launch from Sydney to Orange in western
NSW – and most admit that we fell in love with the three-door.
We found the three-door Prado to be
nimbler, lighter and more enjoyable to drive than its larger brother,
and really like its styling – it's always easier to make a
three-door look better than a five-. But we must admit that the extra
seats and added practicality of the big wagon do make it a
horses-for-courses decision.
It's never easy to get into the back
seats of any 4WD by way of the front doors, a problem that's
exacerbated by the additional height of the floor off the ground. But
once you are in the back of the Prado three-door it has good leg and
head space for adults.
Prado in five-door wagon format is
larger and heavier than ever before. The new cabin has excellent room
and that can be shared amongst the occupants because of the centre
row seats can slide back and forward. The back seats now fold flat
when they are not required to increase the already-good load area.
This is a big improvement on the previous model which had its
rearmost seats folding up against the side of the vehicle and robbing
the boot of some volume. The downside is that the Prado wagon is now
a seven-seater instead of an eight-seater, because the rearmost seat
only has space for two.
We found the five-door Prado wagon to
be rather too soft in the suspension for our liking, but it holds the
road well enough thanks to a clever new suspension design. And the
average owner of a vehicle like this isn't looking for sporting
dynamics.
Off-road the new suspension works
brilliantly, virtually switching to a different mechanical mode to
give much greater wheel travel. Complement that with advanced
traction electronics, that are more and more complex as you pay extra
for the high-end models, and the Prado upholds its reputation as
being a real 4WD in a vehicle class that's mainly occupied by
pretenders.
We drove several Toyota Prados up and
down extremely steep slopes, through slimy waterholes, on slippery
gravel, over rocky ledges – and they just kept going and going and
... Brilliant and certainly the vehicle for someone who wants to do
some real off-road work.
Styling of the new for 2010 Toyota
Prado is chunky and modern, yet the designers have done an excellent
job in also making it look like a solid evolution of the previous
model. Note, in particular, the kickup of the rearmost side windows
and the angle of the D-pillar this creates. Everyone immediately
knows this new fourth-gen could be nothing other than a Prado.
Power comes from revised versions of
the engines used in the outgoing model. The 4.0-litre petrol V6 now
produces 202 kW, and 381 Nm at 4400 rpm. That torque peak is high
revs but a lot of work has gone into fattening out the torque graph
in the low to mid end of the scale. However, the added weight of the
2010 Prado wagon, between 150 and 200 kg depending on the variant
means the engine works hard to keep the vehicle flowing when climbing
on-road hills, and you need to plan for a decent stretch of road when
overtaking.
The 3.0-litre four-cylinder
turbo-diesel is likely to be the bigger seller. A modern common-rail
unit, it puts out 127 kW at just 3400 revs. Diesel torque of 410
Newton metres is available at a very useful band that runs from 1600
to 2800 rpm, in other words most drivers will have the torque at its
peak most of the time.
Six-speed manual and a tiptronic-type
five-speed automatic transmission are offered with both engines,
though not in all model variants. Drive is permanently to all four
wheels with – of course – a two-speed transfer box. The latter is
controlled by a dash mounted switch.
The five-door Prado wagon is sold in
four models: GX, GXL, VX and Kakadu. The sportier Prado three-door
comes tagged as an XR or ZR. May we suggest you contact your local
Toyota dealer to examine the big range of choices on offer in the way
of engines, transmissions and equipment? Because trying to explain
what’s available would fill this entire page, and then some.
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