Powerful Prado packs a punch

New diesel engine just what the doctor ordered for Toyota’s unique offering.

The adage “if ain’t broke don’t fix it” sums up Toyota’s philosophy on its renowned Land Cruiser offerings. Whether it’s the 70 series, the 200 series or the Prado, it’s like the current line-ups have been around forever, barring a few tweaks here and there over the years.

And, judging by their popularity, Toyota has good reason to keep the faith in its tried-andtrusted recipes.

Toyota sold 567 vehicles locally bearing a Land Cruiser badge last month alone.

To put this into context, Land Cruiser ranked 15th in terms of new sales on the list of top-selling manufacturers, edging out 23 other carmakers in terms of overall sales.

If you had to single out one thing in the Land Cruiser family that needed attention then it had to be the Prado’s diesel engine.

Locally, the oil-burning Prado was never updated with same the 2.8-litre GD-6 powerplant as overseas.

Instead, until the end of last year it still featured the outdated 3.0-litre D-4D powerplant.

When the Hilux and Fortuner, which already featured the original 2.8 GD-6, received the powered-up version of this engine as part of their upgrades last year, the Prado was stuck two generations in the past.

When it finally did receive the new powerplant among a few updates, the Prado benefited from a 30kW/100Nm power bump over the outgoing 120kW/400Nm.

In addition, the Prado’s 150kW/500Nm oil-burner is now mated to six-speed automatic transmission which replaces the five-speed box across the range.

But it doesn’t matter how good these numbers look, cars don’t run on paper and the proof was always going to be in the pudding.

After spending time behind the wheel of the top-of-the-range 2.8L VX-L that joined our fleet, we are happy to report that its performance backs up its engine specifications.

Weighing in at 2 420kg, it is heavier than the Hilux and Fortuner and feels slower off the mark, but once on the move the Prado and its brand-new oil-burning heart is a match made in heaven.

A new addition in the two top diesel models is Drive Select mode, which was previously only found in V6 models.

The five modes are Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport and Sport+.

Opting for Normal mode with the occasional use of the more-responsive Sport for overtaking, we managed to achieve fuel consumption figures of 10.7l/100km for a 2 250km round trip to the Eastern Cape.

Another 800km round trip to Bloemfontein resulted in a round 10l/100km, while the overall consumption over the almost 4 000km we covered stood at 11l/100km.

We were impressed with these numbers and when combined with the 150-litre fuel capacity (the 87-litre main tank is supplemented by a 63-litre sub tank), the Prado will give you a range of over 1 300km on a single fill.

Benefiting from the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension and Active Traction Control systems which enhance the Prado’s legendary off-road prowess, it does feel extremely planted on the tarmac.

This was no more evident than during a treacherous rain storm on the N1 north in the Free State which we had to contend with for almost two hours.

Apart from its wipers working overtime, the Prado hardly flinched and rolled through the eye of the storm like a well-oiled tank during Blitzkrieg.

While Toyota might not be considered a premium brand, the Prado’s interior – although a bit dated by now – is as close as the Japanese carmaker can come to offer premium luxury apart from the Land Cruiser 200 VX-L.

Our tester was clad in a black interior, consisting of black leather seats, soft-touch panels and steering wheel, complemented by a matte-finish walnut wood trim and brushed silver inlays.

Creature comforts include the upgraded 9-inch infotainment system with smartphone integration, 14-speaker audio system, moon roof, refrigerated centre console, heated and ventilated front seats and heated second row seats.

The Prado is a proper seven-seater in which the sliding second row can move forward to create more legroom for the two seats in the third row, but boot space is limited with those seats engaged.

Bearing a VX-L badge meant our Prado featured Toyota Safety Sense, which include pre-collision system, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure alert and rear cross traffic alert.

While the Prado is renowned for its four-wheel-drive capabilities, we did not take it overland or put the increased towing capacity of 3 000kg to the test, but we are certain the updated powerplant will boost both.

Priced at R1 127 900, the Prado 2.8L VX-L is not cheap. But, being uniquely positioned with no direct competitors in the local market space, the vehicle finds itself quite literally in a league of its own.

A league that will stay as solid as ever before the all-new Prado’s debut next year.