Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 3,0D VX-L

A facelift to the popular Prado sees zero in the way of mechanical changes … and that’s a good thing

R969 600

I13,09 sec 120 kw/400 N.m 180 km/h F there is a poster car out there for the “if it ain’t broke, don’t x it” maxim, it must surely be Toyota’s venerable Land Cruiser Prado. Known for its toughness and reliability, this J150-generation Prado has been around for nine years and has now undergone a second facelift. Yes, there are some who criticise Toyota for using older technology in certain of its products, but there is often good reason for that. Generally speaking, the Japanese automakers are a lot more mechanically cautious than European manufacturers and prefer to test and retest hardware before 12,24 L/100 km 226 g/km going into production. If it does a job, and does it well, they will take a lot of convincing to deviate from that winning formula.

As a buyer looking for a vehicle that will accomplish long journeys – often off-road – with impeccable reliability, the question you face is this: do you want to take a chance spending your money on something that is more ef cient, probably with more power, and quieter and more comfortable, but risk something going wrong? Or, should you play it safe and opt for well-tested technology in the expectation that it will outlast all the latest design fads?

Given the Prado’s popularity, clearly enough people favour option B, which is why Toyota’s trusted D-4D engine remains the engine choice for the Prado, as does a ve-speed conventional automatic gearbox. While six-, seven-, eight-, nine- or even 10-speed gearboxes are on offer these days, ve are often enough if the transmission is well tuned (and, of course, that doubles to 10 with the low-range ratios).