Toyota ups Prado safety spec

SAFETY first as Toyota upgrades its Prado with more improvements, some styling tweaks and only minor price rises for the second time in a year.

Externally there is not much difference – the newly styled alloy wheels and a chrome grille for one grade – while buyers should be more attracted to the active safety technology that is now standard on entry-level versions.

All Prados now get the high-end safety kit previously reserved for the more expensive grades, including blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert as standard on GX and GXL.

These join the existing Toyota Safety Sense features of high-speed active cruise control, lane-departure alert with steering assistance, and the pre-collision safety system with day/night pedestrian and daytime cyclist detection.

The entry-level GX grade has more premium exterior appointments with a chrome-accented grille and puddle lamps.

Toyota’s upper-level VX and Kakadu variants now come with larger 19-inch alloy wheels with a new “Active” design for the VX and a “Prestige” design for the Kakadu.

For buyers that don’t need the larger fuel capacity and prefer a tailgate without the spare wheel, all variants except the GX can be specified with the flat tailgate option pack.

This reduces the fuel capacity to 87 litres from 150 litres and moves the full-size spare tyre from the tailgate to under the body of the vehicle. For people wanting a rugged tow vehicle, the Prado is rated at 3000kg.

The Prado upgrades follow a more comprehensive expansion of the standard feature list made in August last year.

Prices have hitched up slightly, with $990 added to the GX and GXL to make them $60,830 and $67,530 plus on-road costs respectively. The VX and Kakadu are both up $777, now $77,157 and $87,807 respectively, plus costs.

Toyota Australia vice president sales, marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley said the safety of all Toyota customers was of utmost importance.

"We are committed to ensuring our customers benefit from the peace of mind that comes with the latest advanced safety features," he said.

"These safety updates, along with the range of visual enhancements, ensure there has never been a better time to explore Australia's vast backyard in a Prado."

There are no changes to the drivetrain, with all Prado grades retaining the 150kW/500Nm 2.8-litre turbo-diesel and mated to the only transmission offered, a six-speed automatic.

Toyota’s large-size 4WD wagon has been the most popular in its segment for the past 11 of its 13-year history.

It is odds-on to continue that in 2021. Year-to-date sales to June 30 show the Prado has sold 10,171 units in the six months, up 17.8 per cent on its 2020 results.

It is the clear sales winner in its segment, with the second-placed Subaru Outback reporting 4820 sales, less than half that of the Prado.