Toyota LandCruiser fans rejoice!
Along with news that the new 70 Series LandCruiser is on its way to Australia, an all-new generation of the Prado – or the 250 Series as it’s known in other markets – was recently unveiled and is due here in mid-2024.
However, with LandCruiser order books full to bursting and delays to new-vehicle delivery blowing out customer wait-times, does the current seven-seat Prado represent your better option to climb into one of these comfortable adventure vehicles?
We tested an up-spec Prado Kakadu over seven days, on- and off-road, to give you a clear idea of what the outgoing 4WD wagon is like.
Price and features of the 2023 Toyota Prado Kakadu
The Kakadu has a price as listed of $87,468*, excluding on-road costs. (*Correct at time of writing.)
Standard features include a 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system (including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and sat-nav), three-zone climate control air conditioning, JBL 14-speaker sound system, a rear-seat Blu-ray DVD player with 9.0-inch screen and three wireless headsets, button-operated third-row power-folding seats, panoramic-view monitor, tilt-and-slide moonroof, and 19-inch alloy wheels.
It has a premium woodgrain-look power-adjustable steering wheel with paddle shifters, leather-accented, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-range 4WD, as well as 4WDing-suitable driver-assist systems, such as crawl control and multi-terrain select (both for off-roading), adaptive variable suspension (with three modes: comfort, normal and sport), rear air suspension and Toyota’s Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS).
Driver-assist tech includes Toyota Safety Sense (including Pre-Collision Safety System with Pedestrian Detection, High Speed Active Cruise Control, and more).
A flat tailgate pack (which moves the full-size spare wheel from the rear door to the Prado’s underbody) is available for the Kakadu – and as you’ll notice from the images with this story, our test vehicle has it. (Note: choosing this option reduces onboard fuel capacity from 150 litres to 87 litres, because the 63-litre sub tank is removed so the spare tyre can be fitted underneath the vehicle.)
Kakadu interior seat trim choices are beige leather accented or black leather accented.
Exterior paint choices include Graphite, Espresso Brown, Glacier White, Crystal Pearl, Silver Pearl, Peacock Black, Eclipse Black, Ebony, Wildfire and Dusty Bronze (premium paint, on our test vehicle). Premium paint costs $675 extra.
Toyota offers bundled packs of accessories, which incorporate several accessories to suit your particular lifestyle: the Adventure Pack includes an alloy bull bar (commercial), light bar (fitting kit sold separately), snorkel, roof rack with alloy roof tray (both sold separately), weather-shields (left and right sold separately); and the Weekend Getaways pack, which includes a nudge bar (black), light bar (fitting kit sold separately), bonnet protector (tinted), roof racks with bike carrier (both sold separately), tow bar, tow ball and trailer wiring harness.
The flat tailgate Kakadu is 4825mm long (4995mm with tyre mounted on the tailgate), 1885mm wide, 1880mm high, and it has a kerb weight of 2290kg (2350kg for the standard Prado).
The 2024 Prado has an identical wheelbase to the 300 Series (2850mm), so it’s 60mm longer than the current Prado’s wheelbase.
That next-generation Prado will reportedly measure 4925mm long, 1980mm wide and 1870mm high, so it’s 100mm longer, 95mm wider and 20mm taller than the current Prado.
The Prado’s interior is comfortably familiar, however, while it is plush, functional and very comfortable, it is feeling a bit old.
The front seats are heated, ventilated and power-adjustable and the driver and front passenger have easy access to the 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system, which is simple enough to operate, as well as the usual complement of cupholders (two in front of the centre console) and USB charge points, as well as the refrigerated cool box that replaces the centre console.
The Kakadu has three-zone climate control.
Floor mats in the Kakadu are carpet, not the all-weather rubber mats that you get in lower-spec Prados.
The second-row is a 40/20/40 sliding split and the outer seats are heated. Second-row passengers get directional air vents, fan and temp controls, seat-heating controls, 12V point (all in the rear of the centre console), and a fold-down centre arm-rest with built-in dual cupholder.
The second-row seats have three top-tether points and two ISOFIX locations. There are mesh map pockets on the driver and front passenger seat-backs.
The third-row seats – in a 50/50 split fold-flat configuration – are button-operated and power-folding. Passengers have a cupholder each, as well as air vents and a speaker mounted nearby. They also have a clear view of the 9.0-inch ceiling-mounted DVD screen.
With the third-row seats in use, boot space is listed as 104 litres.
If not in use, the rear-most seats can be power-folded away at the press of a button and the area used for luggage, concealed by a retractable cargo blind. With the third row stowed away, there’s a claimed 553 litres of cargo space.
With the second and third rows stowed away, there’s a claimed 974 litres available.
The Kakadu has a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine – producing 150kW at 3000-3400rpm and 500Nm at 1600-2800rpm – and that’s matched to a six-speed automatic transmission. This is a solid not dynamic combination.
Our test Prado has a full-time four-wheel drive system with high- and low-range.
For your reference, the next-generation Prado will feature five powertrains globally, however, Australia will only get a 48-volt mild-hybrid version of the current model’s 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (150kW and 500Nm), with identical power and torque outputs as the existing engine.
The new hybrid engine will be matched to a new eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.
The next-generation Prado will have full-time all-wheel drive, a low-range transfer case, a centre diff lock, a electronic locking rear diff and a button-operated swaybar disconnect system – not Toyota’s KDSS – aimed at yielding improved wheel travel while off-roading.
The Prado has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2011, but that rating expired at the end of 2022 and Toyota has no plans to re-test this generation.
The Prado has seven airbags, three top-tether points and two ISOFIX locations in the second row, and is stacked with driver-assist tech including pre-collision avoidance with AEB, high-speed active cruise control, lane-departure alert with steering assistance, automatic high beam, road sign assist and more.
The Prado has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.
Maintenance is scheduled for every six months or 10,000km, whichever comes first.
Every new Prado comes with capped price servicing of $260 per service up to the three-year mark, for a total of $1560 over three years.
Driving the 2023 Toyota Prado Kakadu
The Kakadu is an easy-driving and very comfortable 4WD wagon.
It’s also very quiet inside the Prado.
Steering can feel a bit floaty if you’re used to a more tightly controlled vehicle, but the driver can dial-in their position as the steering wheel is electric tilt-and-telescopic adjustable.
The Kakadu has a 11.6m turning circle and feels nimble around town.
The 2.8 litre turbo-diesel engine and transmission pairing is an almost sluggish combination, yielding a relaxed drive experience, but acceleration is strong enough to nudge the Prado off the mark and get it moving at pace to overtake.
Brakes – all ventilated discs – were able to bring the 2.3 tonne Prado to a sharp controlled stop on dry and wet bitumen.
One of the Kakadu’s major points of difference with lower-spec Prados is that it has Toyota’s Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), which helps to iron out most ride and handling irregularities. KDSS hydraulically alters tension on the sway bars to suit the terrain; on-road, it tightens them for reduced body roll and more dynamic handling, and off-road it loosens them for greater wheel travel in order to further improve performance.
The Kakadu also has adaptive variable suspension which can be set to one of three modes (comfort, normal or sport) via an in-cabin switch to help dial-in smooth and well-sorted ride and handling; and its height-adjustable rear air suspension with switchable low, normal or high modes.
The Kakadu’s Dunlop Grandtrek AT30 tyres (265/55 R19) are well-suited to on-road driving, but fall a bit short, performance-wise, when 4WDing.
The Kakadu managed well when driven along the rain-gouged and rutted dirt track leading to our 4WD testing ground.
KDSS deserves a lot of the credit for this Prado’s controlled ride and handling, loosening swaybars to suit the terrain, allowing axles full-stretch articulation as required. And that’s very handy at low speeds when sustaining safe and controlled momentum via maximised traction is the goal.
And this was even more evident when I tackled my favourite set-piece rocky hill-climbs.
The Kakadu trucked over the undulating ground at low revs and with wheels dipping and rising as appropriate. Wheel travel in a standard Prado is fine, but the KDSS-equipped Kakadu gets even more flex on the move.
It conquered everything with impressive ease, only ever scrambling momentarily for grip because of its tyres – swap those with a decent set of all-terrains and a great off-roader becomes even better.
Steering retains a nice balance at low speeds, throttle response is good (not touchy over bumpy terrain), the driver has plenty of visibility (crucial for low-range highly technical 4WDing that relies so heavily on choosing the correct line) and the Kakadu’s dimensions offer off-road angles – of 30.4 degrees (approach), 21.2 (ramp-over) and 23.5 (departure) – that are good for an SUV wagon which is comfortable in urban environments.
The Kakadu has plenty of torque across a wide rev range, and front, centre and rear locking differentials so it’s near unbeatable for the majority of 4WDing that most of us will ever want to do in our family tourer.
It also has a raft of driver-assist tech, including crawl control (low-speed low-range cruise control/traction control with five selectable speeds), and Multi-Terrain Select (with off-road driving modes that adjust steering, throttle and traction control to suit the terrain you’re on, e.g. rock and dirt, mud and sand etc).
Towing capacity is 750kg (unbraked) and 3000kg (braked).
The Kakadu has a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 2990kg and a GCM (gross combined mass) of 5990kg.
For reference, towing capacity on the 2024 Prado is tipped to be 3500kg (braked), but, at time of writing, this was unconfirmed.
The Prado has an offical fuel consumption of 7.9L/100km (on a combined cycle).
I recorded 13.4L/100km on this test, but the Prado never seemed to have to work hard, even during difficult low-range 4WDing.
It has 87L fuel tank capacity – that’s 63 litres less than any Prado that does not have the flat tailgate* – and going by our on-test fuel-consumption figure you could reasonably expect a full-tank driving range of about 650km. (* Note: The Prado with the rear-mounted spare has a 150-litre tank so, based on my fuel figures, you could reasonably expect about 1120km from a full tank.)
What we think of the 2023 Toyota Prado Kakadu
The Kakadu treatment adds a welcome layer of prestige to the Prado which, even in lower-spec variants, is a functional, comfortable daily driver and a very capable 4WD tourer.
But this flat-tailgate Kakadu loses some adventure appeal due to that fact it doesn’t have the extra fuel capacity of a Prado with a tailgate-mounted spare.
Sure, the next-generation Prado will look very different and is tipped to have features not onboard the current Prado, but it'll also have a mild-hybrid 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine, producing the same power and torque as the current Prado.
If you do opt for a lower-spec current-generation Prado you’ll miss out on some nice Kakadu features – such as KDSS – but it’ll still be a Prado. Money saved can be spent on aftermarket gear to fit out your new adventure machine.