2007 Toyota Prado GX Turbo Diesel Road Test
17 Apr, 2007
46 Comments 
Toyota recently announced the addition of a 3.0-litre turbo-Diesel engine to its ranks. What’s so good about that I hear you ask? Well this turbo-Diesel motor is capable of returning a 9.2-litre/100km fuel efficiency figure – which for a vehicle that weighs just under two-tones, that’s not a bad feat.
With a 180-litre fuel tank (one of the biggest offered on an Australian production vehicle) the Toyota Landcruiser Prado Diesel is capable of traveling a solid 1656km on one tank of Diesel, that’s enough to get from Melbourne to Sydney and back again. I jumped into the GX base model for the week to see what the Prado was like around town and out bush.
The interior is pretty simple, there are plenty of blank buttons for higher models and there isn’t much in the way of luxuries. On the same hand though, you don’t really buy a vehicle like the Prado for luxurious motoring. There is a heap of room both for front and rear seat passengers, along with a very large glove box and centre console for storing odds and ends.
On road dynamics are far from spectacular, a higher centre of gravity, along with soft suspension certainly don’t help the fact. Toyota certainly didn’t try and hide the fact that there is a Diesel under the bonnet; the noise often overcomes that of trucks near by.
Around town, the Prado is quite easy to drive. The steering is assisted enough for tight parking and the turbo lag is kept to a minimum. After a moment of hesitation, a boot full of throttle will exert the Prado’s full 410Nm of torque at just 1600rpm, whilst the maximum 127kW of power occurs at 3400rpm.
Off road, the Prado is about as good as it gets. I took the Prado through some of the roughest territory on offer and it remained compliant the entire time. The plethora of torque available low in the rev range helps the Prado climb any hills it’s challenged with.
There are four models on offer in the Prado range – the GX (being test driven), GXL, VX and Grande. They are priced at $46,290, $54,290, $67,290 and $74,290 respectively, with the Diesel engine on offer for a $1000 premium. In my opinion, optioning the Diesel engine is the smartest move, considering the extra torque and fuel efficiency on offer.
Standard features in the GX model include: 17” steel wheels; power windows; power steering; 6-speaker sound system with single disc CD player; 3 seater for third row of seats; side steps; 6 cup holders; mud flaps; remote central locking; engine immobiliser and front driver and passenger SRS airbags.
The GX has an optional “Option Pack” on offer which includes ABS brakes, cruise control and leather bound steering wheel at additional cost. I think it’s quite a concern that the GX model doesn’t come standard with ABS brakes, considering the size of the vehicle; it could become quite dangerous in the wet without the assistance of ABS.
Aside from the lack of ABS as standard equipment, the new Toyota Landcruiser Prado is well equipped for a sub $50,000 vehicle. It performed nicely throughout the city and maintained composure off-road. Unless you’re planning to use this as a dedicated 4WD, I would head up in the product range to find one with a few more features, as the GX is pretty simple in terms of extras.
- Paul Maric
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April 17th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Nice review… any news on the next model? About time for a facelift!
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April 18th, 2007 at 9:16 am
Yeah looks like your typical farmers car !! I wonder how many of these will actually leave the city for the dirt roads and high mountain terrains?? You will proberly find most them in supermarket car parks or out the front of primary schools at 3.30pm but i have spotted the odd one on a country road ( Highway)…
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April 18th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Top report on a great vehicle,,,,,but
That powertrain needs to be in the Kluger, the Prado is still to much of a truck [unlike the Kluger].Its kinda in no_mans_land…
U got the 100 series for hard core 4×4′ing, and the Kluger for light duty/snow 4×4′ing but very car like, but sorrow no Diesel in it yet, while Prado tries to have a foot in each camp
O/A
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April 18th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
I swear I see at least 20 Prados everyday on the commute to work, and they are all in such pristine condition, having never seen a dirt track. Shame really, for such a competent off-road car, that their clutch will never feel the burn of getting stuck in the sand.
What gets me about this car is that they have this fantastic diesel engine (the same as the hilux if im not mistaken?) wrapped in metal that is almost 5 years old in design. Even the chassis is old (again, same as the hilux?). And the interior… evidently people seem to like its simplistic approach, but its looking dated.
I think the Prado is a better car mechanically, compared to something like a Pajero, but the Pajero just blows the Prado away in interior design and standard features.
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April 18th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
I reckon the Prado is a damn fine vehicle. The design is appealing, i love the interior and the drivetrains are great. I’ll buy a Prado over a direct competitor anyday.
The question i ask, how can you not like a Prado ?? although i do disagree with thier predominate suburbia use but that is not a fault of the car but stupid individuals.
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April 19th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
I bought a GXL Diesel Dec 2006 - traded a 3l GU Patrol.
It is comfortable, quiet, fuel efficent (around 10l/100Km) measured over about 10K Km (50% Highway, 35% Dirt Roads, 15% moderate offroad and Beach)
Good dirt road handling. Good on the beach. Not bad off road. Lots of aftermarket stuff available, but cannot find an HF aerial bracket for the rear.
A little short on clearance but mostly OK without a suspension lift.
You can’t blame the Prado for being a favourite Toorak Tractor…..
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May 3rd, 2007 at 5:11 pm
I have just bought ( a month ago ) a prado 2003 GXL 4.0 petrol after owning two pajeros peviously. the pajeros were fine cars,the last being a 1999 3.5 petrol auto in need of updating. The Pajero 2003 model never appealed to me due to the large rounded front gaurds interestingly not on the new model but out of my price range. this was the reason I looked at the prado,subsequently buying one.I was always impressed at how well the Pajero drove,until the prado.Talk about chalk & cheese, a smooth silky transmission with motor to match & a simple thing like gas struts to hold the bonnet up.
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May 5th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
yep, another manly piece of pig iron for the urban soccer mum who needs those big tyres to navigate through the terrain (traffic and pedestrians) to drop the kids off at school in the morning
apart from the stereotype, the prado’s are a surprsingly good vehicle for 4wding use. on my trip to fiji last christmas i took hire of one and it had all the off road performance of my uncles 06 land rover, for substantially less too.
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May 25th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
this is a fantastic car i love it.
for the toyota, this is the best. it is hard to pass without saying wowww
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June 5th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
I had a 4.0ltr Prado for 3 years and just ordered a D4D Prado. Will be 3 months before I get it. Excellent all rounder. I’ve used my current Prado offroad a lot and will do the same with the next one. I can only shake my head and chuckle at some of the comments. Sure, there are plenty of Prados relegated to “Toorak Tractor” duty or for the “Soccer Mum” set, but if you Drive a car such as a 280Z, sadly for you, you’re probably not going to be up at Fraser Island or out in the Simpson or any of the many many places these vehicles will take you. These are places where you will actually see a lot of Prados and other similar type vehicles that apparently never see dirt. But if you never never go, how could you even know? The Industry for aftermarket accessories could not possibly offer such a huge range of products for the Prado, if not many people used them for their intended purpose.
You probably only see them on the bitumen because, you probably never leave the bitumen…
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June 11th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
Did a trip up the Canning Stock Route last year in my Landrover Defender (fully tricked). The other vehicle was a Prado. I have to say it really earnt my respect as a confident & tough of-roader. I’ve traded my Landie & take delivery of the new 07 D4D Prado in two days time. And that’s after 20 years of Patrols/Landies. Damn good mix of civility & off-road ability.
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June 29th, 2007 at 1:46 am
Have just taken delivery of a new 07 D4D Prado - the fuel economy is amazing. Have done just over 3,000klms at an average of 9 litres/100ks - city and country driving. Planning on doing the Canning next year and am interested in Mike’s recommendation re suspension and tyre upgrades on the Prado, given his previous experience on the track in the Landie.
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July 1st, 2007 at 4:43 pm
It is a awesome car. I just love it.Thanks to toyota for taking such a nice car to us.
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July 3rd, 2007 at 9:16 pm
I ordered a Prado in May which was due for construction on the June production line for a delivery in late July or early August.
It’s now been pushed back to early September.
No complaints though.
It’s an upgrade model. On the GXL it will now have dual airconditioning, audio controls on the steering wheel and an exterior face lift to distinguish it from the current model.
I can’t wait !
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July 31st, 2007 at 7:58 pm
i purchased the new turbo deisel prado earlier this year . have since added d-tronic chip, old man emu full suspension upgrade, roller draws, arb bull bar and roof rack, cargo barrier, ipf extreme spotiies, uhf, gps and a fat set of mt rubber..there are plenty of upgrades available and she now go any where and regularly to the tip of qld
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August 15th, 2007 at 3:12 am
This is the worlds greatest car… i love this very much…this year this car will win a award ……..
this is an indian benz
Regards
Mohan Kumar G.K
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August 16th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
We did a around australia trip last year and in the kimberly’s we came across a bloke with a near new Toyota Prado it was fitted with a ARB Steel bull bar - the corrogations had caused the chassis to break / crack and you could see the engine through the gap as the bonnet gap opened up - he nursed the car into Broome and took it to a panel beater - the panel beaters response was ” thats the 4 th one I have had in here with the same fault in recent months all fitted with ARB Bull Bars” - Toyota did not want to know this Bloke - Since returning home I have searched the forums and found threads of the prado’s cracking with alloy bars - I have discovered they are the lightest 4×4 in the class and the front is built to comply with great crash test results - I will not buy a Prado - They make great Toorak Tractors not 4×4
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September 9th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Thinking of buying a 3litre Auto Prado Diesel and towing a 18Ft. Pop Top Caravan appreciate constructive feedback.
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September 12th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
I own a 6/07 D4D Prado with alloy bar that I recently drove across the Gibb & Tanami roads, towing a 900kg camper. We had 5 adults on board so it had a reasonable load. The car was brilliant on the bitumen and smooth dirt, and handled corrugations well at first, but became noticeably under damped in the front after 10 - 20 minutes or so. This was of some concern, but it did return to normal upon return to smoother conditions. Clearance is my main problem - I couldn’t go slow enough to ease over the rougher sections without ‘bouncing’& bottoming out- the belly tank & the transmission are quite low.
Compared to my ‘02 Patrol, the Prado hasn’t got the ground clearance needed for those conditions without a suspension upgrade, but I am worried about the reports of cracking. Can anyone tell me of an upgrade they have used without any probs?
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September 17th, 2007 at 2:53 am
oh yeah! everyday i travel to the city, everytime i see a PRADO, i always got late to where im going to, you know why? i just love this car, TOYOTA’s briliant design, sad to say i dont have one! its out of my budget! but soon!
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September 17th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
Hello from France !
I have been using Toyota Prados since 2002 and currently have a 2005 5 door automatic, with the 166HP 3.0 D4D diesel engine. Grade name is VXE for Europe which I believe is like GXL in Australia.
This car is just fantastic. Very smooth ride on road & highway but also extremely capable off-road. Like one might expect from a Toyota 4X4 vehicule. Sure this is not the 100LC but still very capable offroad — and lighter and more econonical ! Also reliable like a toyota.
Clearance is a concern which I solved a year ago by purchasing OME shock absorbers and King Spring coils to upgrade the suspension : outcome very positive on tough tracks.
Cheers
/Fred
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October 10th, 2007 at 7:52 am
HELLO I’M FROM KUWAIT I NEED NEW PRADO GX FULL OPTION 2007
DEISEL
TALL ME DE PRICE END FOR SENDING FROM BURKINA FASO
TOTAL PRICE
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October 10th, 2007 at 7:52 am
PRICE PLZ
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October 10th, 2007 at 7:54 am
merci
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October 23rd, 2007 at 2:42 am
I drove the 4litre 2yrs ago in Oz it was great. Not many of these in the Uk nobody like sthem much they all prefer the Range Rovers and RR Sports and a few Discos.
The diesels best here with fuel at $2.40 per litre..money grabbing gov’ment
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October 31st, 2007 at 9:53 pm
I run a vehicle repair shop & service a few late model prados.One came in with a noise in the left front,on inspection i found the chassis cracked on both sides where the bullbar mounts.This vehicle was ex gov & had a genuine toyota bullbar fitted.As it only had only done 40,000km i sent customer back to toyota to fix problem.Toyota done background search & informed customer that the bullbar was not fitted from new when ordered.With a few negotiations, all was fixed 50-50.I’ve since had the vehicle back & had a look at the repairs & i must say,TOP JOB.There is a whole new mounting bracket system with better supports.
I hope this info helps.
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November 1st, 2007 at 2:02 am
toyota diesel truck 2007…
For me, the best car speakers are neither too heavy on the bass nor too heavy on the treble….
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November 26th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
I just sold my 2003 pajero turbo diesel exceed and bought a Toyota Prado gxl D4D. I also in past years had 5 Land cruisers and 2 Hiluxes. To compare the Paj and the Prado, I get about the same fuel economy. Prado suspension still feels a bit like rubber bands for shocks compared to the Paj.that had excellent road handling. Prado, a big plus is much quieter on the road, but Toyota always seem to play catchup on safety features and little extras, but always ahead in the price department, more bucks for everything.
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February 4th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I took delivery of an Auto, diesel powered Prado in December 2005.
The vehicle originally came with a factory fitted alloy bull bar but I replaced that with a TJM heavy duty steel bar, also replaced the rear shock absorbers with TJM HD shocks.
Fitted a set of drawers from “The Dept of the Interior” at Carlton, Sydney plus an overhead console to house the radio,a mesh screen behind the rear seat and a TJM snorkle.
A 12V air compressor was mounted under the bonnet and is used to re-inflate tyres after beach driving etc.
Our first major trip in company of two mates and towing a trailer was to Karumba via the Darling, Camerons Corner, Moomba, Birdsville etc.
We “did Big Red” the iconic sand hill outside Birdsville and had no problems getting over it once we deflated the tyres to increase the footprint of the tyres.
Performance? Cannot fault the Prado either for city driving or outback although the increased cost of diesel fuel since I bought the vehicle would make me think twice about having another diesel. The 180 L fuel tank is great for long trips.
My last three 4WD’s were Pajeros and I agree that they were more attractive in terms of interior fitments etc but I was finally swayed by the Prado having a full steel chassis instead of the Monocoque construction of the Pajero.
And no I did not get anywhere near the fuel consumption claimed by Toyota. Best was 1l litres/100kms and up to 17/100 fully loaded and towing the trailer.
The one thing that I do not like about Toyota is their arrogance as market leaders. I had occasion to lodge a serious complaint about Stuart Toyota, Kirrawee to Toyota head office. They did not even bother to reply.
Ironically I received a phone call from the dealers newly appointed PR person some time later enquiring whether I was happy with the dealers service etc. Told her the story about my complaint, never heard from her again.
By contrast the Pajero dealer that I dealt with for many years was first class. Now taken over by Tynan motors I purchased my wife’s new Honda from Tynan’s (local agents for Mitsubishi,Mercedes,Honda)and could not be happier with their attitude and service.
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February 11th, 2008 at 12:19 am
Hank, the reason your fuel consumption figure does not match the claimed figure in this article, is because you have the old 3.0 Diesel, not the d-4d diesel!!
Since you gotyour Prado in 2005 you have the 1KZ-TE, and not the 1KD-FTV d-4d engine!! the new d-4d has 30% more power and 410nm of torgue. And roughly 2 Liter less fuel consumption per 100km…
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February 25th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
We have just taken delivery of 2008 gxl parado d4d. has done only 200 kls and engine constantly and noisely rattles along in low gear - very annoying - and very disappointing - being a new vehicle is bad publicity for Toyota. Had 2003 100 series diesel landcruiser and had no end of trouble with the vehicle AND Toyota head office. Couldn’t even get past phone receptionist at head office - neither could dealer I purchased it from who finally threw up their hands and would not do any more warranty work on it. Will NEVER buy Toyota again mainly because of their arrogance and complete disregard for their customers. Also been told by fuel dealership that diesel fuel in Australia is less a quality as buying in third world country. Is this true? If so what are we all doing about it ? nothing as is the australian way I suppose - she’ll be right mate
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March 20th, 2008 at 11:26 am
The distance calculation is wrong.
Total km’s = (tank capacity / ltrs per 100kms) * 100
The forumla they used calculating ‘km’s = ltrs per 100kms * Tank capacity’ is wrong.
If the Prado has a fuel economy of 9.2per 100km, thats a total distance of 1956km. A whopping 300km more!
Good review. Mine arrives in June. Can’t wait to hit the NT.
Cheers,
Chris
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April 23rd, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Bought a 2001 3L Turbo Diesel new and had it for 5 years. Never had a single problem with it. Lots of off road varying in difficulty and daily work. Sold it at 175,000km with it having retained over $50% of the original purchase price. Got to be happy with that! New D4D arrives on the 15th of April with added bonus from Toyota of all programed services to 60,000 km subsidised at $180/service. Was going to put an ARB Deluxe Steel Bar on it, but having read about front end chasis cracks on this web site, I am now having second thoughts.
As I already have a WARN winch. Toyota tell me it is not compatible with their genuine bar. Does any one have any suggestions for good alloy option which will house a WARN winch?
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May 2nd, 2008 at 3:16 pm
When will be the mext new model release? This one is far too low spec and the interior is even worse than Subaru. New Pajero is not doing well with its new Diesel engine, I guess a new model of Prado will be a killer to its opponent, if it gets it right.
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May 4th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
I have a 2008 GXL Prado & have noticed that the oil light stays on for 3 seconds after the engine starts, I have never before had a vehicle that takes this long for the oil pressure to come up. Toyota say this is acceptable, can other Prado owners tell if this is the same case with their vehicles ?
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May 6th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Weirluo?? Low Spec? What the hell you on about??
There is 5 spec levels to choose from!!
Wayne I also have a 2008 Prado, and the lights remaining on for 3 seconds is normal. Same thing happens to pretty much all new cars!!
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June 4th, 2008 at 3:56 am
Mike here from Cape town South Africa I am looking at buying a prado d4d and am wondering if all u people are from ozz as I would like someone to tell me what the kw output is as it seems our d4d in Sa has a lot less kw to yours in ozz can anyone help me
cheers from Mike in sunny and beautifull South Africa where men are men and shhep dont have to be scared ha ha
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June 15th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Mike, The D4d has 127kw and 410 nm and an ADR fuel consumption of 9.2l/100km.
Are you sure you are referring to the 1KD-FTV D4D 3.0L Diesel
?? And not the older KZ-TE 3.0L non-d4d engine?
Because I’m certain all the d4d 1KD-FTV Prados have the same power output world wide. But the older 3.0L non-d4d disesl had 30% less power and 2.0L higher fuel consumption?
Here in australia the Newer 1KD-FTV engine was introduced in 2006.
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June 28th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I bought my 08/07 D4D Auto Diesel in Dec’07. It is mainly and urban car but have done 3 weekends away in 4WD country. Can anyone tell my why we have high rev’s @ 2700 rpm’s or more on the highway when we are travelling at 100k’s or more? The engine sounds like it is over revving and in 3rd gear. Our local dealer doesn’t want to know about it - it this normal?
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June 29th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Hmmm… Phil that doesnt sound right.
I’m reving at around 1900rpm when sitting on 100Km/h.
You should certainly force the dealer to check it out!!
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June 29th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Phil5, also feel free to consult the people at Pradopoint.com
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July 1st, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I’ve been searching hard for 4×4…dual cab to wags all sorts. on budget..10grand mark. from pats lux’s, pathies, jacks pajs navs landies…each to there own. But the rodeo seemed to sounds pretty tops for me. in effiency, 4×4, not too hard core…then prado started sounding good..until this site..with the chassie thing. if anyone can compare the two cars for me with experience, i would highly appreciate it. thanks
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July 23rd, 2008 at 7:35 pm
I have a 12/2007 D4D and have never been able to get 9.2 l/100kms. Spec is 9.3 but I nearly always get 10l/100k’s. Interesting to note that my brother’s Prado uses 2-3 litres/100ks more on the bitumen but in the sand I get about 5% better fuel economy. I have the 5 speed auto and he has he 5 sp manual. Not sure if that is the issue.
I have a few problems (now have 70,000 kms on the clock)and would be interested if anyone else has the same problem or can advise of the fix:
(1) alternater only gives 13.4v to charge the battery and the smart battery isolator changes over at 13.6v sot he second battery never gets a charge. Had to remove the smart charger and install a relay hooked to the ignition.
(2) really bad rattle on start up when its cold (5 deg C), had to wait till the temp gauge started to move and the noise goes away. Thought it would damage the motor so I had to stop and wait for it to settle. Took about 10 mins.
(3) hard to refuel, after 110 litres it blows back and looks like a ‘vapour lock’, takes 30 mins to fill the last 60 or more litres. Most anying as it blows back in your face with lots of bubbles.
(4) stalls after running for 10 seconds, then had to start but runs OK on the second attempt. Happens mostly after a long run (100kms or more).
ta
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July 24th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I am a Kenyan businesman seriouly looking for either a good second hand Toyota Prado GX Model or Toyota Fortuner. Please advice on the detail charges up to the Port of Mombasa.
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August 6th, 2008 at 12:03 am
I bought a Prado 3.0 diesel new in 2005 and it has been the best vehicle ever. Live in Botswana with serious off road conditions and this vehicle performs excellent. Good service from the local Toyota Dealership as well. Seriously one of the better cars available today. Can not wait for a new model.
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September 30th, 2008 at 5:29 am
This vehicle is amazing. I use it in the Caribbean, and I’m a member of an off-roading club. It really is an amazing vehicle, both off the road and on the road. Thumbs Up!
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