Good review Dom, you make some very valid points regarding towing boats / caravans etc. Very surprised to see that even this modern Prado struggles to tow on the freeway. At least you stayed in the far left lanes... As for your points about driving on single lane highways, that is exactly right. When people are well under the speed limit it does cause additional stress for other drivers on the road. Keep up the good reviews mate!
Well you should not be going fast when towing on a single lane. I tow a boat and when I look in my mirror. And see someone behind me even if it's only one car. Guess what I do. Yes I pull over in the next lay by and let them past. Unlike them caravan and motor home drivers. I look at it like this I am on a jolly I am in no rush at all. The driver behind me is going to work /picking the kids up or just trying to make a living. V6 not the answer. you can get the 2.8 engine re-mapped to give a wee bit more power.
Great honest review...covered the good aspects of the vehicle & the negatives, now the buyer can decide. Good car, as long as your not towing more than 1200kg. So box trailer, bike trailer, ski boat etc is fine, anything heavier and I am constantly swearing in my Prado up hills
I drove a 2016, 2.8td and pulled a 1.8t off-road van around Victoria over Christmas (Grampians included). Yes the Freeway power could be better but off road and on slower unsealed roads it was perfect. Never missed a beat, never dangerous and came in at 12.5 lts . The test run around Sydney and up to the Central coast and back does have a whopper of a hill going over Mount White. Loaded trucks and cars of all capability slow to well below the limit on that stretch so not really a big deal if that’s the benchmark. Mud carters in Sydney slow down for nothing and can constantly drive above the legal 100k limit for a towing vehicle in NSW (how I wonder) so not really concerned about that if you note that he easily passes a truck on the freeway. I drive over Mt White every few days without a tow and never have a problem with power or speed. Remember that most people only tow at weekends or during holidays. What would you rather drive daily to work? Only my opinion based on my experience with 95k on the clock.. Cheers
BMW X3 30d has a 3.0L 6-cyl turbo diesel engine which produces 195kW power and 620Nm torque. Even if Toyota can provide a modest 3.0L V6 turbo diesel engine which can produce 160kW power and 500Nm torque to the Prado, it will be a winner.
not really. here in Europe Prado power is enough for most. We dont have huge distance to cover except if you really want to do an European tour :D. Also if you in Eastern Europe you dont have much of a highway, and most of roads pass trough towns so you cant even hit 100. We also look for the fuel consumption and engine size.In some countries are high taxes when you pass the 2l engine.
Finally!!! An honest review of the Prado 150. The tow capacity of previous 150 iterations @2.5T may be conservative to some but it really does reflect the vehicle's up-hill towing capability; here no arguing the Prado is built tough but it simply does not have enough power! I tow an 18ft boat and, in standard form, the Prado really struggles. I can't believe Toyota have facelifted yet another 150, without really addressing the powertrain. For me, modifying the car with chip and exhaust has rectified this limitation to a tolerable standard. Maybe an intentional marketing strategy to differentiate the 200 series, but still, like the reviewer suggests, there's a mid-way compromise. As a self-confessed Prado 'fanboy' I am holding on to hope that Toyota will deliver. Dear Toyota, your 150 has survived a decade. Please, no more facelifts. Reward our loyalty with something a little more exciting.
Wow even with your foot flat you were struggling to maintain speed....130KW is no where near enough for this sort of car. I would not consider such a vehicle unfortunately.
Matt Smith I agree, I bought a new Pajero Sport it is not a good car for towing even my small caravan. The engine is only a 2.4 diesel not enough power. Very disappointed.
Could you please do the same uphill climb test with the 2021 Prado that has the updated engine with 500 Nm of torque, to see if has enough to maintain pace with the rest of traffic?
Thanks for the review, definitely helps my decision on buying the Prado - 2.8litre turbo diesel is a bit disappointing considering you are almost paying $70k for the top of the range Kakadu!
Though a nice car, Toyota went backwards putting a smaller engine in the Prado and deleting the great v6 completely. Will be keeping my v6 120 series for good until it dies
So I've got a GX470 here in the US and even though its got 196 kw of power I can tell you I wouldn't try and push the 3 Tonne tow rating. It tows my 1.6T caravan over mountain passes like it was nothing, but I can't imagine trying to do double that. Granted the speed limit here is nearly 130 kph and we are kind of used to keeping up with at least 110 kph traffic over mountain passes so its probably a little different. I guess thats what Im getting at, even though I'm sure the car can handle the weight those kinds of power figures would NEVER pass muster in the US. Still, I get 14.5L/100 without a trailer (on a good day) so I guess its all about tradeoffs (many conversions were made in this comment) EDIT: since I posted this I have pulled 3 Tonne on short drives and you know what? it wasn't bad at all. Very stable and probably enough power to maintain decent pace in the mountains. I was a little surprised actually.
Great honest review! Hopefully Toyota listen and develop a V6 using the 1VD architecture to make a 3.4 turbo diesel. Otherwise more customers will go for Everest’s.
Couldn’t agree more about towing on the freeway. Love the design of the current gen but do miss the 4LV6. Cmon Toyota, give us a TDV6 or the petrol 4.6!
Took a 2t caravan from Brisbane to Melbourne and went through the snowys on the way back. Did not experience any issues and was able to maintain speed with traffic. Mine is the 2013 3ltr version.
Loved my 150 but had to sell it as it really struggled towing my boat. I would buy another one in a heartbeat if Toyota upgraded it to a 6 cylinder turbo diesel.
It might be doing 20mph below speed limit but it would still get you there quicker than my old Range Rover….who would have broken down long before the top pf the hill. Haha I love my new Land Cruiser. :)
Thank you for you honest review. Not enough journos are doing towing tests. I bought a new Pajero Sport it’s towing capability is woeful even with my small caravan in tow. I am very disappointed with the car.
A 3.0L Turbo Diesel V6 would suit this car so much better than the 4cyl. Then it would be able to compete with cars such as the LR 4 etc. Nice car non the less.
Not too many modern caravans are under 2000kgs. All big semi trucks travelling uphill from the Mooney Mooney bridge are crawling up that big hill going way less than 25kph under the speed limit. So what makes the Prado worse than them? Also most towed caravans travelling up that hill are not doing anywhere near the speed limit.
Good honest review and totally agree the motor is undercooked for towing. It’s your test boat was 1900kg - imagine towing the rates 3000kg !!! Downright stupid idea and should not be done unless in a 200 series.
At 4:59 you're showing the speed at 85km/h but the "eco" light is on. Your obviously not trying very hard to keep to the speed limit. Be careful you don't get sued by Toyota. When reversing you stop when the red line on the camera is in line with the top of the couplings handle.
You gotta wonder why manufacturers don't adequately power vehicles. And its not emissions related. For decades they give buyers bigger vehicles with tiny outputs. Every person I know would gladly buy a larger turbo diesel and live with higher fuel consumption if they had a choice.
ToddHendry nah I get why they don't offer petrols in big 4WDs. Its because they chew fuel like crazy and no one really buys them even if they're cheaper. The cost to keep tooling and manufacturing them in tiny numbers outweighs the sales so it gets the chop.
Your expecting petrol performance from a deisel, i just towed 1.5t of boat and trailer from canberra to north qld. over 2000km and never had a issue, it slowed down over some hills but i averaged 12.5lt per 100km on that trip. Thats over 200lt or $300 of fuel saved compared to the cars that you say were 17lt per 100km talking about being slow on hills creates dangerous driving condition is just bad reporting and lies. Once i was up the hills i was easily driving at the speed limit and had heaps of power to over take truck and caravners. Maintaining the speed limit was not an issue when not climbing decent hills.
Sorry but I don't agree. It wasn't long ago we were towing boats like this with 2.8 turbo Nissan Patrols or 4.2 Cruisers that couldn't pull a sailor off your sister. I think you should try that same hill with a Mits Triton ute and see how you go. This motor pulls better than my GU 3.0 Nissan Patrol with auto box.
If they try and pass in areas its unsafe to do so... on their heads be it. All you could do in that situation is be mindful of what is behind you and pull in when conditions allow, and let the build up behind you carry on. Though this 2.8 engine is very under powered for the this car. There are smaller capacity diesel engines in use that outperform this one in power, torque, and fuel efficiency. Toyota need to seriously upgrade this.
Hope Toyota engineers are seeing this review and realizing how much under powered their diesel engines are...come on Toyota you are the world's best automotive innovators listen to your customers who are demanding for more power don't turn a blind eye on them or better just borrow engines from BMW
Toyota will never up date a bigger engine in the Prado it will affect sales on the bigger brother land cruiser the 2.8 lt d4 diesel is only ok in the hilux because its weight being a lot lighter then the Prado.A 150 kw and 500nm plus power would be nice in the Prado.
Good review Dom, you make some very valid points regarding towing boats / caravans etc. Very surprised to see that even this modern Prado struggles to tow on the freeway. At least you stayed in the far left lanes... As for your points about driving on single lane highways, that is exactly right. When people are well under the speed limit it does cause additional stress for other drivers on the road. Keep up the good reviews mate!
Well you should not be going fast when towing on a single lane. I tow a boat and when I look in my mirror. And see someone behind me even if it's only one car. Guess what I do. Yes I pull over in the next lay by and let them past. Unlike them caravan and motor home drivers. I look at it like this I am on a jolly I am in no rush at all. The driver behind me is going to work /picking the kids up or just trying to make a living. V6 not the answer. you can get the 2.8 engine re-mapped to give a wee bit more power.
Great honest review...covered the good aspects of the vehicle & the negatives, now the buyer can decide. Good car, as long as your not towing more than 1200kg. So box trailer, bike trailer, ski boat etc is fine, anything heavier and I am constantly swearing in my Prado up hills
one of the most honest review i've seen..well done and keep it up!
I drove a 2016, 2.8td and pulled a 1.8t off-road van around Victoria over Christmas (Grampians included). Yes the Freeway power could be better but off road and on slower unsealed roads it was perfect. Never missed a beat, never dangerous and came in at 12.5 lts . The test run around Sydney and up to the Central coast and back does have a whopper of a hill going over Mount White. Loaded trucks and cars of all capability slow to well below the limit on that stretch so not really a big deal if that’s the benchmark. Mud carters in Sydney slow down for nothing and can constantly drive above the legal 100k limit for a towing vehicle in NSW (how I wonder) so not really concerned about that if you note that he easily passes a truck on the freeway.
I drive over Mt White every few days without a tow and never have a problem with power or speed. Remember that most people only tow at weekends or during holidays. What would you rather drive daily to work?
Only my opinion based on my experience with 95k on the clock..
Cheers
Definitely agree with the 6 cylinder diesel!
Good, honest appraisal of the Prado as a tow vehicle
Are you listening to this Toyota? Prado is in need of a bigger capacity V6 turbo diesel engine.
noodlefoo yes agree. 200 series body is too big for everyone but Prado motor is disappointing.
BMW X3 30d has a 3.0L 6-cyl turbo diesel engine which produces 195kW power and 620Nm torque.
Even if Toyota can provide a modest 3.0L V6 turbo diesel engine which can produce 160kW power and 500Nm torque to the Prado, it will be a winner.
not really. here in Europe Prado power is enough for most. We dont have huge distance to cover except if you really want to do an European tour :D.
Also if you in Eastern Europe you dont have much of a highway, and most of roads pass trough towns so you cant even hit 100.
We also look for the fuel consumption and engine size.In some countries are high taxes when you pass the 2l engine.
excesshottest that’s in Europe. We’re talking Australian environment and the type of usage.
excesshottest Even a Outlander DI-D with 150HP/110KW with 360NM is enough for us Europeans.
Finally!!! An honest review of the Prado 150. The tow capacity of previous 150 iterations @2.5T may be conservative to some but it really does reflect the vehicle's up-hill towing capability; here no arguing the Prado is built tough but it simply does not have enough power! I tow an 18ft boat and, in standard form, the Prado really struggles. I can't believe Toyota have facelifted yet another 150, without really addressing the powertrain. For me, modifying the car with chip and exhaust has rectified this limitation to a tolerable standard. Maybe an intentional marketing strategy to differentiate the 200 series, but still, like the reviewer suggests, there's a mid-way compromise. As a self-confessed Prado 'fanboy' I am holding on to hope that Toyota will deliver. Dear Toyota, your 150 has survived a decade. Please, no more facelifts. Reward our loyalty with something a little more exciting.
Why can't we get this type of towing review for every vehicle? Honest no bullshit review.
That is a great review. Honest and concise.
Wow even with your foot flat you were struggling to maintain speed....130KW is no where near enough for this sort of car. I would not consider such a vehicle unfortunately.
Matt Smith I agree, I bought a new Pajero Sport it is not a good car for towing even my small caravan. The engine is only a 2.4 diesel not enough power. Very disappointed.
we got the 4.6 v8 in the lexus here state side. Its a dream.
No they don't anymore here in Australia
I would, but i would MORE if it had a diesel V6.
I love this guy because he is very honest. I will buy Audi Q7 v6 or Toyota Sahara v8 thank you so much.
Could you please do the same uphill climb test with the 2021 Prado that has the updated engine with 500 Nm of torque, to see if has enough to maintain pace with the rest of traffic?
Although it is a great SUV! The new engine doesn't help it at All! Stopped me from buying a new one. The V6 turbo diesel sounds like a great option
Always love your reviews Dom, great job mate 👍
Thanks for the review, definitely helps my decision on buying the Prado - 2.8litre turbo diesel is a bit disappointing considering you are almost paying $70k for the top of the range Kakadu!
Leon L Closer to $90,000.
PA TV yes that is correct. Get a used 200 VX for that.
Though a nice car, Toyota went backwards putting a smaller engine in the Prado and deleting the great v6 completely. Will be keeping my v6 120 series for good until it dies
Why have an under powered 4cyl? I don’t get it.
Love my 4L V6Petrol Prado shame the diesel is under powered
So I've got a GX470 here in the US and even though its got 196 kw of power I can tell you I wouldn't try and push the 3 Tonne tow rating. It tows my 1.6T caravan over mountain passes like it was nothing, but I can't imagine trying to do double that. Granted the speed limit here is nearly 130 kph and we are kind of used to keeping up with at least 110 kph traffic over mountain passes so its probably a little different. I guess thats what Im getting at, even though I'm sure the car can handle the weight those kinds of power figures would NEVER pass muster in the US. Still, I get 14.5L/100 without a trailer (on a good day) so I guess its all about tradeoffs (many conversions were made in this comment) EDIT: since I posted this I have pulled 3 Tonne on short drives and you know what? it wasn't bad at all. Very stable and probably enough power to maintain decent pace in the mountains. I was a little surprised actually.
Nice to know!! I’ll be towing around 6000 lbs between a boat and trailer soon with my GX 460 and was getting worried about if
This review has crossed the Prado off my list as I tow a 2T boat up and down the east coast and slowing to 80km up hills is to much of a compromise
Great honest review! Hopefully Toyota listen and develop a V6 using the 1VD architecture to make a 3.4 turbo diesel. Otherwise more customers will go for Everest’s.
Couldn’t agree more about towing on the freeway. Love the design of the current gen but do miss the 4LV6. Cmon Toyota, give us a TDV6 or the petrol 4.6!
Has the 2022 model improved for towing in power
Took a 2t caravan from Brisbane to Melbourne and went through the snowys on the way back. Did not experience any issues and was able to maintain speed with traffic. Mine is the 2013 3ltr version.
Would be better with V6 engine to stay at top of the competition..
Shdudhw
Don't understand why Toyota didn't have another engine option maybe for a 6 diesel
Loved my 150 but had to sell it as it really struggled towing my boat. I would buy another one in a heartbeat if Toyota upgraded it to a 6 cylinder turbo diesel.
alamantia308 what did you end up buying?
Woow you guys been doing such a great review man... love from
Sri Lanka 🇱🇰❤️❤️
It might be doing 20mph below speed limit but it would still get you there quicker than my old Range Rover….who would have broken down long before the top pf the hill. Haha
I love my new Land Cruiser. :)
Thank you for you honest review. Not enough journos are doing towing tests. I bought a new Pajero Sport it’s towing capability is woeful even with my small caravan in tow. I am very disappointed with the car.
Here in the Philippines, Toyota offers a 4.0L V6 Gas model with 275 hp and 381 Nm of torque.
I agree with the v6 turbo diesel on the prado rather than the 2.8 diesel. It's sad to say its lacking on grunt.
A 3.0L Turbo Diesel V6 would suit this car so much better than the 4cyl. Then it would be able to compete with cars such as the LR 4 etc. Nice car non the less.
Not too many modern caravans are under 2000kgs. All big semi trucks travelling uphill from the Mooney Mooney bridge are crawling up that big hill going way less than 25kph under the speed limit. So what makes the Prado worse than them? Also most towed caravans travelling up that hill are not doing anywhere near the speed limit.
Why the Kakadu? Most sales are from the GLX...
A powerful N/A V8 would maybe have been a better choice for this one ?
I know lots of people have said this in the comments, but i really think it would be better if Toyota put in a 2.8L-3.0L turbo diesel V6 engine.
Does anyone have any information on any potential ban on Diesel engines in Australia in the near future?
Good honest review and totally agree the motor is undercooked for towing. It’s your test boat was 1900kg - imagine towing the rates 3000kg !!! Downright stupid idea and should not be done unless in a 200 series.
Agree, they should put the V6 turbo diesel to Prado. Besides being less powerful, but to differentiate with the cheaper toyota fortuner.
Dms192 our 2003 Toyota Prado Grande (Kakadu equivalent of early 2000s) has a v6 turbo petrol, and it hammers.
I like this new looks
Hey there, can u please let me know that is this a full option car that is the top of the line.???
Really ur channel is so much informative and helps alot. Keep it up.
Love from Pakistan
Usman Raja
The steering wheel design of the Lc prado and 200 looks like from the Pajero Sport
Good review.
At 4:59 you're showing the speed at 85km/h but the "eco" light is on. Your obviously not trying very hard to keep to the speed limit. Be careful you don't get sued by Toyota.
When reversing you stop when the red line on the camera is in line with the top of the couplings handle.
He stated CLEARLY that he has the accelerator peddle flat on the floor. Have you driven a Prado? They are a big piece of shit.
yep, beats me why the engine is so small, like you say, a V6 diesel with more torque to pull up hill is vital
do the same test with a Ford Everest 3.2. bet you'll have no issues
Until Toyota improves the engine, I'm not buying the Prado...I'm buying an Audi Q7 for under $75k instead. Other than that, nice review, thank you. 😊👍
I reckon the next model will have a v6 or straight six diesel.
Alas, the 250 Series Prado makes do with essentially the same engine in 2024. And a heavier body and less fuel tank capacity. 😞
@ Alas indeed!
You gotta wonder why manufacturers don't adequately power vehicles. And its not emissions related.
For decades they give buyers bigger vehicles with tiny outputs.
Every person I know would gladly buy a larger turbo diesel and live with higher fuel consumption if they had a choice.
outwestlawns or a petrol. I’m now looking at a Nissan Y62 5.6 litre petrol. Same price on road a bit more fuel but better performance.
ToddHendry nah I get why they don't offer petrols in big 4WDs. Its because they chew fuel like crazy and no one really buys them even if they're cheaper. The cost to keep tooling and manufacturing them in tiny numbers outweighs the sales so it gets the chop.
Can you also review the 4.0 gas version?
junno gabit the 4.0L v6 is no longer available in this new model
LewyTheFlyS13 they still offer it here in the Philippines that's why i want to know more about it before the purchase.
Your expecting petrol performance from a deisel, i just towed 1.5t of boat and trailer from canberra to north qld. over 2000km and never had a issue, it slowed down over some hills but i averaged 12.5lt per 100km on that trip. Thats over 200lt or $300 of fuel saved compared to the cars that you say were 17lt per 100km talking about being slow on hills creates dangerous driving condition is just bad reporting and lies. Once i was up the hills i was easily driving at the speed limit and had heaps of power to over take truck and caravners. Maintaining the speed limit was not an issue when not climbing decent hills.
put it in Sports plus mode ya DH
Beautiful Colour.
Would be a shame to take through the bush and scratch the shit out of it.
Oh wait i have. Oops
Sorry but I don't agree. It wasn't long ago we were towing boats like this with 2.8 turbo Nissan Patrols or 4.2 Cruisers that couldn't pull a sailor off your sister.
I think you should try that same hill with a Mits Triton ute and see how you go. This motor pulls better than my GU 3.0 Nissan Patrol with auto box.
If they try and pass in areas its unsafe to do so... on their heads be it. All you could do in that situation is be mindful of what is behind you and pull in when conditions allow, and let the build up behind you carry on. Though this 2.8 engine is very under powered for the this car. There are smaller capacity diesel engines in use that outperform this one in power, torque, and fuel efficiency. Toyota need to seriously upgrade this.
The Prado should have a V6 Diesel.
4:40. Wow, that is pathetic.
I think I’ve just crossed it off my list.
Hope Toyota engineers are seeing this review and realizing how much under powered their diesel engines are...come on Toyota you are the world's best automotive innovators listen to your customers who are demanding for more power don't turn a blind eye on them or better just borrow engines from BMW
What 3000 kg in a 2018 Toyota Land cruiser my 1989 Nissan patrol 2 door can tow about 3500kg recommended it towed a truck my Nissan
Amar Gaming the prado is not the same as a true land cruiser
Toyota will never up date a bigger engine in the Prado it will affect sales on the bigger brother land cruiser the 2.8 lt d4 diesel is only ok in the hilux because its weight being a lot lighter then the Prado.A 150 kw and 500nm plus power would be nice in the Prado.
👍🏻
Soundtrack inspired by Casey Neistat videos?
That design is totally not a jeep ripoff
They put a smaller engine in so you can get the landcruiser 😂😂