2024 Toyota Prado: What we can expect of the new wagon

There’s been a lot of talk about the new Toyota Prado on the back of the reveal of the 2024 Lexus GX in the USA and the knowledge that the GX will be coming to Australia for the first time.

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Also that the Yanks will be getting a Toyota-badged version of the GX, which will be the new LandCruiser there as they don’t get the LC300.

Of course, the Lexus GX has always been based on the mid-size Toyota 4x4 wagon which Australians know all too well as the Toyota Prado, and this will be the bones of the successor to the long-serving 120/150 Series Prado next year.

So what do we know about it?

The 2024 Prado/GX will ride on a version of Toyota’s TNGA-F ladder-frame chassis, as found under the LandCruiser 300 Series, Toyota Tundra and Toyota Sequoia models.

Under these vehicles it features all-coil-sprung suspension, with a live axle at the rear and independent at the front, to perfectly fit the well-established mould of the Prado.

Using this platform opens up a range of possible powertrains for the next Prado including petrol- and diesel-fuelled combustion engines, hybrid and EV options.

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Of course, we’d love to see the LC300’s twin-turbo V6 diesel, or a version of it, in the Prado, as we know it will fit and we reckon it might need it to compete with the V6 diesel-powered Ford Everest here.

Toyota may prefer to use a hybrid petrol powertrain as the premium offering in Prado, and there are several available already in the USA including turbocharged V6 and inline four-cylinder petrol mills that offer ample outputs.

However, hybrid and EV powertrains add weight to a car, take up space and infringe on GVM, all of which are the nemesis of four-wheel drivers choosing modern vehicles for overland travel.

It’s likely the 1GD-FTV 2.8-litre diesel engine currently found in Prado, HiLux and Fortuner will be retained as the main choice for the new Prado. Plus, it has recently been revealed that it will feature mild-hybrid 48-volt technology in the new year, as well as 165kW/550Nm outputs in the HiLux GR Sport. There have been reports out of Japan of a full hybrid variant of the 1GD engine to come as well.

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Whatever the powertrain, we can expect the next Prado to have the same or better off-road abilities as the current model, with a dual-range transfer case and the full complement of A-Trac electronic aids including Crawl Control. One can pray for a GR Sport variant with e–KDSS and front and rear locking differentials as found under the 300.

Something I expect we will lose is the Prado’s class-leading fuel capacity, which dropped from 180 to 150 litres in the changes from 120 Series to 150 Series.

I very much doubt we’ll see Toyota mounting the spare wheel on the back door of the new car, as they have on all previous generations of Prado - so with the spare going under the back of the car, there will be no space to add additional fuel capacity.

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We’ll have to wait for the aftermarket industry to come up with replacement rear wheel carriers and long-range fuel tanks.

The Lexus GX has been shown in full production form and we love its boxy, purposeful design. Expect this to be exactly the same on the Prado, with only the bolt-ons such as tail-lights, trim and front end differing.

At the launch of the 120 Series Prado we asked the visiting Toyota executives if we would see a horizontal grille on any variants of the Prado, as we saw on some high-spec 90 Series models. We were told that no, the vertical grille was a signature design element of the Prado.

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We’ve seen a few com-gen renderings of the 2024 GX with a vertical Prado-like grille grafted on, and they look like Chinese knock-offs of a Prado. We prefer the renderings coming out of the USA of what their 2024 LandCruiser will look like, using a much more modern and Cruiser-like front-end. We can only hope the Prado adopts this as well, and we have produced our own rendering along those lines (see main image).

The unveiling of the US-bound LandCruiser and our Prado version is taking place on August 2, with the launch not likely until mid-2024.

An all-new Prado has been a long time coming and we’re looking forward to what is delivered by Toyota. Hopefully we’re not disappointed.