2024 Toyota Prado vs 2023 Toyota Fortuner: SPEC BATTLE!

Should I wait for the newer & more expensive 2024 Prado, or is the Fortuner all the 4x4 wagon I need?

It’s been some 14 years, but finally the fifth-generation Toyota Prado is nearly here… and this time around it’s got some stiff opposition to overcome to keep its place in the hearts and minds of large SUV-loving Aussies.

Not due to land until next year, first impressions are positive, with a bold, sharp and evocative design striking the right chord with a brace of increasingly emboldened buyers.

Based on the same ladder-frame platform that underpins the hugely popular 300 Series LandCruiser, the Prado will back up its boxy visage with proven diesel powertrain tech, mixed in with fuel-saving hybrid technology.

But the new Prado has been a long time coming, and even within Toyota’s camp, a challenger has risen through the ranks, offering Aussies a genuine alternative when it comes to 4x4 wagons. Does the Toyota Fortuner have anything up its high-riding sleeve for the new Prado?

JUMP AHEAD

• Dimensions
• Chassis and towing
• Engines
• Interior and cabin design
• Pricing

Dimensions

Measuring 4925mm long, 1980mm wide and 1870mm tall, the new Prado is 100mm longer, 95mm wider and 20mm taller than the outgoing Prado.

When it comes to wheelbase measurements, the new Prado’s TNGA-F platform measures 2850mm between the wheels; it’s the same as the current LandCruiser L300 [ /features/how-australia-shaped-the-toyota-landcruiser] and 60mm longer than its predecessor.

At 4795mm long, 1855mm wide and 1835mm high, and with a wheelbase figure of 2745mm, the Fortuner is smaller all-round, despite still offering three rows of accommodation.

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With the third row seats folded flat, sliding the second row forward increases boot space from 654 litres to a cavernous 716 litres in the Fortuner when the third row of seats are stashed.

Details like the boot space capacity of the new Prado have yet to be released, but given its bigger dimensions in all directions, it’s likely to have a greater capacity to lug cargo.

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Chassis and towing

Given that it’s being dubbed the LandCruiser 250 in overseas markets, and that it’s based upon the same chassis as the L300, the new Prado was always going to present with a formidable set of off-road chops.

The Prado runs high-mount double-wishbone front suspension and a four-link rigid axle with lateral control arms at the rear.

It will have a full-time all-wheel drive system with a low-range transfer case and a locking centre differential, as well as an electronic locking rear differential and front a sway-bar disconnect system.

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Unlike the hydraulically actuated KDSS, the new system allows stabiliser-bar disconnection on demand via a button in the cabin. This should make for excellent wheel articulation without sacrificing roadholding.

Electric power steering replaces the hydraulic system to increase steering feel, too.

Based on the HiLux, the Fortuner’s formidable off-road prowess comes via a simpler set of specs, including a low-range option for its six-speed auto and a locking rear diff, combined with 216mm ground clearance. It can switch between two- and four-wheel-drive, as well.

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The Fortuner scored an upgrade to its braked towing capacity in 2021 and can now tow 3100kg worth of braked trailer.

Towing capacity for the new 2024 Toyota Prado is yet to be confirmed, but US specs suggest that the Prado is likely to be offered with 3500kg braked towing capacity for the first time ever, which marks an increase of 500kg over the current car.

The Fortuner scored an upgrade to its braked towing capacity in 2021 and can now tow 3100kg worth of braked trailer.

Similarly, gross combined mass figures for the new Prado aren’t available, which of course would reveal its potential payload capability.

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It’s a fair bet, however, that the new Prado will weigh a fair bit more than the current car, which comes in at a claimed 2350kg kerb weight, giving it a 640kg payload.

Expect a similar payload figure for the new car, despite an expected 150-200kg jump in weight.

By comparison, the Fortuner is a relatively svelte 2175kg unladen, with a 2800kg GVM and 5550kg GCM, with a payload of 625kg.

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Engines

For the 2024 Toyota Prado, mild hybrid assistance will be added to Toyota’s familiar 150kW/500Nm 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel motor, with a small electric motor mounted between the motor and new eight-speed gearbox supplemented by a 48-volt battery and a stop/start system to net an estimated 10 per cent fuel saving.

There is one engine available for the Fortuner; the aforementioned 150kW/500Nm 2.8-litre turbo-diesel. Only available with a six-speed automatic gearbox, it consumes 8.6 litres/100km on the official test (city and country combined) – which is about average for this sort of SUV.

In the real world you can expect a Fortuner to average about 11 litres/100km over a range of driving conditions, with consumption approaching 9.0 litres/100km in easy highway cruising.

One spec that many prospective buyers will be awaiting is the fuel tank capacity of the new Toyota Prado.

If, as is predicted, the Prado’s full-size spare wheel moves from the tailgate to the underside of the rear bumper, it’ll likely mean the end of the Prado’s 63-litre sub-tank option – and the demise of its 150-litre fuel capacity.

If this indeed the case, it would be doing well to match the Fortuner, which boasts an 80-litre fuel tank for a range that should theoretically exceed 1000km.

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Interior and cabin design

Toyota has gone all in on the new Prado, presenting a sharp, rugged and confident interior that’s not overly dominated by a massive screen up front.

Though the Prado will likely adopt a digital dash across the range, traditional analogue controls still feature strongly, with more than a nod to the LandCruiser’s storied past in the bulky, squared-off steering wheel with its prominent type-written badge.

In fact, the explosion of buttons across the dash and centre console is prolific by modern standards. Not only are all the climate controls easily accessible, drive modes can be accessed by both button and dial, while the overseas model pictured even sports an HDMI port along with a brace of USB-C outlets.

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2024 Toyota Prado interior

The extra width of the new Prado is evident in the huge centre bin and console layout, while a traditional gear selector is retained.

By comparison, the Fortuner’s cabin is roomy, comfortable, and impressively quiet, thanks to soundproofing that isolates a lot of the tyre and road noise. And while the interior finish feels more commercial vehicle than premium passenger car, most of the hard plastics are suitably durable.

A second row of seats that slides forward and back boosts interior flexibility: second-row passengers can maximise their leg room or can add leg room for people riding in the third row.

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Toyota Fortuner interior

Even the third row of seats is roomy and comfortable, with enough space for occasional adult use on short to medium journeys.

The Fortuner is getting a little long in the tooth, though, and the analogue dials, old-school infotainment system and the plethora of curved edges stamp its time card pretty convincingly.

Given its previous spec and its positioning in the Toyotas SUV range, the Prado is likely to offer seven seats as standard fitment, matching the layout of the Fortuner.

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Pricing

Prices for the 2024 Toyota Prado are yet to be confirmed, but it’s likely that there will be an increase across the board given the expected rise in equipment levels and the addition of a hybridised powertrain.

Currently, the smaller, simpler Fortuner undercuts the Prado right across the range, even though the latter is an older vehicle at heart. When comparing like with like, the Fortuner GX is priced at $58,556 driveaway, compared with the Prado GX at $68,066 driveaway.

Expect Toyota to largely mirror the current four-strong Prado variant mix, though it’s reasonable to expect that a sporty GR will feature within the range at some stage in the model’s lifecycle.

Prices will definitely come under pressure, as well.

Though specs haven’t been revealed for Australia, the 2024 Toyota Prado is likely to be available only in diesel hybrid form, despite the presence of petrol-powered hybrid drivetrains in the Toyota family. This will instantly add a minimum of $2500 to $3000 to the current price.

As well, the Prado is likely to present with an organically increased MSRP, given its move to a new platform, the addition of new tech and the general state of the automotive world.

How much will the 2024 Toyota Prado cost? We expect to hear more about final specs and pricing later in 2023, ahead of its launch in the first quarter of 2024.

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