2025 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Adventure Hybrid Review

The Land Cruiser name is synonymous with reliability, ruggedness, and ability to go anywhere. The light-duty variant, the Land Cruiser Prado, carries the same rugged dependability but in a smaller, more manageable package.

For years, the Prado has been one of the go-to SUVs for Kiwi families wanting a tourer they can pack all their holiday equipment into and conquer anything without breaking a sweat.

A bold new look

The new Land Cruiser Prado offers an aesthetic change larger than the step between the first and second generations. It also features a new hybrid powertrain that gives it more performance and better fuel economy.

The boxy features and angled wheel arches give it a rugged, dependable look. While the squared off stance, narrowed lights, and blacked out trim give it a bold style while retaining a hint of city swagger. It’s a modern and refreshing take on a look that was starting to feel dated.

Hybrid and diesel crossover

Toyota have kept things simple by only offering one engine option and, in keeping with the times, have made it a diesel hybrid. Derived from the same engine fitted in the new Toyota Hilux, the 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel is now a mild-hybrid.

The new engine features a robust 150kW of power and whopping 500Nm of torque. Paired with a newly developed 8-speed automatic transmission and a full-time all-wheel drive system, the powertrain is the perfect recipe for the modern-day Prado.

Don’t be deterred by the climate friendly direction Toyota have taken with the Prado; it can still tow 3500kg braked, which should make towing your boat or caravan feel like child’s play.

And if you’re worried about hybrid reliability, remember that Toyota have been developing hybrids for eons – they essentially wrote the playbook for hybrid technology – so they know a thing or two about how they work.

The hybrid system uses mild-hybrid technology, featuring a 48V system to support acceleration and power accessories. It uses regenerative energy gathered from braking to charge lithium-ion batteries that power a small 12kW/65Nm motor, giving assistance during acceleration in heavy traffic.

The hybrid system works so well that it’s nearly impossible to detect it working. It improves overall economy, giving the Prado a claimed 8.7 L/100km. During our weeklong road test, we averaged a figure 9.5L/100km.

Inside the beast

The Prado is a beast on the road, at nearly 5 metres long and 2 metres wide, it should feel just as large on the inside – only, it doesn’t. The dashboard feels oversized and the rear legroom is compromised for adults in the back if there’s a tall driver in the front.

But none of that compares to the amount of room lost in the boot. The floor of the boot is unusually high as the lithium-ion batteries are stored there, which eats into the cargo space.

In a world where everyone’s going touchscreen-crazy, Toyota went the other way. The dashboard and centre console feature a lot of buttons – it takes a little getting used to when you first step in.

Most buttons aren’t used in daily situations, but that hasn’t stopped Toyota from putting a button for everything. There’s even a button to start a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) regeneration, which isn’t actually a bad thing if this is going to be used as a daily runaround.

The Prado features a fully digital instrument cluster that provides conventional styling and important information, such as Ad Blue levels and information on DPF regeneration times.

Additionally, the technology features include standard equipment like Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto, satellite navigation, voice command, wireless charging, and all on a 12.3” display.

Off-road credibility

Although we weren’t able to take the Prado off road, the specifications give it a promising off-road capability. It has a ground clearance of 205mm and an approach angle of 31-degrees. While the wade depth is 700mm, but you are limited to 10km/h which is pretty slow. Additionally, you get a limited-slip differential and two-speed transfer case with high and low.

Verdict

The hybrid powertrain is impressively smooth and offers great fuel efficiency – unfortunately, it’s at the expense of luggage space. Despite this, the Prado Adventure is a very comfortable and refined family-sized SUV that continues to be a reliable and rugged workhorse.