It’s time to give the new 250 Prado a bit of limelight – and who better to turn to than the legendary Ronny Dahl. Not only is he one of the best-known and influential extreme off-roaders in Australia, but you know you’re going to get no-nonsense, straight-talking info without any hyped-up sales bull...
As you’d probably expect, Ronny looks at one of the most important aspects of a 4x4 – the ground clearance. No matter how good the rig, if this isn’t adequate, then serious off-roading simply won’t be possible. Toyota has added sway bar disconnect – something that increases off-road capability, but unless this is combined with the aforementioned ground clearance, does it mean the vehicle still comes with limitations?
He also addresses another important point – that of interior storage and cargo space.
Moving onto the driving experience, as to be expected from Toyota craftsmanship, Ronny is impressed with the smoothness, how responsive it is and the reduced noise within the cabin. Moving onto fuel economy and power, the 2.8 litre engine delivers some pleasant surprises. Ronny compares the 250 with the Landcruiser, discussing aspects that may (or may not) warrant a user swapping allegiance from one to the other. This includes towing capacity and suitability for those who are looking for a great combination of on-road comfort with off-road and adventure camping capabilities.
In short, no – the 250 Prado isn’t a Landcruiser (in any of its 70 series, 200 or 300 series iterations) but it’s surely going to tick the right boxes for a lot of 4WD drivers.
Got any other questions? Visit our advice section or get in contact with the PDP team – we’d love to help.
