Top 5: Best-selling Bush Wagons - 1.Toyota Prado
Toyota Prado – 15,627 sales Year To Date, October 2018
The Toyota Prado is Australia’s best-selling 4x4 wagon by a huge margin, outselling its slightly smaller and much more affordable sibling, the Fortuner, to the tune of more than five to one.
The Prado is a large 4x4 wagon offered in four model grades, ranging in price from $53,490 to $84,119, with seating for up to seven occupants. It has a traditional body-on-chassis structure with a live-axle rear end with coil springs and an independent front suspension (IFS) by way of double wishbones and coil struts.
Prado is exclusively powered by Toyota’s 1GD-FTV 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which is the same unit used in Fortuner and HiLux. It makes a claimed 130kW of power at 3400rpm and 450Nm of torque at 1600-2400rpm when mated to a six-speed auto, or 420Nm at 1400-2600rpm when mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.
Regardless of transmission, all Prados feature a full-time 4x4 system with a lockable centre differential and two-speed transfer case. Maximum rated towing capacity is 2500kg with the manual gearbox or 3000kg with the auto.
The base-spec five-seat Prado GX comes standard with the six-speed manual transmission for $53,490 (the optional auto adds $3000). Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels with a full-size spare, 150L fuel capacity, power mirrors, front and rear mud flaps, keyless entry and start, air conditioning, Standard safety features include ABS, EBD, BA, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRC), Trailer Sway Control (TSC), seven SRS air bags, reversing camera, engine immobiliser, air conditioned cool box, eight-inch colour touchscreen, satnav and Bluetooth connectivity. The optional auto variant is also equipped with a 4.2-inch Multi-Information Display, Toyota Safety Sense (Lane Departure Alert, Pre-Collision Safety System with pedestrian detection, Automatic High Beam and Active Cruise Control), Downhill Assist Control (DAC) and Hill-start Assist Control (HAC).
The seven-seat Prado GXL starts at $59,990, or $62,990 with the six-speed auto and all the extras that entails. In addition to the equipment on the GX, the Prado GXL has auto-levelling Bi-LED headlamps with LED DRLs, LED fog lamps, privacy glass, premium steering wheel with phone and audio controls, three-zone climate-control air conditioning, rear parking sensors, rear diff lock (auto only) and an alarm system.
The $73,619 auto-only seven-seat Prado VX adds 18-inch alloy wheels, leather seat trim with power-adjustable heated and vented front seats, heated outer rear seats, Panoramic and Multi-Terrain Monitor, Auto-Dimming rear-view mirror, front parking sensors, blind-spot monitor, rear-cross traffic alert, refrigerated cool box and digital radio (DAB).
The top-spec $84,119 Prado Kakadu adds a tilt and slide moonroof, woodgrain-look steering wheel, Drive Mode Select, five-speed crawl control, Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), Multi-Terrain Select system (MTS), Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) and rear-seat entertainment.
While the Prado might not offer the on-road performance to match many of its rivals, it’s a comfortable and refined package that’s well suited to long-distance touring. It also offers strong off-road capability and, importantly for outback travellers, is backed by one of the most comprehensive dealer networks in Australia. There are also plenty of genuine and aftermarket accessories for the Prado to further enhance its bush-touring capabilities.
