150 Series Prado

The Japanese-designed 150 Series Prado was 80mm longer, 10mm wider and 15mm lower than its 120 Series predecessor, with a 30mm wider track. The standard hard spare wheel cover accounted for half the increase in length, and wheelbase remained the same as 120 Series.

The 150 Series five-door was between 150kg and 200kg heavier than its predecessor, due to the stronger, safer body and increased equipment.

Inside the third row of seats folded into the floor but lost a seat, making it a seven-seater. The second row was split 40-20-40 and had three child seat anchor points. The tailgate was a one-piece side-swing design as before, with a new hydraulic locking strut.

Fuel capacity for the twin-tank five-door model was 150 litres, down from 180 litres, while the single tank in the three-door holding 87 litres.

Toyota said it paid particular attention to the body’s crashworthiness by installing features such as multi-layer front-pillar reinforcements between the roof rail reinforcement and cowl for increased buckling strength and improved energy absorption, and reduced body deformation. High-strength outer sill reinforcements and other changes improved side-collision performance.

Seven airbags (front, front side, side curtain and a driver’s knee airbag) were standard across the range. Active safety features on all models included electronic stability control, all-terrain traction control and ABS brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist.

The 202kW/381Nm petrol manual delivered combined economy of 13.0L/100km compared with 13.6L/100km for its predecessor.

The 3.0-litre turbo-diesel also featured improvements, albeit minor ones. New fuel injectors and a more efficient front-mounted intercooler (instead of the previous top-mounted intercooler) were used. Peak outputs remained at 127kW and 410Nm.

An improved shift pattern in the five-door diesel model’s automatic transmission helped yield an 8.6 per cent improved fuel consumption of 8.5L/100km. The diesel manual consumed 8.8L/100km (down from 9.2L/100km).

The new three-door automatic turbo-diesel returned combined fuel economy of 8.3L/100km.

Standard equipment on all models included air-conditioning, cruise control, keyless entry and starting, tilt and telescopic steering column adjustment, side-mirror-mounted indicators, alloy wheels, wide-angle passenger view mirror, UV-reduced glass and a ventilated cooler bin in the centre console.

With an optional auto transmission, the GX added Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC) and Downhill Assist Control (DAC), while third row seats with side curtain airbags a $2500 option.

The Prado GXL got third-row seats and third-row side curtain airbags, three-zone climate-control, a rear-view camera, rear parking sensors, a 106mm central information display, steering wheel audio controls, an alarm, front foglights, roof rails, side steps, a cargo cover and a leather-clad steering wheel, gearshift and handbrake.

The VX came with the KDSS suspension, 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic on/off HID projector headlights with Adaptive Front-light System (AFS) and headlight washers, rain-sensing wipers, front parking sensors and a leather interior with heated front seats, a power-adjust steering column, power-folding third-row seats, nine-speaker audio with CD stacker, privacy glass, time-delay headlights, an electro-chromatic rear-vision mirror, illuminated entry and multi-information display with steering wheel switch.

The top-spec Kakadu added CRAWL control, four-camera Multi-Terrain Monitor (MTM), a rear diff lock, Multi-Terrain Select (MTS), sunroof, touch-screen satellite-navigation, 14-speaker Pioneer audio with DVD stacker, a ceiling-mounted rear DVD screen with three wireless headphones, two headphone jacks and AV input, a refrigerated centre bin, leather and mock wood steering wheel, wood and mock metal instrument panel and key-linked driver’s seat and steering column memory.

The only option for the Kakadu was a Pre-Crash safety System (PCS) and radar cruise control with steering wheel-mounted controls, which cost $2500 but deleted the CRAWL control, electronic locking rear differential, MTS and one of the MTM cameras.

The entry-level three-door model, the Prado SX, had the same equipment as the five-door GX, while the premium three-door ZR was equipped similarly to the five-door Kakadu.