The Toyota Prado, formally the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, is a real, long-running nameplate. The 2019 model year belongs to the fourth-generation Prado, known internally as the J150 series, which Toyota produced from October 2009 to October 2023. It is a body-on-frame, seven-seat SUV sold across Australia, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America, and it has never been offered in the United States.
What the 2019 Prado was
The 2019 Prado was not a new generation. It carried over the J150, which had received a substantial facelift in late 2017, announced in September 2017 and on sale in Australia from around November that year. The 2019 model year therefore used the post-2017 front end, interior and safety package rather than a fresh design. The next all-new Prado, the J250 series, did not arrive until 2023 and 2024, so a description of a “redesigned 2019 Prado” is really a description of the 2017 facelift.
Engines and drivetrain
- Engine: 2.8-liter 1GD-FTV four-cylinder turbo-diesel
- Power: 130 kW (174 hp)
- Torque: 420 Nm with the six-speed manual, 450 Nm with the six-speed automatic
- Transmission: six-speed manual or six-speed automatic
- Drive: four-wheel drive on all variants
- Fuel consumption: about 7.9 to 8.0 liters per 100 km on Australian diesel figures
- Some markets, including the Middle East, also offered a 4.0-liter V6 gasoline engine (1GR-FE)
In Australia the 2019 Prado was offered with a single engine, the 2.8-liter turbo-diesel, and buyers chose between a manual and an automatic and between five-door and three-door bodies depending on the grade. Full-time four-wheel drive, a low-range transfer case and a body-on-frame chassis were standard, which is what separated the Prado from Toyota’s car-based SUVs.
Safety
The 2017 facelift brought Toyota’s pre-collision safety package to automatic Prado models, and the 2019 Prado carried a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Depending on the model and market, the safety equipment included:
- Five-star ANCAP safety rating
- Pre-collision system with autonomous emergency braking and pedestrian detection (automatic models)
- Active radar cruise control
- Lane departure warning
- Automatic high beams
- Reversing camera
Interior and technology
All 2019 Prado models came with satellite navigation and connectivity as standard, and the facelift added an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Dual-zone climate control, a reversing camera and leather trim on higher grades were part of the package. In its five-door form the Prado offered three rows of seating, making it a genuine seven-seater, and a three-door version was sold in some markets.
Exterior and design
The 2017 facelift gave the Prado a restyled front end with a larger grille and new headlamps, plus revised taillamps. It remained a traditional body-on-frame SUV with a full-size spare wheel mounted on the tailgate on many versions. Because the same basic J150 shape was produced from 2009 to 2023, a 2019 example is visually very close to a 2018 and to the cars built in the first years after the facelift.
Pricing in Australia
CarsGuide listed the 2019 Prado range as running from about A$42,900 for the entry-level GX seven-seat four-wheel drive to about A$65,890 for the flagship Kakadu, before on-road costs. Carsales quoted diesel fuel-economy figures of between 7.9 and 8.0 liters per 100 km across the range. Prices in other markets varied substantially, and the Prado was never sold in the United States, so there is no US price for a 2019 model.
Buying a Prado today
The J150 Prado ended production in October 2023 and was replaced by the J250-series Land Cruiser Prado, which shares its platform and much of its engineering with the latest Land Cruiser. Used J150s remain common in Australia, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, where the model was most popular. Buyers considering an SUV of this class can also compare it with the vehicles in our 2019 Toyota Hilux concept review and 2019 Toyota FJ Cruiser engine specs. For more model coverage, see Car Review.
Grades and equipment
The Australian Prado range for 2019 was built around the GX, GXL, VX and Kakadu grades, with the GX available as a five-seat or seven-seat model and the higher grades offered mainly as seven-seaters. The GX was the workhorse of the line-up, while the Kakadu sat at the top with the most equipment and the highest price. Toyota also sold the Prado under a different set of grade names in other markets, so the same vehicle could appear as a TX, TXL, VX or VXL depending on the country.
Markets
The Prado was one of Toyota’s most widely distributed SUVs. It was assembled in Japan and sold in Australia, New Zealand, much of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and parts of South America. It was never sold in the United States, where Toyota instead offered the larger Land Cruiser and the 4Runner. That is why North American buyers searching for a 2019 Prado will not find one, and why most used examples circulate in the markets where the model was originally sold.
What came after 2019
The J150 generation continued in production for several more years after 2019, receiving only incremental updates, and it was finally phased out in October 2023. The new J250-series Prado that replaced it moved to the same TNGA-F platform used by the Land Cruiser and the Lexus GX, a change that reflects how broadly Toyota now shares underpinnings across its body-on-frame models.
How the 2019 Prado compares with its rivals
In Australia the Prado competed with other diesel body-on-frame SUVs such as the Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Ford Everest. Its main selling points were Toyota’s four-wheel-drive reputation, the availability of a manual transmission and a seven-seat layout, and strong resale values in the markets where it was sold. Those factors, rather than any dramatic 2019 model-year change, are what sustained the J150 through its unusually long production run.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Land_Cruiser_Prado
- https://www.carexpert.com.au/toyota/landcruiser-prado/2019
- https://www.carsguide.com.au/toyota/landcruiser-prado/price/2019
- https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/toyota-prado-2017-pricing-and-spec-confirmed-60350
- https://www.carsales.com.au/research/toyota/landcruiser-prado/2019/
