CIRCULATING IN WANGARATTA, BENALLA, MYRTLEFORD, BRIGHT, MT BEAUTY, BEECHWORTH, YACKANDANDAH, RUTHERGLEN, CHILTERN AND DISTRICTS
NORTH EAST
November 22, 2013
available online - wangarattachronicle.com.au
PRINTED FORTNIGHTLY — VOLUME 436
Australia’s best cars Storypage3
TOYOTA PRADO: Frontal styling follows a familiar theme, but has a much bolder look than before.
Toyota Prado gets major upgrade T
oyota Australia has taken its latest Prado 4WD back to where it all started, the Snowy Mountains, for the launch of a mid-life upgrade of this topselling model. Toyota LandCruiser made its name during the building of the Snowy Mountains Scheme in the late 1950s and the latest Prado returned to some of the mountain tracks developed during the building of the huge hydro-electric project. There are not only significant changes to the exterior and interior of the Prado, but also improvements to seating access, handling, suspension and 4WD systems. As part of the revamp, Toyota has dropped the three-door Prado which managed sales of around just ten a month with buyers clearly preferring the practicality of five doors. Toyota recognised the limitations of access to the third row of seats and in the new
By MURRAY HUBBARD model has increased the forward folding angle of the second row seats by more than 12 per cent which has created an easier entry and exit for the third row occupants. Prado now has four models: GX, a five-seater with optional seven seats, the seven-seat GXL and VX, and top of the range Kakadu. Traditionally GX is favored by fleet buyers such as Australia’s mining industry. The volume seller in the range is the GXL which has a strong following with private buyers and accounts for around 70 per cent of Prado sales. VX and Kakadu appeal to luxury buyers and are specified accordingly. Prices start from $55,990 for the GX rising to $91,590 for Kakadu. The Prado GX and GXL are distinctly
different vehicles from the VX and Kakadu with different suspensions and 4WD systems. The towing rate stays at 2500 kg, which many say is Prado’s weak point although that’s not reflected in sales figures. Engines remain the same with the 202 kW 4.0-litre petrol, and 127 kW/410 Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel. The Prado GX and GXL come standard with a six-speed manual transmission and offer an optional five-speed sequential auto. Prado VX and Kakadu come standard with the automatic transmission. Fuel consumption is officially rated at 8.5 litres per 100 km from the diesel and 11.5 L/100 km from the petrol. The latest Toyota Prado has a bolder front, courtesy of a five-bar grille atop an oversized bumper. The grille stands out because the fitting has no base with the five bars embedded on
the top of the bumper. The grille and restyled headlamp clusters sit higher on the vehicle and are further from harm’s way when off-road. Prado VX and Kakadu get LED headlights and daytime running lights. The tail light clusters have also been redesigned. The Prado GX and GXL models get 17-inch, six-spoke alloy wheels while VX and Kakadu get 18-inch 12-spoke alloys. There is no change to the vital statistics of size or the off-road handling with the turning circle remaining at 11.6 metres while the approach, departure and ramp over angles are also untouched. Prado has a revised interior with the centre stacker having a new audio panel above the 7-inch full color screen that shows the reversing camera images.
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