There is now more grunt from the Toyota Prado following an upgrade to a new 2,8-litre GD-6 turbo-diesel engine and the multimedia system has also been tweaked.

There is an additional 20 kW of power and 50 Nm of torque derived from the switch to the new-generation 2,8-litre GD-6 turbo diesel engine, that is now mated exclusively to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Prado’s overlanding and towing credentials benefit from the higher-performance engine that now delivers a maximum of 150 kW at 3 400 r/min and 500 Nm over a wider 1 600 r/min -2 800 r/min band.

The latest generation 2.8 GD-6 engine (as debuted in the updated Hilux) has received a raft of upgrades including a new ball-bearing turbo-charger with a larger turbine and impeller and improved engine rigidity and cooling. Better fuel economy is realised through optimised pistons and piston rings, changes to the cylinder block and head, higher fuel-injection flow rate and the adoption of high-performance materials for the exhaust manifold.

Despite the substantially stronger outputs, fuel consumption improves to a claimed 7,9 l/100 km and CO2 emissions are down to 209 g/km. Fuel capacity is 150 litres with an 87-litre main tank and 63-litre sub tank. Maximum braked towing capacity is increased to 3 000 kg on 2.8 models.

A new-generation multimedia system is fitted across the range, which now incorporates a larger 9-inch touchscreen display (previous 8-inch), enhanced voice recognition and compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Customers are able to utilise mobile-phone-services such as Google Maps, Waze, Spotify, SoundCloud etc. to enhance their driving experience – while providing enhanced telephony and messaging interfaces ‘on-the-fly’. 

Model Line-Up & Pricing

Prado 2.8L Diesel TX             – R 939,900

Prado 4.0L Petrol VX              – R 1,029,000

Prado 2.8L Diesel VX             – R 1,060,600

Prado 4.0L Petrol VX-L          – R 1,072,600

Prado 2.8L Diesel VX-L          – R 1,105,800

The model line-up and 4.0 V6 engine remains unchanged.

All Prado models are sold with a 9-services/90 000 km service plan – with 10 000 km service intervals. A 3-year/100 000 km warranty is also provided. Customers can purchase an additional service plan and warranty extensions from their local Toyota dealer – and benefit from the biggest dealer network in the country (over 220).