Toyota says the new Prado delivers comprehensive improvements in driveability, off-road capability, safety, technology and functionality - all wrapped in a bold, stylish redesign.

We've spent a lot of time in the previous Prado clocking up thousands of kilometres in outback Western Australia.

With four adults and their luggage, it was a bit of a squeeze at times and I would have loved to remove the two intrusive, fold-down third row seats to free up space.

The focus for designers this time around, according to Mr Toyoda himself, was "practicality, durability and dependability".

Correct us if we are wrong, but that has always been the focus.

What's changed?

STYLING

Ten years ago, prices for the Prado started from $56,090; the Kakadu from $85,900.

Fast forward and Prado now comes in five grades, kicking off with the bare bones GX from $73,200.

GXL is priced from $79,690 (five-seat) or $80,690 (seven-seat), VX from $88,100 (seven-seat), Altitude $90,340 (five-seat) and top of the range Kakadu from $100,690 (seven-seat).

Bear in mind that on-road costs still have to be added to theses prices.

The three-figure sum for the Kakadu is quite frankly outrageous, putting it well beyond the reach of most families.

All grades of the Prado are powered by the same diesel-electric hybrid and all come with an automatic.

There are eight exterior colours.

Premium paint adds $675 while a two-tone paint job is $1675.

Entry-level GX comes with five seats, fabric upholstery, dual-zone climate control, manually adjustment for seats, smart entry and start, LED headlights, all-speed adaptive cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, front and rear parking sensors, 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, panoramic view monitor and 10-speaker audio.

At the top of the range, Kakadu features 20-inch wheels, heated and ventilated rear seats, manually-adjustable driver seat cushion length, illuminated side steps, and a limited slip diff.

It also scores head-up display, a digital rear view mirror, heated steering wheel and tilt and slide panoramic sunroof.

Our test vehicle this time was top of the range, seven-seat Kakadu.

Prado is covered by a five-year warranty unlimited kilometre, with five-year/100,00km capped price servicing, pegged at $390 per visit with intervals of six months or 10,000km.

SAFETY

With nine airbags Prado has been awarded a full five stars for crash safety, with the latest generation suite of Toyota Safety Sense active safety technologies, along with Toyota Connected Services.

Driver-assist features are designed to work on and off road, with an improved camera and radar system that is able to scan the road with greater accuracy and over greater distances.

Systems include the autonomous emergency braking pre-collision safety (PCS) system, rear parking support brake, lane trace assist and lane departure warning, road sign assist, blind spot monitor with safe exit assist, emergency driving stop system and a driver monitor camera.

A full-size spare is sequestered under the rear.

ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS

All variants are powered by the same hybrid 2.8-litre turbo-diesel drivetrain, together with full-time four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission.

It’s the same diesel as used in Hilux and develops 150kW of power from 3000-3400 rpm and 500Nm of torque from 1600-2800 rpm (same outputs as before).

DRIVING

Prado sits on the same GA-F platform as its larger sibling the Land Cruiser 300 Series.

Being 30 per cent stronger than before, it also means the 'all-new' Prado is larger, inside and out.

It's 16.5cm longer and 9.5cm wider, with a 6.0cm longer wheelbase plus wider front and rear tracks (distance between wheels).

With all seats upright there's 182 litres of luggage capacity, with the third row stowed 906 litres and with both second and third row seats not in use 1829 litres.

The previous model offered 120, 620 and 1833 litres respectively.

Moving on to the rest of the cabin, the dash has been flattened, with an upright, squared off design, and clearly defined separation between driver and infotainment screens.

Physical aircon and media volume controls are also available.

Electric power steering promises easier handling off-road, with improved manoeuvrability at low speed.

Maximum approach and departure angles are 32 degrees and 17 degrees respectively, with a break-over angle of 25 degrees.

Ground clearance is 221mm, compared with the 220mm of the previous model and it has a wading depth of 700mm.

The 48-volt “V-Active” mild hybrid system, with a lithium-ion battery and electric motor to capture energy normally lost through braking, contributes a mere 8.4kW and 65Nm to the equation.

With auto engine stop-start and an eight-speed replacing the six-speed transmission, however, the wider spread of gear ratios will extract better performance from the drivetrain and contribute to better fuel economy.

A higher final drive ratio delivers a more relaxed driving experience at cruising speeds.

The end result is that claimed fuel consumption is down from 7.9 to 7.6L/100km.

Be that as it may, we were getting 9.2L/100km after more than 750km of mixed driving.

Also down is maximum fuel capacity, which was 150 litres before if you elected to put the spare wheel on the tailgate.

The new one sees the spare located underneath and a capacity of 110 litres across the board.

This translates to about 520km less in range and is a big negative when it comes to getting off the beaten track.

You'll need to top it up occasionally with AdBlue too, with the addition of a 17-litre tank to reduce harmful engine emissions.

The move to the larger 300 Series platform sees Prado's tow rating increase from 3000 to a more respectable industry-standard 3500kg.

Kakadu has a full-time four-wheel drive system, with low-range gearing and a rear Torsen limited slip difference.

During normal straight line driving power is split 40:60 front-to-back.

Only VX and Kakadu are equipped with the variable suspension system.

There are five drive modes, together with multi-terrain select and a multi-terrain monitor.

Trailer sway control and a pre-installed wiring harness help facilitate the increased 3500kg braked tow capacity.

With a lower centre of gravity and slightly lower ride height, the ride is noticeably less jiggly and there is less body roll in corners.

SUMMING UP

Buyers are being asked to pay an awful lot of money for a car that arguably doesn't deliver a whole lot more, perhaps even less than before.

The designers really need to go back and rethink the third row, because as it is, the seats take up an enormous amount of room when folded.

Toyota has filled the gap between the base and the tailgate with a silly, tacky plastic box which does not offer much utility, all in the name of a flat floor - or should we say elevated flat floor.

That is to say for a large four-wheel drive the Prado does not offer much luggage space.

The driver's seat feels tight too, more like the Hilux than a luxury off-roader.

If you're not interested in going off road, the Kluger makes more sense.

RATINGS:

Looks: 7.5

Performance: 7.5

Safety: 8

Thirst: 7

Practicality: 6

Comfort: 7

Tech: 8

Value: 6

Overall: 7.1

AT A GLANCE

MODEL LINE-UP

Prado GX 7-seat $73,200

Prado GXL 5-seat $79,690

Prado GXL 7-seat $80,690

Prado VX 7-seat $88,100

Prado Altitude 5-seat $90,340

Prado Kakadu 7-seat $100,690

Options: Premium paint $675 (plus two-tone, Altitude only, $1675)

Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges.

Contact your local Toyota dealer for drive-away prices.

SPECIFICATIONS (Toyota Prado Kakadu 2.8L 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel, 8sp automatic, full-time AWD)

STANDARD WARRANTY

5 years / unlimited kilometres