The brand new 2024 Land Cruiser Prado comes with a five-year warranty period or 100,000 service. Photo | Roland D. Nasasira
From the exterior, one of the features I noticed about the all-new Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 250 Series is its raised ground clearance. It assures you that you can manoeuvre in any road terrain.
In some predecessors, there were controversies about the spare tyre being positioned on the trunk door. Some users were not comfortable with the noise it produced. In the 2024 Land Cruiser Prado, the spare tyre is fitted underneath at the rear. Aesthetically, its design fuses modernity and heritage. The round headlights remind you of Land Cruisers produced in the 1960s to the 1980s.
Unlike most, if not all modern cars with one long single front and rear bumper, the 2024 model bumper is built in a modular design. When knocked accidentally, you will have to repair it in parts to minimise costs, instead of taking off the entire bumper.
Under the bonnet, the 2024 Land Cruiser Prado is built with a 2,800cc turbo diesel engine whose transmission was increased from the six-speed of the predecessor to the eight-speed that combines performance and fuel economy, power and torque.
Beneath, the Prado has underbody protection in the form of a strong metallic plate on the transmission and engine, which gives you peace of mind that you can drive anywhere without damaging any part underneath.
Interior features
On Friday, July 26, I test-drove the car from the Industrial area at the Toyota Uganda showroom to Namuwongo, Muyenga, Munyonyo, Entebbe expressway, Northern Bypass, Gayaza Road, Kasangati to Kira Road, Kireka, Jinja Road and back to the Industrial Area.
Inside, it gives you a better-raised stature over other road users. As I drove through the rough Namuwongo and Muyenga tank hill roads, the seatbelt tightened, making me feel safer as I steered. The interior is a cocktail of features, all of which are a press of a button away.
For instance, it has a stabiliser disconnect mechanism. Depending on the terrain, when you need traction on all wheels, the stabiliser disconnects itself to release the hanging tyre. The suspension becomes free and the tyre gains traction to drive out of the hard situation.
The Land Cruiser has options for driving in the normal, eco and sport mode. Eco means economy driving while normal strikes a balance between sport and economy. Sport is purely for sporty performance. When I reached Munyonyo Roundabout as I drove towards the expressway, I switched to sport mode to discover how fast the 2024 model is. It picks up speed from zero to the 100km/hr mark in approximately 15 seconds.
The gear lever is surrounded by several features to engage while driving. For example, there is the multi-terrain selection. Depending on the terrain you are driving, it gives you better traction. The rear differential and the centre differential locks also come into play. These are mainly applicable in off-road conditions.
The rear lock differential works best when driving on slippery or thick mud terrains while the central differential works when you are on a marrum road, where all tyres are locked depending on the speed. It is recommended not to drive beyond 60km/hr if you intend to use the central differential. The suspension system is also strong and stiff enough that you do not feel the discomfort from potholes.
Traction
The car also has full-time traction controls. When driving in sand and you need slippage on the tyres, all you have to do is disengage it. There is also the hold button to press and get your foot off the pedals, especially when driving in traffic jam. It holds the car in one position even when the gear lever is in drive mode. When you move and stop, the brakes engage automatically.
It has three ports for type C phone charging cables and a wireless charging system for one phone at a time, just below the ports. While the wireless system lights orange when the phone starts charging, the multimedia volume can be controlled using a turning knob or buttons on the steering wheel. The rear passengers have their own AC controls as well as two type C charging slots and a power port. They also enjoy a raised stature not only for comfort but better visibility of the car’s surroundings.
Safety features
The driving mirror is fully automated. In the predecessor, passengers at the rear would obstruct you from seeing what was behind the car. In the seven-seater all-new Prado, the driving mirror is like a TV set as it gives you real-time feed with the help of the rearview camera. When driving, you may not use the side mirrors since the driving mirror gives you a 360-degree view of the rear car’s surroundings.
The 12-inch smart screen was pushed up on the dashboard to increase your safety while driving. When operating the multimedia system, you still have a view of the road even if you have a few seconds off the radio.
Warning
In Kansanga, Gayaza Road, Kireka and Ntinda traffic jams, whenever motorcyclists came closer to the car, the smart screen lit red, alarmed and showed which side of the car the external impact was coming from. This allows you time to steer to safety. The padding at knee and elbow level on the doors is to provide cushioning when turning during off-road drives, on top of front and side airbags and seatbelts for all passengers in case of exterior impact.
On the Entebbe expressway and the Northern bypass, I covered an average of 16km per litre of fuel, driving between 100km/hr to 170km/hr. With a ground clearance of 215 millimetres, which you may think compromises stability at high speeds, I negotiated corners, though not sharp, at 80km/hr. This is because the car is aerodynamic and keeps grounded with speed. Unlike the predecessors that had a fuel tank capacity of 87 litres, the 2024 model Prado carries 110 litres with a maximum speed of 220km/hr.
Downside
One of the downsides I noticed about the Prado is that the rear lights are susceptible to damage because they are exposed to reckless road users or even car vandals.
Cost
Albert Besigye, the sales executive at Corporation for Africa and Overseas (CFAO), locally known as Toyota Uganda, says the 2024 Prado comes in two versions; the standard and limited editions. The latter edition does not have the stabiliser bar or disconnection mechanism. In terms of exclusivity, the limited edition is better because a limited number was produced.
The Prado was built with durability, reliability but also better off-road capability. All the model line-ups come with downhill assist control (DAC) that was only in the high-grade Prado but it has been put across all the four grades.
According to Besigye, the brand new 2024 Land Cruiser Prado costs Shs370m, including taxes. It also comes with a five-year warranty period or 100,000 service.
