Toyota Land Cruiser Prado VS Lexus NX250

There’s no doubt the Prado has some niggling issues but none of them manage to compromise the driving experience. It is head and shoulders above the vehicle it replaces and a perfect complement to the bigger 300 Series.

Immediately I noticed the light steering in the car park. This is the first LandCruiser product ever with electronic power-assisted steering (funny Toyota managed to hang on longer than Lotus).

No longer are you lumbering an over-sized tiller through your hands when zig-zagging between trees, the new 3.24 turn lock-to-lock system is light, accurate and makes the Prado instantly agile. 

And yet when cruising pockmarked NT roads at the posted 130km/h speed limit there’s no dead-zone and plenty of heft off-centre to smoothly deal with crosswinds and cambers.

The other benefit is massively reduced kickback on high-speed dirt roads and when crawling over rocks. There really are no drawbacks here.

Despite its roughly brick-shaped frontal area the Prado manages to cut its way quietly through the air with no whistling mirrors or trim pieces. The eight cabin mount cushions have been revised to further eliminate suspension feedback in the driver’s seat. 

Braking is strong with improved four-piston front calipers clamping 354x32mm ventilated front rotors and single piston sliders wrapped around 335x20mm ventilated rear discs. 

The ride is superb with passive dampers and 18-inch alloys as on GX, GXL and Altitude. Excellent bump absorption meets a confident posture through high-speed corners. On dirt, the Prado deals with surprise drainage ditches and pot holes beautifully with no more than a dull thud reaching occupants.

With adaptive dampers, the 20-inch alloy-wheeled VX and Kakadu have five on-road drive modes instead of three: 'Eco', 'Comfort', 'Sport', 'Sport S+' and configurable 'Custom'. In Comfort, low-speed plushness is next level with almost friction-free travel over speed humps and knobbly rocks. 

Things can get busy on really bumpy roads at 100km/h-plus in Comfort, so it’s best to trade some of that lush travel for Normal’s increased body control. Sport and Sport S+ make the dampers firmer and transmission more aggressive, though this doesn’t suit the Prado’s long-legged charm. 

Toyota has hit the nail on the head for on-road dynamics and comfort, then, but what about capability on rough tracks and trails?

The basics are all present and accounted for. All Prados have permanent four-wheel drive, a low-range transfer case and locking centre differential.

Activating off-road aids is easy with switches all gathered near the gearshift on the centre console and they’re faster than ever — low-range engages in about two seconds and the centre differential now locks 24 per cent faster, says Toyota. 

With track width increased by 79mm up front and 83mm at the rear and the longer wheelbase, the new Prado is more stable, too. A winding access road through Kakadu National Park with unsighted bends, bumps and mud-splashes highlighted the poise of the chassis and precision of steering, all inspiring huge confidence in the Prado’s abilities. 

The four-link live rear axle remains with coil springs all-around remains but a newly-developed double wishbone front suspension with a longer stroke, greater caster and aluminium knuckles adds 10 per cent more front wheel articulation. 

Approach angle improves to 31 degrees but departure drops to 17 degrees and wading depth is 700mm. While the 210mm ground clearance saw our GXL scratch its underbelly on a termite nest, the higher-riding VX, Altitude and Kakdu have a bit more breathing room at 221mm. 

With a 30 per cent stronger body and frame, the local engineers who worked on the new Prado’s development claim the lack of locking rear diff in GXL and VX doesn’t impact the capability of the new 4WD. The main snag we noticed was the departure angle. 

The GX and GXL get 'Downhill Assist Control' (DAC, high-range) and the clever 'Crawl Control' system (low-range) that works as an off-road cruise control, of sorts.

Using the drive mode select wheel, the speed of the car can be controlled without worry of bouncing around on the throttle or brake. Unlike the old system, the ABS pump is really quiet.

Adaptive damper-equipped trims and the Altitude get the latest iteration of Toyota’s well-regarded multi-terrain select. In high-range you can select 'Auto', 'Mud', 'Sand', 'Dirt' and 'Deep Snow' and in low range Auto, Mud, Sand and 'Rock', all of which augment traction control and response for the various conditions. 

A mogul control program makes the ride smoother on bumpy terrain while the new 360-degree and terrain-view cameras show a feed from beneath the body to avoid nasty rocks.

The biggest challenge was dished out to the Altitude off-road flagship, with no GR Sport (at least for now). Equipped with all-terrain tyres, a locking rear differential (that actuates in just 0.15 seconds) and an electronic front stabiliser disconnect system that adds another 10 per cent front axle articulation, the Altitude absolutely cruised up, around and back down the rocky outcrop. We’ll need to find a bigger challenge. 

The Altitude can be tricked up even further with Toyota genuine accessories, including a roo bar (with body colour option) and integrated winch. We’ll be sampling one early next year on our well-known off-road loop, so stay tuned to see how it compares to other rivals.

For now, what is impressive isn’t necessarily how far you can take the Prado on tricky terrain, but how calm and relaxed it feels eating up rough conditions.

The NX 250 truly is a tale of two cars.

Around town, it is utterly capable and benign. The 2.5-litre atmo four-pot petrol unit is a revvy, raucous sort of engine, pulling away strongly off the line, responding quickly to pressing down on the throttle, shuffling up through seven of the lower gears smoothly (top is a highway overdrive), and generally being an easy vehicle to drive.

About the only concern is how noisy the engine can become if you’re needing to accelerate hard, with a definite mechanical zing that gives the Lexus a bit of a hoon attitude. We’re also a little hesitant about using the Sport mode in built-up areas, as ratios are held on to whether up or down shifting, amplifying the loud nature of this powertrain.

Other aspects of the NX 250’s driveability around town rate highly: light yet linear steering, with a tight turning circle providing easy manoeuvrability and parking; firm yet still absorbent suspension, offering an appropriately isolating ride over most bad road surfaces; and an overall sense of sound engineering. It seems quieter than an equivalent RAV4, more importantly.

Which led us to initially conclude that, in an urban environment, you’d naturally pay the extra $3K for the NX 250 Hybrid, to eliminate that noisy engine when pushing down hard on the throttle. Easy.

However, then we ventured out on a long rural drive, a few couple of hundred kilometres from the big city. On country roads, the NX 250 really sparks up in a most compelling way.

Yes, the engine is still a bit rowdy, but as the revs rise and the needle edges near the 6800rpm red line, the Lexus just keeps on building up speed rapidly, providing an unexpectedly sporty edge. Above 5000rpm this thing still has plenty of oomph, relying on a deep well of power to really extend its legs.

It also makes sense to slot the auto lever into manual, and use the finely positioned paddle shifters. That’s when you’re most aware of the gearbox being a torque-converter auto, with defined and assertive selections. It’s a good way to feel involved in the experience too.

Actually, as a mechanical ensemble, it all comes together at speed; that light and easy steering remains relaxed yet reactive, weighing up nicely if you choose Sport. The handling maintains a fluid, connected feel, with ample levels of grip from the Bridgestone tyres.

It occurred to us that driving the NX 250 Hybrid out on rural backroads would deny the enthusiast of the base model’s lightness and agility, since the latter weighs hundreds of kilos less; the brakes are perfectly modulated instead of feeling vaguely mushy and/or trigger happy as with many electrified SUVs; and – even with the road noise being well-supressed – you’re far less aware that the atmo petrol engine is singing loudly at speed.

Plus, the ride out in the sticks, even on our craggy old test strip that would jar the bones of some other midsized SUVs, remains calm and comfortably firm. That’s real progress for the NX.

We’d appreciate a bit more nuance in the way the stability control kicks in (quite late) to catch the tail; while the driver-assist tech like the adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist do their jobs admirably, the latter’s constant chiming can be annoying; and there's a fair amount of road-noise intrusion over coarse bitumen. Like most midsized luxury SUVs, actually. Still quieter than a RAV4, though.

No jarring faults then. Lexus has done its homework and fixed most of the things that annoyed or infuriated us about the previous generation version. Good work.