Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (J250) review: a genuinely better Prado, still an unproven engine
4.2/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The J250 Prado is a better vehicle than the car it replaced on almost every measurable point — faster, more efficient, better equipped, and just as capable off the beaten track. What it does not yet have is the fifteen years of unbothered Gulf ownership that made the old 4.0-litre V6 Prado the safest SUV purchase in Bahrain. Buy new with full warranty and you take on none of that risk; buy an early used example and price in some uncertainty until the engine has a longer local track record.
Pros
- 2.4L turbo four out-torques the old V6 lower in the rev range — genuinely stronger off-road pulling power
- New TNGA-F platform brings Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control as standard fare
- Cabin, infotainment and driver-assistance tech are a full generation ahead of the outgoing Prado
- Still full-time four-wheel drive with low range — no compromise on core off-road capability
Cons
- No long-term GCC ownership record yet for the new turbo engine in Gulf heat
- Loses the naturally aspirated V6 many Bahraini buyers trusted for its simplicity
- Early used examples carry pricing that has not yet settled
- Combined fuel economy and full weight figures were not yet confirmed at time of writing
Toyota spent two decades convincing Gulf buyers that a naturally aspirated V6 was the only acceptable engine for a serious off-roader, and then dropped it entirely for the 250-series. The replacement, a 2.4-litre turbo four, sounds like a downgrade on a spec sheet and is not one in practice: 267 hp and 430 Nm comfortably out-muscle the old V6's 271 hp and 381 Nm, delivered lower in the rev range where it matters when climbing a dune or pulling away laden.
What actually changed for the better
The new TNGA-F ladder-frame platform, shared with the Land Cruiser 300, is stiffer and the Prado now gets Toyota's Multi-Terrain Select and Crawl Control as standard fare rather than a top-grade exclusive. Cabin quality, infotainment and driver-assistance tech are all a generation ahead of the car it replaced — the old Prado's interior had started to feel dated well before the model was retired.
The honest caveat
Every one of these turbo-four Prados on Bahraini roads is, at most, a couple of years old. The old V6 and the old 2.7-litre four earned their reputations over a decade and a half of Gulf ownership in 45 °C summers and constant air-conditioning load; the new turbo engine has not had that time yet. Toyota's engineering reputation buys real trust, but it is not the same as a proven local service history, and early adopters are effectively part of that track record being built.
On the road and off it
The extra torque is obvious from a standstill and on the causeway overtaking lane, and the 8-speed automatic shuffles ratios more smoothly than the old 6-speed unit ever did. Off-road, full-time four-wheel drive with a locking centre differential and low range covers the same ground the old Prado did — Sakhir's dunes and Saudi desert tracks are unbothered by the change of engine.
Who should buy one
Buy new if you want the latest Prado and the security of a full factory warranty covering the new powertrain. If you are shopping used, a well-kept final-year 150-series Prado with the old, thoroughly proven 4.0-litre V6 is still a defensible choice for a buyer who prioritises a known quantity over the newest technology.