Special-edition sees the Prado balance style, luxury, and capability.
For 2017, the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Altitude special-edition has returned, offering greater value and heightened convenience. The Prado Altitude puts special emphasis on on-road capability, and certainly seems (to us) to be an excellent motorway companion.
At $68,230 (before ORCs), the Prado Altitude builds on the already generous specifications of the GXL automatic turbodiesel, adding “at least $10k” worth of equipment for a (relatively) small $5000 premium. To ensure that your special-edition can stand out next to your neighbour’s vanilla Prado, Toyota has removed the spare wheel from the tailgate and hidden it under the bonnet, giving the big wagon a sleeker, more premium look.
With the spare wheel stowed under the car, the Prado Altitude gets a glass hatch that you can open independently of the tailgate, allowing you to quickly stow small items in the boot without having to open the whole thing. Further exterior changes include unique 18-inch alloys, a tilt-and-slide moonroof, LED headlamps with automatic levelling, and chrome side mouldings.
The interior sees tons of revisions, starting first with leather seats (finished in black). Front seats get power adjustment (four-way for the passenger, and eight-way for the driver). The rear passengers get a Blu-ray entertainment system, replete with a 9-inch ceiling-mounted monitor, 5.1-channel surround sound, and three wireless headphones. The whole cabin, however, can enjoy a wonderful aural experience thanks to a premium 14-speaker JBL audio system.
The only downside to all this is the removal of the secondary fuel tank, binned to make way for the relocated spare wheel. This is unlikely to do much harm to most owners though, as the 87-litre diesel fuel tank gives the Prado Altitude a theoretical cruising range of over 1,000km (based on the claimed fuel consumption of 8.0L/100km).
Other standard kit (as per the GXL that the Prado Altitude is based on) includes things like permanent all-wheel drive, a reversing camera, satellite navigation, a 7-inch infotainment display, cruise control, tri-zone climate control, rear parking sensors, a multifunction steering wheel, and keyless entry & go. For safety, the Prado Altitude gets seven airbags, stability & traction control, anti-lock brakes, hill-start assistance, and hill descent control, as per the Prado GXL.
Tony Cramb, executive sales & marketing director of Toyota Australia, said that the Prado Altitude represents great style and value for the price. “Buyers will appreciate all the new features that make [the] Prado Altitude even more luxurious and practical, including a lighter tailgate that is easier to open - particularly useful in tight city parking.”
The Prado Altitude comes as standard in black, though an additional $550 will see the special-edition finished in pearl silver, crystal pearl, and graphite grey. All Prado Altitudes fall under the Toyota Service Advantage package, with service prices capped at $240 per visit for up to 6 scheduled services.
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