Can the Ford Everest beat the legendary Toyota LandCruiser Prado?

It’ll come as no surprise that Australians are spoilt for choice when it comes to a one-size-fits-all solution to a large family SUV.

Drive has typically been very impressed with the Ford Everest – the Australian-designed and tested off-road SUV has taken out its category at our annual Drive Car of the Year awards for two years running.

But, it now faces a new foe in the new Toyota LandCruiser Prado. Make no mistake, this car’s predecessor was really old, and the improvements Toyota has made with the fifth generation are light-years ahead.

We’ve tested these two cars alongside one another before, but not in their flagship specifications. So, at the very top of the tree, which large family SUV reigns supreme?

To find out, we picked up two range-topping versions of each nameplate to put them through various tests. This involved getting stuck into their interiors, driving around country and suburban Victoria, off-road trails, and a dive into each car’s respective price and specification sheets.

Buyers at this level expect a lot from their purchase. They’re paying top dollar for a big SUV that needs to fit a modern Australian family, it needs to conquer the everyday commute in comfort, it must tackle off-road terrain with poise, and it absolutely needs to tour the country well.

Good thing, then, that the Ford Everest Platinum and Toyota Prado Kakadu model grades we had on test had everything and the kitchen sink thrown at them in the name of specifications and equipment.

Let’s first start with the relatively new Toyota LandCruiser Prado. It was launched late in 2024 to widespread anticipation. The older Toyota Prado 150 Series was going on 15 years old, albeit with updates, so the introduction of a new successor was big news.

However, it also came at a big price premium – the Toyota Prado in Kakadu guise, as we had it, now costs $99,990 plus on-road costs. It’s a substantial $12,000 more than the old Toyota Prado, and uses a version of the same engine (albeit with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance). But, the brand has reserved a huge amount of equipment for this top specification.

We’re comparing the somewhat luxury-leaning variants of the Ford Everest and Toyota Prado, and concerning the latter, it gets 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in highway tyres, a 12.3-inch infotainment system, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone mirroring, a power-operated tailgate, leather-accented upholstery, adaptive suspension, a 14-speaker JBL sound system, Multi-Terrain Select driving modes, an air-cooled centre console box, a Torsen rear LSD, panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated seats in the first and second rows, a head-up display, and illuminated side steps.

That was a lot in itself, but for a full rundown on specifications, head over to our pricing article. Suffice to say that this is the all-you-can-eat Toyota Prado.

In terms of powertrain, the Toyota Prado Kakadu counts a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine under its bonnet. This outputs 150kW and 500Nm backed up by the support of a 48-volt mild-hybrid system and engine start-stop capability.

It gets an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and drive sent to all four wheels, all of the time. This also includes low-range gearing, and the capability to tow up to 3500kg.

In the Blue corner, or black corner on this occasion, we have the Ford Everest Platinum. It’s priced from $82,390 before on-road costs, so it’s already about $20,000 more affordable than the Toyota Prado Kakadu.

But, importantly, it doesn’t miss out on much.

Whereas the Toyota Prado uses a 2.8-litre four-cylinder to motivate its weight, the Ford Everest Platinum comes with a 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder diesel engine for its 184kW/600Nm outputs.

These outputs are sent to the wheels through a part-time four-wheel-drive system with a 4×4 auto mode for on-demand all-wheel drive and a 10-speed transmission. It’s enough to tow up to 3500kg braked.

There are also several driving modes, a locking rear differential, underbody protection, off-road displays for the infotainment, and of course, a low-range transfer case for when the going gets rough.

Reasons why you’d opt for this top-spec Platinum model grade include its panoramic sunroof, matrix LED headlights, large 12.4-inch digital instrument cluster, 12-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo, 21-inch wheels, quilted leather-accent seats, and ambient lighting highlights for the cabin.

It also benefits from things like a 12-inch centre touchscreen, power tailgate, and heated and cooled front seats.

There are bits and pieces on the Prado that the Everest’s missing, such as a head-up display, and there are also things that the Everest gets that the Prado doesn’t, such as its electric-folding third row. In all, they’re well matched on equipment.

Obviously, on the Prado, it was specified with a big non-standard bull bar that hides its front fascia, but it is a pretty cool-looking thing in the metal. I like the Toyota FJ vibes in the styling, and I think the overall package is ripe for modification.

As for the Ford, it’s clear that they’ve gone for an American-style look. This is due to the use of chrome trim throughout, while the big, butch grille takes a leaf from Ford’s US playbook in terms of design.

Personally, as much as I think the Everest has a resolved design, I’m taking the Prado on looks alone thanks to its retro look. Let us know your opinion in the comment section at the bottom of this comparison.

Step inside the Toyota’s cabin and you’re immediately hit with a very utilitarian design. There are big, chunky door handles, a wide centre console, and feel-good controls all around the driver.

Plus, it’s awesome to see a full suite of buttons to control all kinds of aspects from the air conditioning through to the four-wheel-drive settings.

The Prado Kakadu is kitted to the nines with all kinds of niceties, but I’m impressed by the leather-accented seats that offer heaps of adjustment (at least for the driver) and a big, wide comfy base to sit on. The front passenger gets fewer elements of electric adjustment.

It does feel quite airy, particularly alongside the Everest’s cabin. It has a tall glasshouse and high roof that make it feel like a large space, whereas the Everest seemingly feels smaller with its dark headlining.

But then, the Toyota gets a wide centre console arrangement and there’s not a ton of space to move about in terms of the driver’s footwell. All the buttons and screens are easily within reach, and I love the tall, lofty driving position. It does feel like a bigger car than the Ford Everest, especially from the driver’s seat.

Around the centre console there’s a small centre console cubby that is cooled, twin cupholders, a wireless smartphone slot under the dash, and plenty of physical controls for the air outlets.

In terms of plush accents, I don’t think the Prado goes as far as the Everest, which is a bit of a shame at the top-buying level. There’s no fancy ambient lighting, no design inlays, no quilted stitch for the seats, and no contrast stitching.

Slide into the second row and the Prado remains a very comfortable car.

You’ve got heated and ventilated outboard seats, a tri-zone climate control, twin USB ports, a 12-volt point, map pockets, a nice little LAND CRUISER insignia behind the centre console, and an armrest with cupholders.

While there’s good vision through the low windows and nice light afforded by that huge sunroof, this car does succumb to the TNGA platform pitfall of being a little bit tight on space. It’s fine on outright head room, but my legs were a bit tight behind my own driving position, and my boots didn’t have a ton of space beneath the seat.

Even worse, while you can adjust the backrest angle, you can’t slide the seat base on rails like you can in the Ford.

The Prado comes with a clumsy fold-and-flip-forward action to accessing the third row – not the best choice for a family SUV.

It is tight once you’re in the third row, and it’s a shame there’s limited adjustability of the second row to accommodate extra space.

There are a couple of cupholders, air vents, and USB ports for charging devices, however.

Meanwhile, the Everest’s cabin makes its portrait-mounted central screen much more of a centrepiece than is found in the Toyota – more of the car is controlled through the display. That could be a good or a bad thing depending on your preference, but I think Ford has done it in a smart way.

I do like the fact that Ford stuck with knobs for the air-con controls and volume adjuster. This is a smart move, whereas many rival manufacturers have moved to slider and touch-based controls.

In any case, there’s a bunch of space to get comfortable with and soft-touch materials aplenty. The seats offer more bolster support than the LandCruiser Prado, and it matches its ventilation, electric adjustments, and heating capabilities.

There’s a bit more visual flair going on with the Platinum badging, contrast stitching, and neat stitching for the upholstery inlays. Though both cars get nice soft-touch panels on the doors, it’s the Ford’s that feel plusher.

As with the Prado, buttons are found around the gear selector to change the 4×4 system and a drive mode selector. But there aren’t nearly as many.

The centre console space also houses a lidded storage bin, wireless phone charger, two cupholders, a handy slot under the dash for stowing keys, and a two-tier glovebox in front of the passenger.

Clamber into the second row and it’s easy to appreciate the spaciousness of the Everest’s rear seat. I had comfortable head room, leg room, and foot room, and it’s handy that the Everest has adjustable seats.

The seats slide on rails and the backrests recline too, so it’s a very configurable space.

The two outboard seats have seat heating, and there are bottle holders in the door pockets as well as cupholders in the fold-down armrest.

There are air vents in the second row for airflow, and the panoramic sunroof allows plenty of light to brighten the black leather-accent upholstery.

Getting into the third row is far easier than the Prado because it’s a simple pull and slide forward. There’s no time wasted watching the seat contort itself.

It feels marginally bigger than the Prado, primarily because you can move that second row a bit more generously. There are air vents and cupholders to keep occupants happy in the third row. But it doesn’t have USB power like the Prado does.

The real compromise with the Prado packaging comes at the boot. While I do like the fact that there’s a split pop-out window and a power tailgate, it’s no doubt an afterthought at the Prado’s rearmost, because the third row doesn’t fold flat like it does in the Everest.

The 48-volt battery is in the way, meaning Toyota has gone with a flimsy solution to a flat floor, incorporating a plastic storage box that’s a compromise at best.

Overall storage volume stands at 182 litres to the third row, 906L to second row, and 1829L to first row.

The Ford’s boot is not nearly as much of a problem.

The Everest’s power-operated boot is easily opened and reveals 259L of space behind the third row, 898L behind the second row, and up to 1818L with all seats down.

It’s line ball in terms of on-paper figures, but the Everest remains the easier boot to use every day because the third row folds neatly flat.

Additionally, the Ford’s ability to electrically fold its third row is a nice touch.

Infotainment is covered off by a 12.3-inch touchscreen that runs Toyota’s latest software suite. It’s quick enough, has integrated maps, AM/FM/digital radio, and connected services.

It’s pretty easy to use, but I don’t think it’s as slick and visually impressive as the Ford’s Sync 4 system. It feels more like an off-the-shelf product than one that’s been designed specifically.

That said, I do love the way you can display full-screen Apple CarPlay wirelessly, much like the Ford Everest.

At the Kakadu level, you get a 12.3-inch digital cluster that shows a ton of information and is hugely configurable. It takes a bit of time to get your head around, but you can get a real nice set-up in front of your face to show off-road graphics, fuel data, media information, or maps.

You’ve also got a head-up display for the driver’s view.

We’ve said it plenty before – I love the functionality of the Ford infotainment system. The integrated Sync 4 system has quickly become one of the better infotainment systems on the market – let alone for a large off-road SUV – and contains plenty of functionality. Not only is there native satellite navigation and digital radio, but users can connect Apple CarPlay or Android Auto wirelessly.

There’s AM/FM/digital radio, sat nav, clear cameras, and an array of displays to help your off-road journey. There’s also a digital instrument cluster in front of the driver that can be configured to show varying displays and graphics. All screens are high definition and display bright, eye-catching colours.

Toyota has a suite of safety gear called ‘Safety Sense’, which encompasses all the types of active measures we like to see in brand-new cars.

Both cars were awarded a five-star safety rating, though the Ford Everest’s top-marks score is slightly older, dating back to 2022 rather than the Prado’s 2024 date stamp.

They both include systems like autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assistance, lane-centring assistance, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert (although the Prado gets assistance capabilities), and 360-degree cameras.

The Toyota may only slightly edge ahead of outright capability, because it’s slightly newer and offers enhancements such as the rear cross-traffic alert braking assist and a driver-facing camera, but both are well kitted in terms of safety extras.

Keep in mind, the Toyota Prado and the Ford Everest have nine physical airbags.

In time I spent with the cars, neither system annoyed me – even despite the Prado’s driver-facing camera that can frustrate in other models. Their adaptive cruise controls kept good distances to the cars in front, and there were no undue overreactions from AEB systems.

Toyota and Ford both offer five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranties, but Ford accompanies its warranty with up to seven years of roadside assistance, whereas Toyota charges $99 per year to subscribe to its service.

The Toyota is far more expensive to service and it needs to visit the dealership once every six months or 10,000km. Comparatively, the Ford only requires annual maintenance or once you’ve reached 15,000km – whichever is first.

Ford’s Everest servicing is capped at $379 per visit for the first four visits, then it goes up to $395 for the fifth. The Toyota Prado maintenance cost is $390 each visit. Though you’ll have to visit twice as often as you would with the Ford.

Then comes fuel economy. We saw 9.2 litres per 100 kilometres on the Toyota’s trip computer compared to a 7.6L/100km claim. It’s clear the 48-volt mild-hybrid system is not as efficient as Toyota would have you believe. The Ford used 10.7L/100km against a rating of 8.5L/100km.

This Toyota Prado has come on leaps and bounds over its predecessor, but then again, it had a very old vehicle to replace.

The newer model is far easier to control, with a lighter steering effort, more gear ratios to choose from, and many more electronic gizmos to help the driver – especially when it comes to off-roading.

For example, we were off the beaten track as part of this comparison and the extra vision provided by the crystal-clear camera feeds was hugely helpful.

One area where the Prado lags behind its competition, however, is ride comfort. It felt like an agricultural experience, driving along sealed, corrugated bitumen in the Toyota Prado, as the suspension wasn’t absorbent enough to deal with sustained imperfections.

It deals with larger and harder-edged discomforts, such as speed humps, better, but it’s constantly sending vibrations and interruptions through to the cabin when you’re on rough terrain.

By comparison, something like the Ford Everest feels far more relaxed in how it deals with the same kind of road.

The Prado utilises a carryover 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that produces less power and torque than that Everest benchmark. Comparatively, the Prado’s 150kW/500Nm outputs are closer aligned to the Everest’s lower-spec 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder engine – not available with the Everest Platinum specification.

To use, the Prado’s drivetrain is active and lively, but you have to work it harder than expected. Solid throttle pokes are needed to extract overtaking oomph, though the eight-speed transmission is well suited to the engine.

It’s reactive, shifts at the right time, and works well to keep the Toyota within its prime power band.

This new Prado is a ton easier to wheel, whether you’re driving on country roads or parking it in a tight garage. There’s a light steering quality that might not convey much feel, but the easy weight makes it a cinch to park in parallel parking spots – where the old car was a bit lethargic to manoeuver.

Where the Prado really does shine is its off-road prowess. There’s fantastic ground clearance to ensure the Prado doesn’t easily get stuck through deep ruts, while the constant four-wheel-drive traction means you never really have to think too hard about leaving paved roads.

Likewise, the off-road traction-control system doesn’t cut in prematurely to hamper your progress, and the body’s dimensions are easily placed within ruts.

This Kakadu specification doesn’t have the rear locking differential of the Altitude variant, but there’s a multitude of off-road technology to get stuck into. Crawl Control is really easy to deploy, and there are plenty of specific off-road modes available to the driver.

Driving the Prado back to back with the Ford Everest, one of the biggest points of difference is the lack of refinement. You can feel the Prado’s engine working much harder through vibrations and noise. The Prado does come with a great, lofty driving position that feels proper 4×4, but it certainly can’t match the Everest’s car-like levels of noise, vibration, and harshness refinement.

The Ford Everest Platinum goes about the seven-seat off-roading experience armed with diesel power and no 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance.

The centrepiece of the Ford Everest’s drive experience, at least in the upper-spec Platinum specification, is its 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 engine. With 184kW and 600Nm on tap, a flex of the throttle results in a strong surge forward, which is especially handy for quick overtakes.

This far eclipses what the Toyota Prado can offer with its 2.8-litre carryover four-cylinder diesel engine, even with the add-on mild-hybrid component. So, if you’re all about outright on-paper bragging rights, the Everest is the one to go for.

But, crucially, the Everest feels stronger in its power delivery and it also feels easier to access these enhanced outputs.

There are 10 ratios for the gearbox to choose from, so it can sometimes select the wrong gear in certain scenarios, particularly around town. However, at higher speeds the transmission is quick to change ratios, ready for action.

There are six separate driving modes accessed handily down on the centre console-mounted Drive Selector dial, plus the ability to switch the four-wheel-drive system between four-wheel-drive auto, four-wheel-drive high, four-wheel-drive low, and two-wheel drive.

While the Everest Platinum also has a hill descent control system like the Prado Altitude, it doesn’t go to the extent of having a specific Crawl mode. It also uses electromechanical-locking clutch plates for the torque split between the front and rear wheels, which is varied through the different driving modes, and a traditional mechanical rear locking differential. By comparison, the Toyota has a central-locking diff.

Off-road, the Everest is a proven performer with plenty of ground clearance to clear mounds and ample traction to continue over tricky terrain. While our car was fitted with large 21-inch wheels wrapped in highway-terrain tyres, buyers get a no-cost option of all-terrain 18-inch wheels and tyres too.

I’d like to see what an Everest Platinum on smaller wheels would be like, because our car was not the right kind of set-up for hardcore off-roading.

It’s much better suited to on-road driving, and it’s on bitumen where the Everest does its best work. It’s far less jittery than the Toyota Prado in terms of ride comfort because it deals with small niggling imperfections quickly and easy. Likewise, it feels more car-like to take around corners.

The Everest is quiet and refined, much more so than the Toyota Prado. It’s comfortable, there are minimal interruptions for cabin occupants, and there is nowhere near as much noise emanating from under the bonnet compared to the Prado.

There is little doubt that the Ford Everest is the better car in a wider array of domains, especially when you consider what – in all likelihood – these cars are going to be doing for the majority of time. That is, spending time on sealed bitumen.

Off-road fanatics will be better served by the Toyota Prado, but even then, you may as well opt for the Prado Altitude off-road variant, which is more affordable too.

The Toyota Prado and Ford Everest, in their flagship Kakadu and Platinum specifications respectively, match up nicely on paper. There is very little difference in this comparison in terms of in-cabin comforts – both are really well specified, and it doesn’t feel like one is the standout champion.

There are some personal things that may sway you to consider one car over the other, such as the Toyota Prado’s loftier, taller driving position that cements its status as a proper 4×4. Meanwhile, the Ford Everest’s packaging is far superior to the Toyota’s bungled boot set-up.

However, once you factor in the steep $20,000 price gulf that you’d pay for the Toyota Prado Kakadu over the Ford Everest Platinum, the competition becomes less closely fought.

The extra cost of the Toyota simply isn’t worth it, considering you’ll get a poorly planned interior with the lack of a sliding second row and inefficient boot space, a louder, more uncomfortable driving experience on the blacktop, costlier service pricing, and mild-hybrid technology that likely doesn’t go as far as it should.

There is little doubt that it’s a fine choice for dedicated off-roaders, but I’d argue that those keen on heading bush will be better served by the down-spec Toyota Prado Altitude. In the meantime, the Ford Everest Platinum fares just fine off the beaten track, and does so for far less money.

That’s why it’s the better choice when it comes to on-road comfort, ease-of-use inside the cabin, and a stronger, more well-rounded six-cylinder engine under the bonnet.