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"mountains are mountains, rivers are rivers, and for off-roading, you have to go to cool road ze".

behind the buzzwords of online short videos is the best embodiment of the long-term reputation of japanese off-road vehicles in china.

as an early development based on the toyota land cruiser (lc70) series, the prado naturally also enjoys this reputation.

in 2020, the fourth-generation prado, which has been on the market for 11 years, will end its domestic production process. however, only a few years later, faw toyota officially announced the domestically produced fifth-generation new prado.

it has been 14 years since the launch of the fourth-generation model. how many changes have taken place in the new prado?

we just got a new prado 2.4t all-round tx version with 5 seats, let’s take a look.

appearance

fashion is indeed a cycle. prado went from the square box shape in the early days to the streamlined appearance later, and now, the tough square box shape has returned in the new prado.

the shape of the new prado focuses on a "retro" style, which is especially reflected in the front face.

the fog lamps on the edges of the headlights on both sides are very similar to the design of bundera, the first generation of prado.

the front of the car uses toyota's english logo instead of the toyota bull head logo of previous generations. this is a direct tribute to the first-generation prado.

the one we got has a square headlight. if it has a round headlight, the new prado will have a stronger retro flavor.

the original prado currently only has round lights as its lowest configuration, but the square lights and round lights can be interchanged, and car owners can diy them later.

in fact, there is an interesting point in the front face design of the new prado:

several parts such as the lights, bumpers, grille, and hinges are similar to lego's modular assembly design.

if it is damaged, just remove it and replace this part alone, which well reflects toyota's car-making experience as an old-school off-road vehicle manufacturer.

the front of the new prado is quite retro, but in terms of side styling, the designer is obviously a bit lazy.

the side shape of the new prado is very similar to the lexus gx.

△new prado

△lexus gx

for example, the blackened lines of the a-pillar and d-pillar, the color-blocked exterior mirrors, the rising waistline after the c-pillar, the polygonal wheel arches, etc., and even both cars have fixed foot pedals.

ignoring the front and rear light groups, it is difficult to tell the difference in the side shapes of the two cars.

considering the price of lexus gx is 7 to 8 million, owners of the new prado have made a profit.

the new prado has a minimum ground clearance of 221mm, an approach angle of 30 degrees, and a departure angle of 21 degrees.

on the tires, the new prado is equipped with dunlop's 18-inch at tires. the lowest model of lexus gx also uses the same dunlop model, but the size is changed to 20 inches.

the rear design is quite satisfactory, and the spare tire is no longer externally mounted, but placed at the bottom of the rear of the car.

at the same time, the rear window of the top model can be opened separately for easy access, and the rear bumper design is extended and can be stepped on.

the tail badge of ehev highlights the hybrid identity of this car.

in general, the new prado's front and side lines are simple and powerful, and the body posture is square and tough, which perfectly highlights the power of a medium and large off-road vehicle.

this appropriate degree of enthusiasm in styling design is also something that independent brand products need to learn from.

interior space

they say that when you sit in the new prado car, the driver is the only "genuine leather".

in fact, this is still a slight exaggeration.

fabric seats are only available in the lowest version of the new prado, and other versions have leather seats.

at first glance, the interior's neat design and dense physical buttons are rare today.

the 12.3-inch central control screen + 7-inch lcd instrument spans half of the center console.

in the era of intelligence, the central control screen of the new prado is not just a decoration, but also incorporates many intelligent functions.

in-vehicle wechat, live broadcast platforms, smart home control, and various cockpit smart scene combinations are also advancing with the times.

the panoramic image is very clear, supports multi-angle lens switching, and is very suitable for outdoor off-roading.

the steering wheel's physical buttons are very dense, and some vehicle information, multimedia functions, and assisted driving functions are controlled by this, and you need to learn how to use them.

below the central control screen are functional areas such as air conditioning, seat heating, and ventilation, and further down are functional areas such as wireless charging, driving modes, and four-wheel drive off-road.

the new prado 2.4t all-around tx version we actually photographed is the mid-range version of the car series. it has some off-road functions but is not the most complete configuration.

some details of the new prado’s interior design are quite high-quality:

the large-area leather-wrapped center console and seats are very soft and have a good touch. compared with domestic prices, they are not too bad.

in terms of space, the new prado with a length of 4925mm and a wheelbase of 2850mm is actually the same as the lexus gx.

the new prado actually also has a three-row, six-seat version, and the one we got is a two-row, five-seat design. the rear seats also support two-level adjustment of the backrest.

the rear air conditioners can be controlled individually. ignoring the high raised center floor below, it is still possible to comfortably seat three adults in the back.

because it is a hybrid, the battery is placed in the trunk, which is the same design as the great wall tank hi4-t series.

but the troublesome point is that the trunk floor is obviously higher. fortunately, the trunk space itself is not small, with an official volume of 408l.

the rear seats support folding down and flipping forward.

but you will find a small problem. no matter which way you fold it, you cannot get a flat floor in the back row.

as shown in the picture above, if the seat is placed flat, there will be a bulge, but if it is turned forward, there will be a large dent.

in short, if you want to go out for fun and want to sleep in the car after folding the seats, don't even think about it, but this flipping method may be suitable for pulling large cargo.

in addition, although the battery pack is placed in the trunk of the new prado, the bottom of the trunk is not completely covered, so some storage compartments are left.

for example, the storage compartment in the picture above is very spacious. it can be used to store some personal money here, but it is not recommended to store emergency tools.

because the storage handle is under the rear seat, you need to remove the items at the bottom of the trunk first, and then flip the rear seat over to open it.

the trunk supports 220v/1500w power interface which is absolutely praised. it can save the battery when using electricity outdoors.

in general, the interior of the new prado, like the exterior styling, is very online in design and very lovable.

the neat interior lines and orderly combination of physical function buttons are both pleasing to the eye and practical and convenient for daily driving.

in terms of space, the new prado’s seating space and loading space are also good.

of course, it would be better if the rear seats were folded down to provide a flat resting space for sleeping directly in the car outdoors. however, the market also has solutions for this problem, and a specially customized air bed can solve this problem.

driving, off-road

the new prado is powered by a p2 structure hybrid system composed of a 2.4t engine + electric motor.

the motor can output a maximum of 40kw and 250n·m, and is equipped with a 1.87kwh nickel-metal hydride battery pack. the vehicle power system has a comprehensive power of 243kw and a comprehensive torque of 630n·m.

the front double-wishbone rear integral axle structure on the chassis takes into account both off-road performance and on-road driving.

but even so, as a medium-to-large hardcore off-road vehicle with a non-load-bearing body, it is still not recommended for daily urban travel.

although due to the blessing of the hev hybrid system, daily city driving is helpful for fuel consumption and driving comfort.

for example, the new prado will be driven by an electric motor at low speeds in the city, making the power smoother and reducing engine fuel consumption.

the new prado uses an i-force max hybrid four-wheel drive system in its off-road four-wheel drive structure, with a transfer case and high and low-speed four-wheel drive modes.

its hybrid full-time four-wheel drive uses a torsen differential, but a differential lock is added to the torsen differential, and a rear axle differential lock is optional.

in addition, there are hard-core functions such as the front anti-roll bar that can be disconnected and creep mode, and the overall off-road equipment is very complete.

however, our mid-range model is equipped with low-speed four-wheel drive, two-speed starting, and a center differential lock. similar rear axle differential locks can only be seen with the top-level model.

among these hard-core off-road functions, the function of starting in two gears is very interesting, and some american muscle cars also have this method.

mainly, the starting torque in first gear is too large and it is easy to slip. this is also true for off-road vehicles on slippery roads, but the two-speed starting mode is better.

write at the end

in general, although the new prado has undergone great changes in its internal and external styling, power system, etc., the core of this car is still the image of a solid and reliable tool truck.

it has large space, comfort, relatively good fuel consumption performance and good off-road capabilities. it may not have any amazing skills or functional configurations, but it also has no obvious shortcomings.

at the same time, for some consumers, the new prado is also a product with a strong emotional component.

therefore, with the blessing of various factors, the official domestic price of the new prado is 459,800-549,800 yuan, which is not much different from the price range of previous domestic prados.

for example, the domestic price of the 2019 model of the previous generation of domestic prado before it was discontinued was 494,800-504,800, and the price of the basic main sales version was around 500,000.

considering that today’s domestic hard-core off-road market is very different, it is quite confident that the new prado still offers this pricing range.

however, this confidence also stems from the long-standing brand reputation of japanese off-road vehicles in the domestic automobile market due to their reliable quality.

what do you think of the new prado?