2020 Toyota Prado vs New Land Rover Defender 110 - Luxury Off-road Titans go head to head

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We headed out to our favourite 4x4 testing facility, Welgelegen 4x4 just outside Cape Town, to put these two luxury behemoths to the test in their natural habitat.

The big news here is that this is not an entirely new Prado, but it has been given a new beating heart in the form of the uprated 2.8L engine which is now doing duty in the latest Hilux. It is worth saying up front that this isn't necessarily an apples for apples test as we could not secure a diesel Defender, so we had to make do with the extremely powerful 6-cylinder P400.

But it is an interesting test nonetheless, given that the Prado offers a tried and tested formula of a ladder frame chassis, a decently luxurious interior, 7-seats and a 6-figure price tag which comes in well below this particular Defender, although the diesel Defender is closer in price.

Climbing into the Land Rover and you feel like you've time-travelled to the future. This is one seriously smart and capable vehicle and left Ciro De Siena feeling like he didn't really need to be there; the car could have probably climbed those mountains all on its own.

We do hope you enjoy this in-depth test of the two cars. Let us know in the comments below which one you'd have and why.

0:00 Intro
0:56 Toyota Prado vs New Land Rover Defender 110 Off-road drive
1:45 Toyota Prado Pricing in SA
2:28 What makes the Toyota Prado different from other Toyotas?
3:40 Toyota Prado Interior review
5:07 Which one drives better
6:51 Land Rover Defender 110 Pricing in South Africa
7:23 Land Rover Defender 110 Engine Review
9:13 Land Rover Defender 110 Interior review
11:11 Land Rover Defender 110 design review
12:29 Rear seats
13:32 Which one should you buy?
15:12 Closing

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[ryanwalker]

As an owner of the 2019 Prado VX-L, I think its a great vehicle in terms of value for money. this is our 4th prado. You cannot beat the resale value, im sorry! give these 2 vehicles 10 years and I can promise you the defender will be worth less, with far more things that need fixing or replacing. I am sure the defender is a better driving experience, but like my first prado, If I want to drive it to with only replacing the essential maintenance items, will it last? Who buys a prado in that colour and that interior, it looks a lot better in silver or white with black leather.

[landrovanderwalt]

The Defender reminds me a bit of Jeremy Clarkson’s comment many years ago about super cars being like dating super models. Everyone wants to own one and be seen with one, but nobody hears you cry because of all the high maintenance :-)

[muhammadibnkilab]

I love the honesty of manufacturers when they always say "this is the first time they have experienced any problem like this"

[robwilson]

Hard to believe that the Defender broke on a test run, but then it is a snow car and he did take it on some minor dust. I had a 90 series Prado for 18 years and 320, 000km. No trouble. Then a D4. Things doors would not open at a campsite in Bots. Help consisted of me being told to 'bring it to Johannesburg for a software upgrade", while actually, a door actuator had failed. After that I wouldn't leave phone contact range with a dealer, which basically means stay in the city. Back to a 150 Prado. I know I will get back home each time I go out. 10 USB ports don't help with that.

[djdinobravo]

The simplicity of the matter is that the prado will outlast the defender 10 to 1.
*In My Humble Opinion*

[nikojevtic]

Car journalists don't care about reliability

[Napoleon_Blownapart]

I'll take Toyota's reliability over any high tech gadgets the Defender may have.

[bravofoxable]

Lived with both in the past... Will go with Toyota, lots of reasons....

[weetbix]

If I won a Defender I would sell it and buy the Prado.

[tronicit]

You need those usb points in the Land Rover so the whole family can Google how to fix it.

[robinbell]

I love the new Defender and I wouldn't mind owning one myself. But in 10 years time the Prado will still be running perfectly and be worth 3 times that of a Defender of the same age.

[lexuslfa]

Of all my years of driving I’ve never cared about how a cabin looks as long as it serves it’s intended purpose which the prado does perfectly, the exterior though I care for and the prado is not a bad looking car to my eyes. The landy looks good too and it certainly turns heads, but just as a new phone, once you are done running through the new features and settings that will probably never use, you just want something reliable that works perfect. This is probably the reason apple flagships out sell Samsung by numbers to 1. Remember it’s easier to throw away 1000$ on a phone than it is to throw 50-100k on a car, therefore the more sensible buy is the more reliable product. It would be nice to have some of the features from the landy in the prado but I’d rather have peace of mind than a bunch of tech I will only go through in the first weeks of ownership and get bored of later in a car riddled with unreliability issues. Motoring journalist are the only ones who get this nit picky since they only have the car during the period of running through all its features, also their turn on is more and more features that’s why this review ends up like this.

[clivesinclair]

These are both off road 4x4’s (even LR say that). Biggest priority of such a vehicle is reliability and off road capability. IF, the Defender was as reliable as to Prado, it would be a world beater. But as the reviewer said, there is a reason so many people pick the Prado.

[Chris-]

"...no one ever said more power and more torque was a bad thing..."

James Pumphrey:
A man of culture I see.

[kaeptnstyle]

"They really nailed the design with this new Defender"

Said no one ever.

[hedydd]

Fairly sure that the Prado and 200 Series LC are overdue for replacement with a single modern new model. The Defender was not prepared properly by the supplying dealer, which should have updated the software and done a pre-delivery inspection before letting it loose in the wild. If it is a press car, someone needs their bottom spanked by a thorn bush.

[Hi-ptnq]

Prado everyday as the defender will spend more time in the workshop, at the end of the day buy what you want

[Kiwi_Dave]

The facts, Prado you could drive off the showroom floor and across Australia without any modifications. Land Rover, you drive off the showroom floor and collect the kids from school while portraying the image of being able to cross Australia. Land Rover is all about image, Prado is the real thing.

[michaelewert]

I own a lower spec Prado and I‘m pretty happy with it‘s interior. Easy to clean and in some areas quite utilitarian. I think that’s part of the philosophy of the Land Cruiser model range. They aren’t pretty but they don’t let you down what makes them they best buy. I wouldn’t spend any money on a Tata Rover. Older Discos and Defenders might be good off roaders but the later stuff is premium rubbish to show off.

[patlophamotse]

Of course Land Rover would say it was the first time.🤣