Toyota LandCruiser 300 vs Toyota Prado

The 300 starts at $107,315 driveaway for a GX against the Prado's $79,369, a gap of about $28,000 before options. The money buys the 3.3-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel, 227kW and 700Nm against 150kW and 500Nm, plus a 10-speed auto over the Prado's eight. It buys heavier-duty margins: a 3280kg gross vehicle mass and 6750kg gross combination mass to the Prado's 3100 and 6600, 245mm of clearance to 221, and a tenth airbag. What it does not buy is more towing, since both carry 3500kg braked ratings, or a lighter service schedule, since both visit the workshop every six months. The premium is the engine and the headroom, not the trailer rating most buyers walk in for.

The headline rating is identical: 3500kg braked and 750kg unbraked on both. The difference sits underneath. The 300 carries the higher gross combination mass, 6750kg to the Prado's 6600, and the higher gross vehicle mass, 3280kg to 3100, with a published 350kg tow-ball limit, so there is more legal room for vehicle, trailer and load before the limits run out. The Prado publishes a 580kg payload, and a van near the limit eats it quickly once ball weight and passengers land. For heavy, near-limit towing the 300 takes it. To simply pull 3500kg, the Prado does the same job for about $28k less.

The 300's V6 makes 227kW and 700Nm; the Prado's 2.8-litre four with 48-volt assistance makes 150kW and 500Nm. The gap of 77kW and 200Nm shows most under load, where the V6 stays relaxed and the four works harder against roughly 2.5 tonnes; AU road tests call the Prado's engine adequate rather than strong. The trade-off is fuel, 8.9L/100km against 7.6, since the servicing cadence is identical. Buyers wanting more again should note the 341kW petrol-electric pair announced for the Sahara ZX and GR Sport at $156,060 and $156,810 plus on-roads; as of early July 2026 they were due around August. For towing and distance, the V6 earns its keep; around town the 2.8 is plenty.

Start with the myth: the Prado does not service less often. Toyota holds both to six-month, 10,000km intervals, so both visit the workshop twice a year. On 2026 capped-price schedules the Prado's visits are $390 and the 300's run a little over $400, putting five-year servicing near $3,900 against roughly $4,200: a wash at this money. The real running gaps are fuel and entry price. The Prado claims 7.6L/100km to the 300's 8.9, worth real money over a touring year, and it starts $27,946 cheaper (July 2026 driveaway). Both carry five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranties. The Prado is cheaper to own, but the saving lives in the fuel bill and the purchase price, not the logbook.

Both wear five-star ANCAP ratings. The split is currency. The Prado's result is newer, tested in 2024 and current to December 2031, with higher safety-assist (82 per cent to 77) and vulnerable-road-user (84 to 81) scores. The 300, tested in 2022 and current to December 2028, answers with the higher adult-occupant score, 89 per cent to 85, and ten airbags to nine. Both ship AEB, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and a driver-attention monitor as standard. One asterisk: the 300's rating covers five of its six grades, with the GR Sport unrated. A buyer weighting the fresher protocol reads the Prado ahead; on occupant protection the pair are level.

Closer than the price gap suggests. The 300 runs full-time 4WD with low range and, on the GR Sport, factory front and rear diff locks; it clears a 25-degree departure angle and 245mm of ground to the Prado's 17 degrees and 221mm. The Prado answers with a 32-degree approach to the 300's 31, a published 700mm wading depth the 300's spec sheet leaves blank, a lockable centre diff and crawl control, and AU reviewers rate it near the top of the class for making hard tracks easy. The Prado's 17-degree departure is also measured with its factory tow bar fitted. The 300 is the hardware pick; the Prado gives away little and is the easier drive.

Equipment parity is high: both offer wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in navigation, digital radio, a 360-degree camera, and heated and ventilated front seats. The screens split by grade. Every Prado runs a 12.3-inch touchscreen, with a 7.0-inch driver cluster on GX and GXL and a 12.3-inch cluster from VX up. The 300's 2025 update gave GX and GXL an 8.0-inch screen and 7.0-inch cluster, with the 12.3-inch pair reserved for VX and above. Head-up displays sit on the upper rungs of both ranges: Sahara and up for the 300, Altitude and Kakadu for the Prado. At entry money the Prado carries more screen; from VX up the two run level.

For the hardest end of touring the 300 is the tool. The V6's reserve, the 6750kg gross combination mass and 3280kg GVM, and the extra clearance give it headroom the Prado cannot match under a big van. The gap is narrower than the badge ladder suggests, though. The Prado tows the same 3500kg braked, carries the same 110-litre tank, and burns less fuel doing it, which makes its leg between fills the longer one. It also opens about $28k cheaper. Load to the limit or live far from town and the 300 takes it; for most touring the Prado is the value pick. Also drive the Nissan Patrol and GWM Tank 500 before signing.

For most family buyers the five-seat Prado GXL is the smart-money default. It matches the 300's 3500kg braked rating, opens about $28k below it, uses less fuel and holds the newer 2024 ANCAP result. Both seat seven on the right grades, share the platform and warranty, and, contrary to the showroom assumption, cost similar money to service. The 300 earns its premium for a family towing near the limit or crossing remote distance, and its resale record is formidable. Unless one of those applies, the extra spend buys headroom most families never use. The Prado is the default; the 300 is the considered upgrade.