Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 120 as an overland vehicle?

[benoidy]

Hello there,

I am looking to get into overlanding. I live in the UK.

I have been looking at the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 120 as a potential vehicle. You can get a nice tidy example with between 100,000 - 125,000 miles for under 10k. I would be looking at an automatic 3.0 D4D model.

I want to use the vehicle day to day, for family holidays, commuting and general usage but also stick a roof tent on top, awning and camping stuff in the back for warmer months and explore the UK (and potentially Europe/Africa) as an overlanding rig.

I have a few questions:

- are these vehicles as reliable as Toyota Land Cruisers are made out to be? I appreciate every vehicle has weak points and needs proper and regular servicing and maintenance, but are these vehicles genuinely bulletproof for the most part? What should you look out for on these and bear in mind over the course of ownership?

- can they handle the extra weight that comes with overlanding or should I be looking at getting brake/suspension uprated and if so, does anyone have suggestions for suspension that won’t ruin the road comfort or handling too much?

- how capable are these vehicles off road? I would put BF Goodrich All Terrain or similar on and run these year round. I have a bit of off-road experience and would plan to take the car on a course to improve by skills. Taking these factors into account - if I am looking to do some pretty full on greenlanes and off road tracks in the UK (all year round) and potentially stuff in desserts/other countries - how capable are these land cruisers of doing this? (Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 120)

- and finally, in the UK we have the LC3/LC4/LC5, each one coming with more stuff (sat nav/heated seats) and I’d like to go for a higher spec one if possible but the higher specs come with adjustable air suspension I believe. Is the adjustable air suspension good for off-road and does it cause issues/expensive to repair? If so then I may need to consider a model without the adjustable suspension.

Apologies for the amount of text - just trying to work out my next steps.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Dave in AZ]

We don't have the Prado in the US, or even the Landcruiser really. In 2024 they introduced a LC here again, but I have read that it is actually just the Prado.

However, this guy Ronny Dahl in Australia has a ton of Prado videos. His camera chase car is a Prado, so it can do a ton of overlanding...
No idea abiut models.
Check him out, best overland Prado source on web I know of

Ronny Dahl

Welcome to my channel, a global community for passionate 4WD enthusiasts! If you have a deep love for off-roading, overlanding, touring, adventures, and camping, you've found your ultimate destination. Join me, Ronny Dahl, every Sunday as I take you on thrilling expeditions, sharing invaluable...

youtube.com

 

[El-Dracho]

Hello there,

I am looking to get into overlanding. I live in the UK.

I have been looking at the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 120 as a potential vehicle. You can get a nice tidy example with between 100,000 - 125,000 miles for under 10k. I would be looking at an automatic 3.0 D4D model.

I want to use the vehicle day to day, for family holidays, commuting and general usage but also stick a roof tent on top, awning and camping stuff in the back for warmer months and explore the UK (and potentially Europe/Africa) as an overlanding rig.

I have a few questions:

- are these vehicles as reliable as Toyota Land Cruisers are made out to be? I appreciate every vehicle has weak points and needs proper and regular servicing and maintenance, but are these vehicles genuinely bulletproof for the most part? What should you look out for on these and bear in mind over the course of ownership?

- can they handle the extra weight that comes with overlanding or should I be looking at getting brake/suspension uprated and if so, does anyone have suggestions for suspension that won’t ruin the road comfort or handling too much?

- how capable are these vehicles off road? I would put BF Goodrich All Terrain or similar on and run these year round. I have a bit of off-road experience and would plan to take the car on a course to improve by skills. Taking these factors into account - if I am looking to do some pretty full on greenlanes and off road tracks in the UK (all year round) and potentially stuff in desserts/other countries - how capable are these land cruisers of doing this? (Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 120)

- and finally, in the UK we have the LC3/LC4/LC5, each one coming with more stuff (sat nav/heated seats) and I’d like to go for a higher spec one if possible but the higher specs come with adjustable air suspension I believe. Is the adjustable air suspension good for off-road and does it cause issues/expensive to repair? If so then I may need to consider a model without the adjustable suspension.

Apologies for the amount of text - just trying to work out my next steps.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi Ben,

Welcome to Overland Bound.

If you like to introcude yourself to the other members here, you could do that here:

Member Introductions *NEW MEMBERS INTRODUCE YOURSELF* | OVERLAND BOUND COMMUNITY

I think the Prado 120 is a good base as an overlanding vehicle if you can get one in good condition. I don't know the UK market exactly, but @OverlandFaction or @Polaris Overland can probably help you with that or point you in the right direction. I think it's always the same with vehicle selection, many people will give you tips and tell you which car they think is best. But in the end, you have to decide what you like and feel comfortable with.

Enjoy your upcoming trips!

Greetings from Germany,
Bjoern

 

[rtexpeditions]

They are very popular in Australia. I didn't buy one last time I purchased a vehicle because they still have awful brakes, like all Toyotas. But if you like Toyotas, don't let that put you off.

 

[Arailt]

Hello there,

I am looking to get into overlanding. I live in the UK.

I have been looking at the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 120 as a potential vehicle. You can get a nice tidy example with between 100,000 - 125,000 miles for under 10k. I would be looking at an automatic 3.0 D4D model.

I want to use the vehicle day to day, for family holidays, commuting and general usage but also stick a roof tent on top, awning and camping stuff in the back for warmer months and explore the UK (and potentially Europe/Africa) as an overlanding rig.

I have a few questions:

- are these vehicles as reliable as Toyota Land Cruisers are made out to be? I appreciate every vehicle has weak points and needs proper and regular servicing and maintenance, but are these vehicles genuinely bulletproof for the most part? What should you look out for on these and bear in mind over the course of ownership?

- can they handle the extra weight that comes with overlanding or should I be looking at getting brake/suspension uprated and if so, does anyone have suggestions for suspension that won’t ruin the road comfort or handling too much?

- how capable are these vehicles off road? I would put BF Goodrich All Terrain or similar on and run these year round. I have a bit of off-road experience and would plan to take the car on a course to improve by skills. Taking these factors into account - if I am looking to do some pretty full on greenlanes and off road tracks in the UK (all year round) and potentially stuff in desserts/other countries - how capable are these land cruisers of doing this? (Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 120)

- and finally, in the UK we have the LC3/LC4/LC5, each one coming with more stuff (sat nav/heated seats) and I’d like to go for a higher spec one if possible but the higher specs come with adjustable air suspension I believe. Is the adjustable air suspension good for off-road and does it cause issues/expensive to repair? If so then I may need to consider a model without the adjustable suspension.

Apologies for the amount of text - just trying to work out my next steps.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Prado 120 is a GX470 in North America. I owned a 2008 GX470 and it was great off road. Very reliable and smooth driving on the highway. Mine had auto-adjusting rear air suspension that handled extra weight very well. Not sure what Prado trim level that would be in the UK. I think it is the "Grand" in Australia.

Prado 120/GX470 is well documented top notch off-roader. I would YouTube search both models. There are lots of Aussie videos about the 120 and US videos featuring the GX (buildouts, 4x4ing, overlanding, etc). Tons of aftermarket support. I would not hesitate to buy.

 

[pluton]

As I understand it, vehicles using the Prado platform have been sold in the USA since 1996, here as the 3rd gen 4Runner. This, plus the 4th Gen 4Runner/Lexus 470, and all subsequent iterations of the Prado platform have the highest reputation for reliability and are known for excellent design and engineering *talking into account their price points*. They are, however, not heavy duty trucks.
As long as the size (smaller than LC 79 series for example) is acceptable, the as-new overall vehicle quality is not in question.

 

[Alanymarce]

- are these vehicles as reliable as Toyota Land Cruisers are made out to be?

Short answer – yes; however note that Land Cruisers are not as reliable as myth has them; age and mileage is key to any vehicle. Of the vehicles we’ve owned (Pajero, 4Runner, Geländewagen, Patrol, Cherokee, X Trail, Land Cruiser 80, Montero, Wrangler) the Land Cruiser was the least reliable and gave us the most repair requirements, however it was also the oldest and had the most mileage.

Having said this the Prado is a good vehicle.


- can they handle the extra weight that comes with overlanding or should I be looking at getting brake/suspension uprated and if so, does anyone have suggestions for suspension that won’t ruin the road comfort or handling too much?

As long as you stay within GVM it’ll be fine – the reason people have trouble is because they overload the vehicle. Our Wrangler, when we had sorted it for an 11 month trip around Canada was lighter than when we bought it, not heavier. Clearance is more important than stronger springs or better dampers, in my view. We have a 50 mm lift on the Montero and did not go for the “heavy rated” springs. OME or Dobinson’s are both good.

- how capable are these vehicles off road? I would put BF Goodrich All Terrain or similar on and run these year round. I have a bit of off-road experience and would plan to take the car on a course to improve by skills. Taking these factors into account - if I am looking to do some pretty full on greenlanes and off road tracks in the UK (all year round) and potentially stuff in desserts/other countries - how capable are these land cruisers of doing this? (Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 120)

Capable, we’ve come across Prados in South America, Africa, and Australia in some tough areas.

- and finally, in the UK we have the LC3/LC4/LC5, each one coming with more stuff (sat nav/heated seats) and I’d like to go for a higher spec one if possible but the higher specs come with adjustable air suspension I believe. Is the adjustable air suspension good for off-road and does it cause issues/expensive to repair? If so then I may need to consider a model without the adjustable suspension.

I’m no expert, however have seen fewer of these than 120s in general. For what it’s worth, my view is to stick to simple suspensions - no problem with independent vs cart axles, but I’d stay away from anything complex. The more remote you are the more challenge you face fixing complex kit.