Toyota Prado vs Nissan Patrol

The Prado GX is $72,500 against the Patrol Ti's $90,600, an $18,100 gap, but they're different vehicles: the Prado is a mid-size 4WD wagon, the Patrol a full-size, V8-powered, eight-seat behemoth that competes more with the LandCruiser 300.

Running costs are night and day. The Prado's 48V diesel sips 7.6L/100km (about $2,165 a year over 15,000km at $1.90/L), while the Patrol's thirsty 5.6-litre V8 petrol drinks 14.4L/100km, roughly $4,100 a year, nearly double the Prado's fuel bill. Both carry 5-year warranties. Toyota's resale on the Prado is exceptional; the Patrol holds value reasonably but the V8's running costs weigh on total ownership.

The Prado holds a current 5-star ANCAP rating (2024) with the latest active-safety suite. The Patrol, riding on a long-running platform, is unrated by ANCAP, so it lacks an independent crash-safety score, an important consideration if a current rating matters to you. The Patrol still offers airbags and driver-assist features, but it isn't engineered to the latest protocols the Prado meets.

The Patrol's trump card is sheer size and presence. At 5,175mm it's a genuine full-size 4WD with eight seats, a vast cabin, and 273mm of ground clearance that towers over the Prado's 225mm. For big families and serious remote touring where space and clearance rule, the Patrol delivers in a way the Prado can't.

The Prado is the more sensible, manageable everyday vehicle: easier to park, far cheaper to fuel, and available with seven seats higher up the range (the GX is a five-seater). It carries Toyota's legendary durability and the deepest 4WD support network in the country. Both are serious off-roaders with low-range 4WD and lockers.

The contrast is stark. The Patrol's 5.6-litre V8 petrol makes a thumping 298kW and 560Nm and hurls this huge vehicle to 100km/h in 6.6 seconds, genuinely fast for a full-size 4WD. The Prado's 2.8-litre 48V diesel makes 150kW and 500Nm: far less power, but strong low-down torque, and it's the more relaxed, efficient way to cover big distances.

Both tow the full 3,500kg, but they do it differently, the Patrol with effortless V8 reserves, the Prado with frugal diesel torque. The catch is fuel: the Patrol's V8 nearly doubles the Prado's consumption, which on a long outback trip means far more frequent (and expensive) fuel stops. If performance and size are the priority, the Patrol is intoxicating; if efficiency and touring range matter, the Prado diesel wins comfortably.