The Toyota LandCruiser Prado lineup has gained another five-seat option, with the volume-selling GXL variant ditching its third row of seating.
The new five-seat GXL is priced at $78,990 before on-road costs, a $1000 saving over the seven-seat version.
Customer deliveries have already commenced, marking an early release for the variant that was previously set to arrive during the second half of this year.
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The GXL has traditionally been the best-selling Prado, sitting above the base GX but below the more luxurious VX and Kakadu. However, it has never been offered with just two rows of seating.
When the new-generation Prado was launched here late last year, the GXL continued as a seven-seat-only grade. However, this meant that while buyers got an extra row of seats, they had to contend with a raised boot floor.
Unlike the rival Ford Everest, the third row doesn’t fold flat into the cargo floor due to the placement of the 48V battery for the mild-hybrid system.
Toyota attempted to mitigate this by installing a removeable storage box to sit between the folded seats and the tailgate so there’s a consistent load floor height.
Five-seat Prado variants, including the new five-seat GXL, offer 954 litres of boot space with all the seats upright, expanding to 1895 litres with the second row of seats folded.
In contrast, seven-seat versions of the Prado offer 182 litres of boot space with all three rows of seating upright, expanding to 906L with the third row stowed, and then 1829L with the third and second rows stowed.
Despite the awkward load area in three-row versions, the Prado is currently Australia’s best-selling large SUV. A total of 10,674 units have been delivered this year to the end of April, well ahead of the second-placed Everest (7220 units).
However, the Everest managed to outsell the Prado in April… by a single unit.
MORE: Everything Toyota LandCruiser Prado
