VX-L badge adds even more street cred to Toyota Land Cruiser Prado

Reintroducing the VX-L grade expands customer choice. Picture: Supplied. The Toyota Land Cruiser Pradoarrived in 2024.

And it carried a weight of expectation that very few SUVs could hope to match. And now in 2026, Toyota hasn’t tried to reinvent the winning Prado formula with the introduction of the flagship VX‑L. It is more a case of refining what is already in place and blending genuine off‑road credibility with a level of comfort and technology that places it firmly in premium territory.

The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado’s styling is more upright and assertive than with the previous gen models. With the squared-off proportions still clearly pointing to its Land Cruiser heritage. While the VX-R continues to cater to the more traditional Land Cruiser owner that prioritises rugged off-road performance over outright luxury.

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This new VX-L is tailored for customers who spend most of their time on-road and value enhanced comfort, refinement and city life niceties, while still knowing they have a Land Cruiser with all its all-terrain credibility in the garage. Heading off the beaten track is something they still want to be able to do. But do it in style.

Style comes in the form of 20-inch alloy wheels, body-coloured exterior mouldings, a painted rear bumper, and illuminated side steps. While inside, the VX-L elevates the cabin experience with silver metallic interior accents, a high-end JBL 14-speaker audio system, and leather door trim with additional stitching, 10-speaker system and leather trim. Step inside and the Prado VX‑L immediately feels more upmarket than any of its Toyota Land Cruiser predecessors.

Materials are noticeably improved, with soft-touch surfaces, leather upholstery and solid switchgear throughout. The dashboard layout is clean and logical, dominated by a large central touchscreen that integrates wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while a fully digital instrument cluster provides all the configurable driving information you could want or need. Despite this huge technological leap, Toyota has wisely retained physical buttons for key functions for the likes of the aircon, volume control and mode selection.

This is a decision that will be appreciated not only by the city slicker, but also when driving off-road or on corrugated gravel and touching a screen is no easy task. Space remains a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado strong point. The second row offers generous legroom, and the VX‑L’s third row could be usable for adults on shorter journeys.

But the reality is that only smaller children will be comfortable back there. Boot space is competitive with the third row folded, and the wide tailgate opening makes loading bulky gear easy.

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