Prado Vrs Hilux?

[peachvw Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close peachvw]

Greetings all,

Can anyone tell me the differences between a 96 onwards Hilux and a 96 onwards Prado? They both look similar underneath!

Many thanks in advance!

[williade Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close williade]

The engines and transmissions are similar but there are many differences in the chassis and drive line.

Some differences and similarities, off the top of my head:

They have a similar choice of engines, both have the 3.4L V6, 2.7L I4, 3.0L TD, 3.0L. Hiluxs also has a couple if na Diesels and the earlier ones used the junk 22R-E petrol I4 before the much more powerful 3RZ-FE and 5VZ-FE came into use.
Prados have an axillary fuel tank.
Bullbars are not interchangeable between the two.
The front and rear diff centers (and lockers) are interchangeable but the ratios are normally taller in the Hilux for any given engine.
In Aus (or maybe its any non-US) spec Hiluxs, the front diff is offset to the driver's side and uses standard rotation gears, whereas the Prado's front diff is offset to the passenger side and uses reverse-cut crown wheel and pinion gears.
Hiluxs are Part-time 4WD whereas Prados are Full-time 4WD.
Hiluxs also have freewheeling hubs, Prados don't.
Hiluxs have Leaf sprung rear axles vs the Prado's 5-link coil spring setup
For the front suspension, Hiluxs use torsion bars connected to the upper control arms whereas Prados use coilover strut.

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

Well that's a very open ended question!! Before I settled on this Prado, I was looking at the very same vehicles... so I'll point out a few things that stood out for ME:

- Brakes. The Hilux brakes perform pretty poorly compared to the Prado. Hilux has rear drums instead of discs.

- Seating. The Hilux obviously has less seats, but also less space for the rear passengers.

- Interior. The Prado has more comforts, but this also makes the Hilux more suitable for dirty work.

- Suspension. The Hilux front is independant with torsion bar (vs the Prado's coilover & sway), and the rear has leaf (vs the Prado's shock and coil). This makes the Hilux more suitable for heavy load, but I suspect the Prado may flex slightly better in stock form.

- Lifts. I think they're going to be reasonably similiar if comparing standard 2" lifts, HOWEVER, if you're looking for a larger lift or bigger tyres, the Hilux definitely has more options like 4" lifts and even full solid axle conversions.

- Clearance. I haven't actually measured one, but I believe the Hilux has much more ramp-over clearance.

- 3.4L engine. Same block but there are some differences between them, don't ask me what though...

- Front diff. Not the same diffs. The Prado has a 7.5" reverse cut diff which is quite unique. As far as I'm aware there are no other vehicles in Australia with this diff. Parts such as crown/pinions will be easier to find locally for the Hilux, but you can still order parts for the Prado from USA (cheaper atm).

EDIT: Ahh good points Declan, I forgot about the full/part time difference!

[williade Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close williade]

- Clearance. I haven't actually measured one, but I believe the Hilux has much more ramp-over clearance.

I haven't measured it either, but I suspect the transfer case skid plate has the same clearance. Coupled with the Hiluxes longer wheelbase, it may be worse off. Maybe its the absence of a low hanging sub tank that gives the illusion of more clearance?

[williade Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close williade]

I haven't measured it either, but I suspect the transfer case skid plate has the same clearance. Coupled with the Hiluxes longer wheelbase, it may be worse off. Maybe its the absence of a low hanging sub tank that gives the illusion of more clearance?

One interesting difference in chassis' is presence of the the so called "horse collar" cross member on the Hilux which sits above the rear prop shaft as opposed to the equivalent cross member on the Prado that sits below the rear prop shaft. This would improve the Hilux's clearance but won't affect the Transfer case height.

VZJ95R Prado chassis




RZN169R Hilux chassis

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

Well I think the most obvious difference would be the Lux is a ute and the Prado a wagon...lol

But seriously, the only thing the two share are the engines (V6, TD, and 2.7 only). However the V6 is different in some aspects.

[peachvw Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close peachvw]

Thanks for the info everyone, I have a 96 SWB and I really dont want to part with it, so I am considering converting it into a ute :shock: - i'll keep you all posted, dont worry I'm a good welder!