We’re a nation of adventurers, and in no way is that better encapsulated than by our choice of vehicles.
When my family and I arrived from the UK years ago, we weren’t quite handed a Toyota the second we got off the plane, but near enough.
Embracing a better life Down Under would mean spending more time in the Great Outdoors, that was for sure.
Here enters our 2004 Toyota LandCruiser Prado 120.
Over the past few years, the Prado has been put to work on several road trips, heading as far north as K’gari and west to the Yorke Peninsula, and served as our family car for hitting the beach, camping, and towing trailers here and there.
On occasion, it has done us proud while hitting the tracks, too, mostly in Bunyip State Park, but also in Victoria’s High Country.
This year, we’ve got some more challenging tasks in mind for the trusty Prado, and for these jobs, a tyre swap is in order – off came the highway-biased rubber and on went all-terrain tyres.
What are all-terrain tyres?
All-terrain tyres are versatile, durable and typically engineered for 4WD vehicles and utes. Offering a balance of roughly 60 per cent on-road and 40 per cent off-road performance.
They feature rugged sidewalls, deeper tread, and a more aggressive design than regular highway tyres, helping the vehicle handle surfaces such as dirt, mud, snow, rocks, and gravel while still being comfortable on bitumen.
While more off-road capable, the compromise is often that they are heavier, louder, increase fuel consumption, and don’t handle as well on paved roads.
This tyre is brand new to Australia. In fact, it is Continental’s first foray into the local all-terrain tyre market.
Make no mistake, this new tyre is tough. It’s no ordinary all-terrain tyre; it’s built with light truck-grade construction.
What does that mean in reality? Well, Continental says the tyre is 33 per cent thicker than Continental’s conventional all-terrain tyres, allowing it to better absorb impacts.
It has an intelligent stone ejection system that makes it last 10 per cent longer.
And the tread depth has been massively increased, with self-cleaning shoulders that chuck out mud, water and debris, helping to deliver 13 per cent more traction.
”Australia's adventurers expect more from their tyres, whether it's traction through off-track surfaces, durability against rocks and rough terrain, or reliable grip in all weather conditions on metro roads,” said Mitchell Golledge, Managing Director of Continental Tyres Australia.
“The CrossContact A/T 2 was engineered with these needs in mind.”
The Continental CrossContact A/T 2 comes in a range of sizes from 215 to 295, fitting 15-inch to 22-inch wheels.
Not only did Tyrepower swap over the rubber, but I also had the team take off the original stock Prado aluminium wheels and put on our spare standard Toyota steelies, so the old set doesn’t get damaged.
Are all-terrain tyres good for the road?
That all sounds great, but it was then time to put the new all-terrain tyres to the test in the real world.
First up, highway driving. In later instalments throughout the year and across the seasons, I will report back on how the Prado went off the beaten track, but for now, let’s talk bitumen.
My first impression was that, despite all-terrains normally being blamed for poorer handling, our Prado’s body roll now feels much more under control and less wallowy than before.
It has been lifted; it has a huge bull bar on it, as well as an awning and side steps, so it’s carrying a bit of extra weight, and it’s 22 years old now, so we usually give its sloppy road manners a pass. But this has made a vast improvement.
Undulations, potholes, and bumps are also better absorbed, and surprisingly, the new tyres have not made it any louder.
Before getting the new tyres fitted, I took the Prado out to test its acceleration and braking performance, as well as the cabin noise, and I did the exact same test with the new all-terrain tyres afterwards.
The test was carried out on a straight road with a speed limit of 100km/h, and on both days, the conditions were good, and the surface was dry.
Accelerating from 0–100km/h, the best time I could achieve with the Maxxis tyres was 10.72 seconds. With the extra weight of the Continentals, that number increased to a minimum of 10.96 seconds.
Moving on to the 100–0km/h brake test, the shortest stopping distance on the old tyres I managed was 52.12m, but on the new set it was 49.84m.
With both sets of tyres, the highest noise level recorded with a decibel meter was about 89dB.
Usually, fuel consumption on the Maxxis tyres sits around 16–18 litres per 100 kilometres on-road and closer to 25L/100km off.
These new all-terrains haven’t been on long enough yet to give a decent indication of consumption, so I’ll cover this in a future update.
Numbers aside, the Prado now looks a lot tougher thanks to the light-truck tyres, which give it a more aggressive stance. The kids’ first reaction was that it looked like a monster truck.
This is not our daily driver. It comes out for holidays, beach days, camping and the like, so we don’t need it for family duties all the time. That said, it still needs to be comfortable and safe for the times when we do.
Next up, I’ll be taking the Prado off-road in Toolangi State Park, so stay tuned.
The Continental CrossContact A/T 2 is now available Australia-wide at selected retailers.
A born-and-bred newshound, after graduating from a Bachelor of Journalism at the University of Kent, Kathryn worked her way up through the ranks reporting for, and later editing, two award-winning regional newspapers, before joining the UK's biggest newspaper, The Sun. More recently, she has served as News Editor for Wheels, MOTOR, Street Machine, and 4x4 Australia magazines, and is one of only a few women to have served as a Wheels Car of the Year judge. Winner of the Newspress award for Scoop of the Year in 2025, Kathryn is best known at Drive for her powerful investigative feature writing, although she can also be found putting new cars through their paces and breaking news.
