Exec Says Ford Everest Rival Toyota Prado Is ‘Compromised’

In Australia, The Blue Oval’s sales are dominated by two models – the Ford Ranger and Everest – which accounted for 90 percent of the automaker’s sales in 2024. The Everest has quickly found its footing in that market since the newest generation model debuted, and is facing tremendous demand even today. This success has the automaker feeling quite confident as well, it seems, as one Ford Australian executive just took a public shot at one of the Everest’s chief rivals there – the Toyota Prado, or the Land Cruiser, as we know it in the U.S.

“The [competitor] you speak of is a formidable competitor, and it’s had a very long run of having wonderful products in these spaces,” said Ford Australia marketing director Ambrose Henderson, according to CarExpert. “But I think when you compare our products back to back, you can see where we’ve made strategic decisions not to compromise, and others may have compromised items that are very important to customers in these segments – as an example, being able to fit your luggage in the boot.”

“Top of mind for us in everything we do is delivering customers what they want and what they’re telling us, and making no compromise on that. We have to run our own race, and we’re really confident in the range that we’ve put forward and the value proposition that presents to customers as well.” These words are backed up by the fact that the Toyota Prado lost its record of having the best sales year for large SUVs in Australia – 21,000 of them in 2021 – as Ford sold 26,494 Everest models in 2024.

Ford has certainly enjoyed its fair share of success when compared to select Toyota SUVs as of late, and that includes the all-new stateside Land Cruiser. In fact, the Ford Bronco beat the Land Cruiser in a recent comparison test, all while critics and consumers alike have largely criticized the new, smaller version of that iconic model for being a bit underpowered and loaded with cheaper materials given its higher price tag.