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Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Long Term Review |
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Home
120 Series Upgrades |
Last Updated:
08 March 2010 Original September 2005
Welcome to my Toyota Prado Vs the world review website. This contains in-depth and long term ownership experience, reviews, loads of general information, pictures, technical articles, accessories and lots of opinions on the Toyota Land Cruiser LC4 or Landcruiser Prado, Landcruiser Colorado, Lexus GX, just plain Toyota Prado or whatever name its been given around the world. Why car manufacturers STILL do this I don't know. (Ie. give the same cars different names.) Note that this is a long term review - so if you don't find what you're looking for on this time visit again in a few weeks. The site is being written by a current owner.
Everything is relative and everyone has an opinion so to make life easy here is the least wordy summary I can think off. If your criteria for the Prado is like mine then the answer is - yes it is recommended. Mind you it's competitors may meet your requirements better, so this conclusion is exclusive of the comparison to the other models. The quality of materials like paint, fit and finish, plastics and so forth are very good quality. However its execution 'looks' dated. The design of the interior is old hat - the world has moved on. Mind you many other car interiors still look like this. Nevertheless it is a comfy place to sit and looks and feels like a quality vehicle. The engine is the key factor to making this car a good thing ! It's a fantastic piece of engineering. It's powerful and economical too. In a world of high petrol prices this engine uses as little as possible. As I said before - a Holden Commodore V6 and Ford Falcon I6 (Popular 4 door sedans in Australia) in the fleet uses about 18 litres per 100k's in inner city commuting with the Prado 15 litres. On the highway where it spends most of its time 9-10 litres per 100ks. Considering the size and weight of the Prado vs the others its low fuel use wins my vote. (On a light throttle I achieved 14 litres in one week in peak city traffic!) Mind you I'm not sure about the diesel version. I understand that it not exactly top spec (in Australia at least) - in today's terms. (Pre-2007 update) The ride quality is excellent especially on dirt roads and just as good as the fore mentioned sedans on normal roads. The handling is OK for a large 4wd at normal speeds and can made to handle reasonably well - for what it is. You just have to understand the characteristics of the 4wd system and cope with body roll and squealing tyres. The other key factor is the transmission. The 5 speed auto is a really good transmission. It works very well with the engine. Considering it has a electronic throttle. I.e.. no cables - I couldn't tell until I examined the pedals. It shifts smoothly and changes gears appropriately. Are there any problems with the Prado? In my opinion so far so good. Have a read of the long term review pages on this site.
Cars and transport are all about meeting your requirements. Lets face it - it is rare that you can simply get a car without some sort of justification. The choice of the Prado is no different.... So what is it : |
 NewsUpdate 2010 February: All new 2010 Nissan Patrol to be released later this year. 150 Series Toyota Prado Vs 2010 Nissan Patrol Update 2010 February: Toyota is in trouble due to faulty accelerators. Huge recall mainly in the US. The problem appears confined to US made vehicles. Hope it doesn't spread to other models!Peugeot is also in trouble too with shared models.
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2010 Toyota Recall - Acclerator Pedals Also started updating the specs with the NCAP safety rating! Started looking at utility vehicles or 4x4 pickups as an alternative to the Prado.
- 150 Series Toyota
Prado Vs Toyota Hilux Update 2010 January: Added Prado 3 door SWB version comparison with the Pajero. Update 2009 December: Updated specifications and now included the recommended retail pricing (AUD) for the new 150 series 2010 Prado is as follows. Be prepared for a shock!:
Petrol
3 door ZR - $65,990 Update 2009 December: Well I've checked out the new 150 series Prado and my report on it can be read there: First Impressions review and then the First Drive report
Also moving the Prado News section to this page: Or read the 12 months review for more commentary about the 2007 models.
It all began in Australia at least back in 1996. Toyota didn't really have a competitor for the very popular Mitsubishi Pajero or Shogun or Montero. I guess it was described as the 'civilised' mid-size 4WD category the start of the Sport Utility Vehicle or SUV class. I use the term civilised meaning a 4wd that wasn't designed to spend most of its life off road. Mitsubishi had quite a lead in almost every field. It was a Dakar winner many times over in the production and modified classes, it was the best looking 4WD at the time had lots of equipment, handled well and pretty good off road too. All of these things are relative of course. Toyota had much ground to make up in terms of marketing and packaging and design. Anyway lets face it Toyota is one of the most technically advanced and arguably the largest and most successful car manufacturer in the world today. So it didn't take long before the original Prado or 90 series Land Cruiser was released. It was quite funny when I first saw it at a motor show, only because it looked very similar to the Pajero, with only the design flair that Toyota can do. Ie. It was not a good looking thing. Also note that there is a Japan only Prado model that predates the one the rest of the world knows. But in all honestly it seems like the 75 Series Land Cruiser. The current shape was release in late 2002 in some countries and available worldwide by late 2003. The wagon appears to be the only model available world wide. The SWB appears to be only available in Japan and the UK. I presume this for for price purposes. For more historical information Vehicle history.
Cars and transport are all about meeting your requirements. Lets face it - it is rare that you can simply get a car without some sort of justification. The choice of the Prado is no different.... So what is it : Why choose the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
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This is a personal website
completely unrelated to any motor company including Toyota Motor Corp. |
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