Greetings fellow BHPians,
It has been a really long time since I posted anything of worth on this forum, and my lack of contribution really irked me.
Hence I decided to make a BIG decision (literally), and share it with my brothers on wheels.
I had been happily driving my VW Golf GTI since 2013, but a major accident early this year almost totalled my car, and I was forced to consider buying a new one. As it is it was time for a change, both in car and in concept.
I have driven many SUVs in my life, but never had the pleasure of owning one. Hence I decided to take the plunge this time, and go for it.
As usual, many options kept presenting themselves, and with fabulous year end offers, this looked like a good time to go for it.
The requirements were simple, an SUV which is good enough as a daily driver, and has comfortable seating for 5. Yes, 5. And can be driven off road a bit as well, but this was not the priority, initially.
Many cars were test driven and shortlisted, but all these added to my confusion. Most in my were of the view that we should go for a crossover SUV, since they are stylish, comfortable, crammed with tech and options, and comparatively light on the pocket, compared to traditional ladder frame SUVs.
I explored all the options available and narrowed it down to the Hyundai Tucson, which is a very stylish and comfortable crossover, loaded with tech and options.
Took a test drive, and realized that this is not what i am looking for, since the seating position is almost like that of a car. Not a bad car this, just didn't click with me.
Next, I took a test drive of the new kind on the crossover block, the Honda CRV.
Now, this had it all. Good presence, loaded with tech, great to drive, larger, more spacious interiors, you name it, you get it.
I almost made the booking, the only impediment being my deal for the VW Golf was not finalized yet.
One week passed, and my VW was sold. I borrowed my brother's FJ Cruiser for an official trip to Ras Al Khaimah. On the drive, I realized that this was what I had been looking for. Not that I have not driven it before. The FJ has been around for 4 years in my family, and I have driven it on off road excursions, and loved it.
I changed my mind and announced immediately that my next car would be a proper off road capable SUV.
I did all the necessary research, and since there was already an FJ in the family, the next plausible option would be the
baap of off roaders, the Jeep Wrangler.
Immediately took a test drive of the 2 door Wrangler (no, not the 4 door Wrangler Unlimited, which sells more but looks like a 1990s Mahindra Commander). Realized that this was not suitable for my 50 km daily commute, not comfortable enough and cannot seat 5.
Went home with a heavy heart, since i really liked it, and had wanted a jeep since my childhood. But the practical aspect overcame the desirability. Head over heart as they say.
That effectively left me with Toyota's Fortuner as the only 4WD SUV now available to me. I am not a fan of overly huge SUVs like the Nissan Patrol, and was now set on buying an off road capable SUV. Visited the Toyota showroom to test drive the Fortuner, and was greeted with a sight which overjoyed me.
I immediately reset my heart, and took my family for a test drive the same evening. After receiving a resounding YES from everyone, I immediately paid the booking amount and commenced the process for buying the car.
Now, some might want to ask, why not the Fortuner?
Answer: The Landcruiser Prado is a segment
above the Fortuner, has a more comfortable suspension, bigger an better equipped interiors, more options such as sunroof, 9 inch touch screen stereo and navigation system, with back up camera display, full time 4WD, higher ground clearance, more refined, etc, etc.
But above all, it is the entry ticket to the legendary Landcruiser brand. It looks cool in 2 door version, and is just the right size.
Completed the process for purchase and took delivery of the vehicle on 17th October, 2017.
This is how I first saw it:
Followed by the PDI and handover:
After taking possession of the car, the first thing is to drive it to the nearest petrol pump and tank it up, and install the Salik toll sticker. The odo read 4 KM at the time of delivery.
Some pictures should set the tone for the further review:
The exterior is plain and simple,yet intimidating and imposing. Paint quality and fit and finish is excellent for this Made in Japan model, not going to win a beauty contest, as any other Toyota, but it's not meant for that.
Anyway, looks are subjective.
A cool feature is the locking and unlocking mechanism, known as Toyota Smart entry. One needs to simply hold the handle on either door, with the key in the pocket, and it unlocks with a beep.
Similarly, one needs to place the finger on the markings towards the front end of the handle for a second, and the doors lock with a beep.
The wheels are 18 inch alloys, wearing Dunlop All Terrain tyres:
The rear door has gas struts and opens wide to reveal decent boot space, even with the rear seats up:
The doors open wide as well, allowing easy access to the front seats, although on the higher side:
Visible here are the controls for the side view mirrors, both of which have auto up and down and anti pinch feature, the bonnet release on the right and the fuel hatch release on the left below the steering wheel.
The steering wheel has audio controls on the left and telephone controls on the right side. Cruise control is not available on this GXR model. Not missed at all. The wheel is large and chunky, covered in soft cushioned leather and a delight to hold.
The dashboard is made of soft touch material, and clinically finished to withstand off road abuse, yet pleasant to look and feel. It is mostly clutter free and the large 9 inch touch screen is responsive and very useful, but more on that later as i get to grips with the system and its technicalities.
The front seats are large and comfortable, with excellent back and thigh support, and made of soft chamois fabric, but prone to soiling easily.
The seat has to be folded and slid all the way front to access the rear seats:
The rear seat itself is very comfortable and well placed. Three can sit abreast easily. Surprisingly, it has more legroom than the 4 door Fortuner, which is saying a lot. Under thigh support is decent and the seat can split 60:40 and recline as well. To add to the rear seat comfort, it has cup holders on both sides as well as in the center armrest, rear AC vents as well as a remote control for the audio system.
A few other useful features are the sunroof, vanity mirrors with lights on both driver and passenger side, plenty of cup holders all around, bottle holders on the doors, and to top it all, the center console has a very effective cool box to serve chilled drinks.
Visible her are the covered front cup holders, leather covered gear stick and hand brake, and the control dial for various 4WD settings.
Moving on the driving experience so far, the car has covered 1000 kms already at the time of writing this review, and the first service is due today. I have taken care not to rev the engine beyond 2500 as recommended by Team BHP, hence have not hit peak performance yet. Even so, it seems to be responsive and eager, no slouch this.
The engine is the familiar 2TR-FE 2.7l inline 4 petrol, good for 164 bhp @5200 rpm and 245 Nm torque @3800 rpm, mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission. This same engine powers the Fortuner and Innova petrol models in India. However, this Landcruiser is 110 kg lighter than the Fortuner, and tuning is such that a good amount of torque is available at low rpms, making driveability very good and stress free. Of course, I am yet to push the engine, so more comments on that later.
Kitna deti hai? So far 9 kms to the liter. Refinement is good, even though there is no sound proof material below the bonnet, which is HEAVY, but thankfully held by gas struts.
Ride quality is great, and makes short work of slight bumps and undulations (can't say potholes since there are none in Dubai), much smoother and comfortable than the Fortuner.
Handling is aided by the full time 4WD system, hence good compared to other ladder frame SUVs, but I would not push it too much. Brakes are good and have great bite, but the car does feel like its nose dives a bit on hard braking.
It comes equipped with ABS, EBD with Brake assist, traction control, vehicle stability control, dual front, sides, curtain and knee airbags.
Driving it has been a great experience so far, with the high seating position, commanding view of the road, and wide comfy seats. The ride is excellent and handling good, if you respect the limits of a vehicle with high center of gravity and ladder frame construction.
It is equipped with some serious off road hardware such as low range gearing and center diff lock, excellent ground clearance of 235 mm, all terrain tyres and good approach, break over and departure angles. The engine does not feel underpowered in this car since it is lighter, and with good low end power and torque, will likely pummel the desert sands into submission. It is a tough as nails unit, known for its reliability, durability and ability to punch above its weight, at the same time being low maintenance and relatively fuel efficient.
More after the first service is done, and the engine is completely broken in. Looking forward to some off road adventures in this thing.
Till next time, adios amigos.
P.S.All photos were taken using Samsung Galaxy S7 camera, so apologies for poor low light quality in some images.
Thanks for reading