Prado Turbo Diesel

[Online store]

Got over 350k on the pathfinder now and will need to look at a new car in the near future.

Have narrowed the list down and would like to know if anyone on the site has a Turbo diesel Prado and what they think of it?

[Dror]

Yeh I've got a suggestion Sewelly, don't go to the dark side, nothing good can come of it.
Are you looking at the new model or the older one. The new D4D is pretty good I think but the old model never got rave reviews. Every test I have seen on the old model they had worse fuel consumption than the 100 Series cruiser.

Cheers, Dror

[Simmsy]

My dad has just come back from touring Australia towing the obligatory grey ghost caravan and was totally blown away by how good his Prado TDi was at towing and on fuel. L/R tanks gave him upto 1100km's with the van and he gets about 1800k's with nothing hitched.
Really smooth ride and did not have a problem with it at all.
They always get pretty decent write ups to I think.

[Shane]

We have a 2004 model GX.

We have found it really nice. Nice to drive, doesnt really feel like you are driving a 4x4. Got enough grunt to tow my boat, which is around 1.5t on the trailer. Isn't as wide as my mates Patrol so is easier to back the boat down the side of the house. If I could of got a new one I would of got all the wanky extras :D Has good country driving fuel economy, havent been on a big drive with the boat yet.

We mainly bought it for the dual air bags and we wanted a diesel and this became available.

[BIG PETE]

Prado Turbo Diesel
what a great bus i love them just try and get one with low ks if your going S/H
driving a prado is great very nice ride plenty of grunt for towing
you will not know yourself

[ruski]

Originally posted by Dror
The new D4D is pretty good I think

Dad (Alex) ordered one about a month and a half ago.

GX Turbo Diesel with some options. Delivery has been pushed back to January though :( (Was meant to be November!)

I'll point him to this thread, and he can give you a run down on what he thought of the car when he test drove it.

Cheers

[Alex]

Well, what can I say?
I only test drove it. I started with Aurion (as I am currently driving '96 Camry).
Nothing special, a family sedan, a bit boring, sufficient power, but no rear folding seats-only a ski pot in the middle of the rear seat.
Than Kluger (superseded, as it was in July). A better car than Aurion, but still to me it was underpowered, a bit slow on acceleration and very noisy. I think it was due to the fact that it is an AWD. I could feel the drivetrain under my feet (both the vibration and noise).
Than the Prado D4D. Wow! The moment I sat in it I felt like the whole car was totally different experience all together. The built quality, the solidness of the body was immediatly evident. There was a little bit of noticeable engine vibration at idle, but mind you, that was my first TD experience. As soon as the car moved, the diesel became less noticeable. The acceleration was something that I never expected from the diesel. I haven't noticed how quickly and with ease and little effort I got to 80 km/h! The feeling was that the car drives effortlessly. Very stable on the road, sure footed, very little roll on the tight corners (it was raining when I drove it). Plenty of space, nice finish and interior. I was sold immediately.
The RAV 4 was just a drive to try and compare. I was little surprised how good the RAV was for the 4 cylinder car of that size. Would be my second choice.
But Prado eats them all. Cannot wait till January (6 months waiting for TD, petrol car could be had immediately).
There is a huge demand for the D4D all over the world plus the last earth quake in Japan corrected the production schedule so I am told, hence the 6 months wait.
Try before you buy definitely, especially if considering Pathfinder, 100 series Cruiser, or even the new X-Trail (if they ever bring the TD to Oz).
Also, a huge thank you to the 'minister of the finance' for approving my purchase and letting me to buy a car I really wanted. Well, the new kitchen can wait, dear, isn't it ;)
Cheers to all,
Alex

[Online store]

Thanks for the comments, all positive so I will definitely be getting on the scout for a test drive as soon as I free up some time.

[metrofish]

we have a 2004 prado with 100,000 k's on it in the car yard atm,i'm about due for some gear.how about i bring it down so you can take it for a run for a while.I used a prado to tow our old 21ft chivers (2.5 t) when i was at midland toyota no problem whatsoever.they are a bit slow off the mark when they first warm up but comfortable on the road.fuel is a bit on the high side, from memory around 12,4/100 the new prado around 8.5/100.i'm happy to bring it down and let you drive it so you know what they're like with some k's on it but im not willing to sell it to you.

[Online store]

Thanks for the offer Metro! Will be out of the shop in a couple of weeks and will start having a look around then, and see what my budget will get me.

[Huggy_B]

Don't put them through to much in an off-road sense, they are not really up to scratch if you push them hard. They make to many compromises so that they are acceptably comfortable on-road, but sacrifice a chunk of off-road ability.

I'd be looking at the Pajero diesel personally, the off-road credentials are very good, and its an acceptable ride in normal everyday life.

Specification wise, they are pretty line ball.

[Time will Tell]

I tend to disagree with Huggy a bit. I have had a 2002 Turbo diesel TX Prado for 3 years now, and it treats me kindly on and off road. I go 4WD with a few guys, one of which has a Turbo 100 series, and it more than often can go through any country the 100 can, and even country it can't aswell. I would rather the Prado than a Pajero, but I suppose I am just a Toyota fan. Fuel economy is great, and it is good to be able to keep 159 litres of fuel on board without using jerries. I think some people think they are mainly on road because they are the smaller brother of the 100 series, and that a lot of 'mum's' drive them, but more than campable off road, especially with the right tyres. JMO :D

[Huggy_B]

We went through some hilly terrain and we ended up towing a prado up the hill with our Paj cause it couldn't get up there. Other than that it was OK from what I saw, but not as good as the Paj. But go with what you want.

[Shane]

Hehe... the old brandname fights :D

My mate keeps giving me DohDohDohDoh and says that he will bring his patrol along to pull out our Prado when it gets bogged. As with everything, but the vechile to match the conditions you are going into. As of yet I have not found anything that stops the Prado, but I mainly got it to tow 1.5 tonnes of boat and trailer around.

It's also cool to burn off sports cars at the lights in a 4x4 ;)

[Time will Tell]

Totally agree with beating the sports car off a set of lights. Funny when you look back and see their faces.:D

I suppose if you are looking at that market of prado/pajero/patrol/landy, choose whatever is suited to you personally and I don't think you'll get disappointed by any of them. Good luck.

[BIG PETE]

I suppose if you are looking at that market of prado/pajero/patrol/landy, choose whatever is suited to you personally and I don't think you'll get disappointed by any of them. Good luck.


spot on there mate all cars have good points and bad ones its all got to do with what you like
i have been out playing and had a stock suzuki go where my cruiser got badly bogged and i got all the fruit on mine

just have to add that TOYOTAs are the best :D:D:D:D:D:D

[Tony]

Have a look at this site for your Prado info ! :)

http://www.pradopoint.com/