Toyota Tarago Review

By Alborz Fallah | February 06th, 2007

It is a wonderful day when the People Movers are starting to surpass the 200kW barrier! Yes Of course its from Toyota, and yes its the same engine that powers the Toyota Aurion. Firstly, if I may point out, that this new Toyota Tarago 3.5L V6 has more power than a standard Holden VE Commodore and a Ford Falcon. So now that all the Ford and Holden fans have gone, lets continue…

So this is obviously the most powerful people mover, but it is also the most fuel-efficient among its six-cylinder rivals. The new 3.5-litre V6 engine in Tarago has 9.8 per cent more power and at least 5.5 per cent better fuel economy than any other six-cylinder people mover on the market.

So the power figures? Well how does 202kW and peak torque of 340Nm sound? A hell of a lot I know! The V6 averages fuel economy figures of 10.2 litres/100km for the GLi V6 model and 10.3 litres/100km for the GLX and Ultima grades. Of course, this is a V6 people mover, something the consumers have been begging for a long time now!

“Families who need the seating or luggage capacity of Tarago will appreciate the extra power and remarkable fuel economy of the V6. We are also targeting customers such as hotel chains and limousine companies who require a luxury vehicle for transporting valued clientele to and from the airport or on shopping or sightseeing expeditions,” Toyota Australia’s senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner

There are three different flavours of Tarago V6, with prices starting from $54,690. All models come standard with

a six-speed electronic automatic transmission,
dual-zone climate-control air conditioning,
cruise control,
MP3-compatible CD tuner,
remote central locking,
power windows
a fold-away third-row seat.

Being a Japanese car, safety is high on the agenda and the Tarago V6 comes with

seven air bags,
a pre-crash seatbelt system,
steering-assisted vehicle stability control,
anti-lock brakes with brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution.

The difference between the grades:

GLi grade has

eight seats,
a three-passenger second-row seat with 60/40 split.

GLX and Ultima grades

seven seats,
a three-passenger second-row seat with 60/40 split (electronic for the Ultima)
including two adjustable captain’s chairs in the second row which feature integrated ottomans.
sliding centre console “shuttle box” that can move between the front and second-row seats.
roof rails,
17-inch alloy wheels,
front and rear parking sonar,
Optitron instruments,
woodgrain trim
rear climate-controlled air conditioning.
high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps with adaptive front lighting system (AFS) and auto-levelling (Ultima Only)
power sliding side doors, (Ultima Only)
leather seats, (Ultima Only)
heated driver’s and passenger’s front seat, (Ultima Only)
dual sunroofs (one fixed and the other tilt-adjustable) with sunshades (Ultima Only)
satellite navigation.(Ultima Only)

Bring on the People Mover wars!

steane

Why is that this and most Toyotas look as though they have been designed by Aliens?

Why is it so hard for Toyota to make a decent looking car!

When they work out that people are attracted to nice looking asthetically pleasing ‘things’ then they will take over the entire automotive world as we know it, not just the half they already have.

An Alien invasion…they are amongst us already.
http://www.alborzfallah.com alborz

Heh
I think the new Tarago looks good
albeit not as sexy as a Honda people mover!
Lazybones

Its not that bad, to look at. If you kinda close your eyes a bit, and err.. Yeah its ugly!!

But more importantly, 200KW in a family Bus. My question to the floor is why?

Is this one of those (because we can) senarios?
http://www.alborzfallah.com alborz

Hey Lazybones,
thanks for your input,
I think the 200kWs is mainly as a request of many people mover owners who are really carrying 7 passengers and when you try going up a hill with 7 people in a car powered by a 2.4L 4 cylinder engine…. you start asking for 200kWs

mind you, that power will never really be put down properly…
steane

I am a firm believer that more power and torque is an added safety feature. What vehicles like this really need is more torque which is why a turbo diesel would be an even better option.

I know there have been a few times when the abiltiy to accelerate quickly has helped me avoid trouble when braking would have dumped me right in it.

I checked again and I still think its ugly…
fred

We have owned a 2007 Tarago GLX V6 for about 11 months. Best people mover we have had. Has the height to be able to safely see other vehicles (unlike the low down Honda) and yet it is sure footed with good handling. The power is tremendous as you would expect, build quality is great, and lots of room inside even though it is only 1.8 metres wide unlike the really wide Voyager or other such like vans. Finally if you will drive one, you will notice that it is smooth and guiet. What more can I say? Try this before you buy another brand although it is pricey!
Cary

Just put a deposit down for a second hand 2007 V6 GLX. Test drove it and liked it. Heaps of power on the V6, so need to be careful on the accelerator. Even though the odometer has already reached 92K, I think it is still good value. With regular service on the log books the car still feels solid and the ride is very good. To me it does not feel like I’m driving a van like most people think it feels. If you visually compare a 2005 model camry (our trade-in car), it is practically the same length. Heaps of space inside and the boot is huge. The only thing that I would have liked is 3 seats in the 2nd row as opposed to the 2 lounge seats, which I think is a waste of space. Why Toyota did this to the V6 GLX & Ultima exclusively is a mystery. The other gripe that I have is the lack of extra instrument readings, such as average fuel consumption & distance kms to empty. I would have thought the GLX version would at least have this function, which is a bit annoying.

Other than that the tarago is a solid car and would recommend to other people that are after a people mover vehicle.
Kerry

Cary, we are looking at this same vehicle. Why did you choose the GLX over the GLI ? Our main wants are the full air bags, traction control and flat folding seats? I too am wondering how I would feel about the captain seats. Is there much room squeeze through to the 3rd row ? Do you have any other issues?
James

Dont Complain its better then the Kia Carnival.
Blokie

i reckon the new tarago looks great, and would go very nicely with that v6 in it!
the dash in front of the steering wheel looks very odd though