- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 8 seats
- Engine
2.4i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
125kW, 224Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 9.5L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2010)
The ace of space
The good: In people-mover territory, there's no such thing as too much space. The Tarago has heaps. Comfortable seats with easy adjustment and access. Supple ride. Reasonable performance. Excellent city fuel economy.
The bad: Relatively expensive compared with rivals, and under-equipped at the money. Interior is big, but lacks versatility due to inflexible seat-load space arrangement. No lap sash belts or head restraints on centre seats.
The verdict: Expensive, but for any large family the surfeit of space is priceless.
The results: 3 stars (out of 5).
A decade ago, when Toyota's Tarago cost $22,000 and a Falcon GL wagon was $26,000, people-movers looked like being the Next Big Thing. Then the Federal Government decided to tax them as passenger cars, pushing prices up significantly and giving a huge free kick to the similarly infant four-wheel-drive wagon market, which continued under the low commercial vehicle tariff regime.
Any suburban car park tells the story of who prospered and who fell over. People-movers now account for just 2 percent of the market; 4WDs are well on the way to 25 percent. This hasn't stopped some hectic new model action, particularly in the past year. Kia's $30,000 Carnival has done good business at the cheap end. Updated versions of Honda's Odyssey and Mazda's MPV have arrived. More recently, Hyundai has released the Trajet; now Toyota has replaced the second-generation Tarago - which had a remarkable 10-year run, basically unchanged - with a new-from-the-wheels-up model.
Prices now start at $51,270 for the base GLi ($20,000 more than a Falcon) while the more generously equipped GLX and Ultima come in at $57,790 and $64,190 respectively.
Despite the usual Toyota spin - that the new model's prices are actually lower when you factor in standard dual airbags and air-conditioning - the GLi Tarago remains relatively poorly equipped against its rivals.
The Odyssey and MPV, both priced at about $45,000, include anti-lock brakes, cruise control, four power windows and alloy wheels - you're looking at the Tarago GLX, and a $12,000-plus premium for these features.
Where the new Tarago nails its rivals is in occupant space. Apart from VW's antiquated Caravelle, it is the only eight-seater in town (the Ultima seats seven), and it also has the longest, widest cabin in the class.
In contrast to some competitors' design-it-yourself interiors, which allow you to remove and/or rearrange individual seats to suit your people or gear carrying requirements precisely, the Tarago has a relatively inflexible 2-3-3 layout (2-2-3 in the Ultima).
Neither the middle nor the rear seats is split, nor are they removable. Only the rear seat double-folds forward. However, both are mounted on a common track, so they can easily be slid fore-aft to accommodate everyone from young kids to tall adults.
The middle seat has nearly 500mm of travel and the rear has more than 800mm, so lack of leg room - a common people-mover problem, especially in the back stalls - is not an issue. The three-person middle seat is wide enough for three adults to sit comfortably; the rear seat is narrower, but tolerable, and still wider than some competitors' middle three-person pews.
Both seats, though quite flat and shapeless, are well-padded and comfortable. Access to the middle seat is via a sliding door on each side, so there's no need to worry about access or Junior flinging the door open into somebody else's panels in tight car parks. You can also walk between the front seats to reach the middle.
Climbing into the back is also simple: just slide the middle seat and tilt either side of the 60-40 split backrest forward.
All seats in passenger vehicles should have a lap-sash belt and head restraint; neither centre position in Tarago's two back rows has these basic safety features. Tarago's competitors are similarly primitive.
The Tarago makes life convenient if you need to fit child restraints. Three anchors are located on the back of the middle seat, so the straps don't interfere with third-row occupants, and you can slide the seat fore and aft without having to adjust them either.
Most people-movers have very little load space when all seats are in use, but the Tarago's sliding mechanism allows reasonable leg room for all occupants - and gives the class's largest load area with seats in.
Unlike other people-movers, you can't double-fold or remove the middle seat. The back seat can be folded and pushed forward to the middle seat but even so you end up with a floor which is considerably shorter than that of the previous model and the two metres or so in Odyssey, MPV and Voyager.
From the driver's seat, the Tarago feels enormous, though its ambience is more grey and spartan than the relatively luxurious Odyssey and MPV. The driver faces a futuristic, multi-pod dash stretching almost to the horizon, but has no idea where the front of the car ends. The offset instruments, which work well in the mini stablemate Echo, are less effective here because of crowded, messy graphics, but the pistol-grip auto lever is very easy to use, as are other controls and switches.
You sit high, comfortably, with a panoramic view out front. Rear vision is slightly restricted due to solid head restraints in the back seats. The driver's chair is height-adjustable, as is the wheel. Oddment storage abounds and there are cup-holders for eight, while the air-conditioning has roof vents for the middle and back seats, plus fan speed control for the middle seat.
The 2.4 litre four-cylinder engine, with variable valve timing, now drives the front wheels. It's a bit of a thrasher at the top end
but gets off the line smartly, cruises very quietly (though there's some wind noise around the side mirrors) and delivers sufficient mid-range pulling power to haul the fully laden Tarago along at a respectable pace. The four-speed auto shifts quickly and smoothly.
The Tarago's suspension is set up for a supple, comfortable ride, which it maintains even with a full load on poor surfaces. Handling is not in the same class as the Odyssey but is quite predictable and benign as long as you keep in mind that you're driving a big, soft bus; the same goes for the steering. The brakes require only light pedal pressures to bite; this sensitivity takes some getting used to in traffic.
The Tarago is expensive when compared with its rivals and short on standard equipment; its layout gives fewer people- and load-carrying options. But it remains the most spacious and comfortable way to move seven or eight adults, and their gear.
Vital signs
Engine: 2.4-litre fuel-injected 16-valve four-cylinder.
Power: 115kW at 5,600rpm (average).
Performance: 0-100km/h in 12.4 seconds (average).
Brakes: Discs (average).
Economy: 10.7 litres/100km highway (average); 11.9 city (excellent).
Prices: Recommended retail - GLi $52,170; GLX $57,790; Ultima $64,190. Street price - Should drop by 6-8 percent on July 1.
Main options: ABS $1,500; metallic paint $300.
Warranty: Three years/100,000km (above average).
Residual value: 62 percent after three years (average).
Safety rating: Not yet tested.
Alternatives:
(Note: all prices should fall by 6-8 percent on July 1. Hyundai's Trajet is already GST-priced.)
Chrysler Grand Voyager 3.3 V6 - $53,400
Honda Odyssey 2.3 - $44,950
Hyundai Trajet 2.7 V6 - $34,990
Kia Carnival 2.5 V6 - $33,490
Mazda MPV 2.5 V6 - $44,150
Mitsubishi Nimbus 2.4 - $39,920
Volkswagen Caravelle GLS 2.5 - $53,190