Fifteen years ago, I decided to become a bald nomad and that I needed a vehicle to tow a 7.2-metre Euro caravan, which I was in the process of buying. I researched what would be suitable in the four-wheel wheel drive category, and the Toyota 80 series stood out as a super-reliable and capable vehicle, especially the turbo diesel model...
I always had a strong bias against 4WDs. Having grown up in the country, they were everywhere, so I knew how good they were, but I always thought that they’d be woefully out of place in anywhere more urban than the back of Woop-Woop...
Once I realised my little 2001 WRX was no longer cutting the mustard as a "family car", I had some very hard and long thinking to do. I needed something bigger. I needed something a little more kid friendly. I needed something that I could still entertain myself and my daughter with on weekends. I needed something that wasn’t boring...
One month after purchasing our brand-new LandCruiser 200 Series Sahara, we hitched a caravan and embarked on a four-week trip from Melbourne to the Red Centre. The Sahara was amazing in the way it towed the three-tonne caravan. It was both the towing ease and, more importantly, the weight of the Sahara itself that kept the caravan very stable in every situation...
Why did I buy a Toyota Prado? Let’s address the elephant in the room to begin: it wasn’t for the badge or the price. Everyone knows that Toyotas by nature are overpriced. So why did I buy it then? Seven seats, lots of cabin space, comfy seats, economical engine and reliable off-road abilities...
Overall, the Landcruiser 200 provides the rugged and robust design Toyota is well known for. The 4.5-litre V8 provides grunt whenever required, perfect for when towing a heavy load, although the turbos give a little lag when punching the accelerator. For the size of the Landcruiser the engine provides relatively economical fuel consumption, whether it be city or highway driving...
This a totally awesome vehicle. It's excellent for long trips with great comfort and plenty of power. I picked mine up second-hand with 300,000 kms on the clock and she still drives like a new car. It has a had a suspension upgrade as well as a three-inch exhaust. The 1HDFTE is an awesome motor, very reliable and with heaps of grunt...
Before I start, I must inform you that I'm a 14 year old boy. No I'm not the one who wrote the BMW x5 review, I am the Sri Lankan counterpart who is also a massive car nut. I'm writing this review because there aren't much reviews on this exact varient of the Prado and because I have nothing else to do these school holidays...
Okay, so it's not actually my personal car but I did choose it and it was effectively mine for a month. Yes, I had an outback assignment to complete at the edge of the Great Victoria Desert and to my mind the LandCruiser was the logical choice...
The 2016 turbo-diesel GXL is the only TD in the range with eight seats, which is what our large family requires. The GXL allows us to enjoy getting out and enjoying inaccessible areas such as National Parks and sandy beaches, as a family. In addition to steep descents when using low 4D in some tricky National Parks roads, the crawl control also works effectively on very soft sand...
My Prado is a great all rounder and while it doesn't set the world on fire in any one area, it can do almost anything. I bought a runout 3.0-litre one after the great run we got out of my wife's 120 series (seven years,never missed a beat). I tow a 5.5 metre boat and do a 130km commute to work and it still averages 9.5 L/100km...
