Land Cruiser Prado is so awesome

At 0:45, it made that obstacle look so easy

https://youtu.be/LhONGvpbKjk

 

These newer Prado are more of overland focused suvs that are not really offroad focus suvs.

My dad's office had 1995ish Toyota Prado and Mitsubishi Pajero were pretty serious off-road capable ones. After 2000s they were getting less off-road and more comfort focused vehicles.

For serious off-road there were Land rover defender. They were top choice of military and they were the ascort vehicles used when my dad had to go for office visits through terrorist areas. They had no comfort and pure macho feeling.

Some of my friends had modified Mitsubishi BJ series. They are exactly like old Jeep Wranglers. Also old to new Land cruisers 70 series are the king of off-road from Toyota.

(My post was much longer but then I thought this is enough info to share.)
Prado is good but......

 

Serious hardcore offroading doesn't have many applications IMO. People do it just for fun. For a person like me who wants to get on trails and experience nature, these SUVs are enough. I don't want to rock crawl.

 

If Toyota is interested in taking lessons from the Prado the biggest lesson is 2 fuel tanks.

I do love the diesel engine but I don't know how it would work on US highways especially here in CO mountain highways. People might not like the poor acceleration. I heard the newer one has better performance but I haven't driven it to comment.

 

I have driven a Prado and Hilux. Yes, they are slow. People won't like them here, and plus they are not good fit for American highways. That's why they put the V8 in the GX for America. Americans drive fast. We have highway culture here.

 

My first Hilux driven had shifter on steering column. LOL. Imagine the fun shifting on a bumpy trail up hill..

 

When I google Mitsubishi BJ I get a goofy looking hatchback/minivan looking thing.

The Toyota BJ was much like an old Willy's Jeep. I would argue that the 40 series was probably Toyota's top off-roader. And, I would gladly put it up against anything Land Rover ever made.

There's a good reason so many of these legendary off-roaders resemble an old Jeep. They are all copycats, including the Landcruiser. This was intentional. Without the Willy's Jeep, there would be not Land Rover or Landcruiser.

 

Those things are all over Iceland. Saw a ton of them this summer while visiting. With gas averaging $10-12/gallon that's an expensive ride, but gives you access to all the F roads.

 

Sorry it has to be corrected as Mitsubishi CJ. Just like the Wrangler. They were used by Police and when they were auctioned it was the best option for first 4x4 vehicle. Things like engine overhaul for any similar vehicle was reasonable, like $500-$600 plus you get 1 or 2 years warranty (I can't remember since my dad paid).



And yes, thanks to Jeep/ AMC everyone else copied and sold them for cheaper price.

 

I know this one is not relevant to Prado but sharing for 4x4 lovers.

My colleague got carried away with 4x4 and now he is in to competitive 4x4. This is his modified Landrover defender.

 

It's funny, to me, how many folks buy an SUV so they can say they have one, just like the Joneses next door. They never get anywhere near actually going off-road, they just want the status symbol. Heck, they drive through a small puddle on the highway, they immediately run to a car wash. Can you imagine their horror if they saw the 4Runners that actually go boonie hopping?

But heck, I guess it's their money. They want to buy an SUV for appearances sake, more power to em. At least, if they pick a Toyota, they get a quality, long-lived, vehicle.

Have fun, all!
Pat☺

 

If you do serious hard-core off-roading, you should probably get a 2 door jeep wrangler with 40 inch tires.

wranglers are garbage at just about everything they do except going hard off road.

 

True! One of their huge advantages is that you can fit 37 inch tires without doing any serious modifications. A 2 door Wrangler would be one of my top choices for a trail toy.

 

It's worth noting that some here are comparing an IFS vehicle with solid axle vehicles.

Huge difference in wheel travel and capability.

 

My 2005 Jeep Liberty has a 2.8 CRD (Common Rail Diesel) engine. At low speeds, the torque is much higher than the 4runner's. Stock had about 300lb/ft and with tune, it is close to 400. Funny little clunker, I love it. Makes going uphills a breeze, much easier than in 4runner, which needs to downshift. Plus hearing the turbo whine warms the cockles... New diesels are quite torque-ish, bad thing is all the EPA stuff shoved in them (particulate filter, selective catalytic reduction, bunch of oxygen sensors, regeneration for the particulate filter, use of diesel exhaust fluid, etc) which makes some of them not too reliable. I am sure though that if Toyota would bring a diesel here in the US, it will be more reliable than a Ford, Chevy or Jeep/Ram. Had an EcoDiesel ram before (also with a tune for more torque) which I sold for the 4runner, never had an issue with it in 55k. 25MPG was also a bonus. Turbo Diesels are fun, while a Toyota turbo diesel would make me very tempted...

 

A lot of the LC Prados I saw were outfitted like this.

 

Iceland?

Because that’s not for going off road, that’s for floating over snow.

 

They do lots of river crossings as well. But yeah, lots of folks were using those vehicles year round.

 

That reminds me of a 4Runner related question.

The whole point of Wranglers and similar vehicles (atleast in the past) was to keep weight low so its easy to go over obstacles easy. Ex - Compare the thickness of a door old vs new. Or how bulky the new seats are vs old. On top of that nowadays I see heavy kited 4Runners like a mini hotel room on trails and I feel scared if they would rollover. Some even hit trails with big RTTs.

I maybe having this thought because I pack my stuff and go to hotel for the night, but love to hear what others think.

 

This is not even that bad of a section, but if you have a lot of weight up top you will tip. Like this guy did.

 

This is why I try to keep as much weight as possible down low in the vehicle. RTT's are cool, but not ideal if you're going on trails known for rollovers. I also try not to carry too much unnecessary weight.

 

He took the wrong line. Jeep Wranglers have rolled in the same spot.


My Project Manager in Djibouti had a 6 speed manual transmission diesel Prado that I drove once or twice. It was alright. His was pretty stripped with cloth seats. I preferred driving my 2014 Hilux with 5 speed manual, diesel 4x4 w/ rear locker. It moved fast enough for me. Loved that low end torque - made it really easy to drive.

Mine:

I drove these a few times. Rough riding with their solid front axle:

 

Diesels are all about torque, awesome off-road.

 

Love it. What's the difference between this and the Lexus GX (other than the engine of course)?

 

See if this helps..

 

They are the same vehicle except the Prado is Turbo Diesel and has better angles. The Lexus is a fancy Prado with a V8 and luxury stuff, and luxury body style which hurts its ground clearance and angles.

 

In the video the commentator mentioned that the Prado has a locking rear differential. Pretty sure that is not available in the Lexus.

 

Yeah, but they are still the same vehicle. Locker doesn't make much difference. I mean an SR5 4Runner is a 4Runner too.