[Kn1ght1941]

Greetings fellow BHPians,

It has been a really long time since I posted anything of worth on this forum, and my lack of contribution really irked me.

Hence I decided to make a BIG decision (literally), and share it with my brothers on wheels.

I had been happily driving my VW Golf GTI since 2013, but a major accident early this year almost totalled my car, and I was forced to consider buying a new one. As it is it was time for a change, both in car and in concept.

I have driven many SUVs in my life, but never had the pleasure of owning one. Hence I decided to take the plunge this time, and go for it.

As usual, many options kept presenting themselves, and with fabulous year end offers, this looked like a good time to go for it.

The requirements were simple, an SUV which is good enough as a daily driver, and has comfortable seating for 5. Yes, 5. And can be driven off road a bit as well, but this was not the priority, initially.

Many cars were test driven and shortlisted, but all these added to my confusion. Most in my were of the view that we should go for a crossover SUV, since they are stylish, comfortable, crammed with tech and options, and comparatively light on the pocket, compared to traditional ladder frame SUVs.

I explored all the options available and narrowed it down to the Hyundai Tucson, which is a very stylish and comfortable crossover, loaded with tech and options.

Took a test drive, and realized that this is not what i am looking for, since the seating position is almost like that of a car. Not a bad car this, just didn't click with me.

Next, I took a test drive of the new kind on the crossover block, the Honda CRV.

Now, this had it all. Good presence, loaded with tech, great to drive, larger, more spacious interiors, you name it, you get it.

I almost made the booking, the only impediment being my deal for the VW Golf was not finalized yet.

One week passed, and my VW was sold. I borrowed my brother's FJ Cruiser for an official trip to Ras Al Khaimah. On the drive, I realized that this was what I had been looking for. Not that I have not driven it before. The FJ has been around for 4 years in my family, and I have driven it on off road excursions, and loved it.

I changed my mind and announced immediately that my next car would be a proper off road capable SUV.

I did all the necessary research, and since there was already an FJ in the family, the next plausible option would be the baap of off roaders, the Jeep Wrangler.

Immediately took a test drive of the 2 door Wrangler (no, not the 4 door Wrangler Unlimited, which sells more but looks like a 1990s Mahindra Commander). Realized that this was not suitable for my 50 km daily commute, not comfortable enough and cannot seat 5.

Went home with a heavy heart, since i really liked it, and had wanted a jeep since my childhood. But the practical aspect overcame the desirability. Head over heart as they say.

That effectively left me with Toyota's Fortuner as the only 4WD SUV now available to me. I am not a fan of overly huge SUVs like the Nissan Patrol, and was now set on buying an off road capable SUV. Visited the Toyota showroom to test drive the Fortuner, and was greeted with a sight which overjoyed me.







I immediately reset my heart, and took my family for a test drive the same evening. After receiving a resounding YES from everyone, I immediately paid the booking amount and commenced the process for buying the car.

Now, some might want to ask, why not the Fortuner?

Answer: The Landcruiser Prado is a segment above the Fortuner, has a more comfortable suspension, bigger an better equipped interiors, more options such as sunroof, 9 inch touch screen stereo and navigation system, with back up camera display, full time 4WD, higher ground clearance, more refined, etc, etc.

But above all, it is the entry ticket to the legendary Landcruiser brand. It looks cool in 2 door version, and is just the right size.

Completed the process for purchase and took delivery of the vehicle on 17th October, 2017.

This is how I first saw it:



Followed by the PDI and handover:





After taking possession of the car, the first thing is to drive it to the nearest petrol pump and tank it up, and install the Salik toll sticker. The odo read 4 KM at the time of delivery.

Some pictures should set the tone for the further review:









The exterior is plain and simple,yet intimidating and imposing. Paint quality and fit and finish is excellent for this Made in Japan model, not going to win a beauty contest, as any other Toyota, but it's not meant for that.

Anyway, looks are subjective.

A cool feature is the locking and unlocking mechanism, known as Toyota Smart entry. One needs to simply hold the handle on either door, with the key in the pocket, and it unlocks with a beep.



Similarly, one needs to place the finger on the markings towards the front end of the handle for a second, and the doors lock with a beep.

The wheels are 18 inch alloys, wearing Dunlop All Terrain tyres:



The rear door has gas struts and opens wide to reveal decent boot space, even with the rear seats up:



The doors open wide as well, allowing easy access to the front seats, although on the higher side:



Visible here are the controls for the side view mirrors, both of which have auto up and down and anti pinch feature, the bonnet release on the right and the fuel hatch release on the left below the steering wheel.



The steering wheel has audio controls on the left and telephone controls on the right side. Cruise control is not available on this GXR model. Not missed at all. The wheel is large and chunky, covered in soft cushioned leather and a delight to hold.



The dashboard is made of soft touch material, and clinically finished to withstand off road abuse, yet pleasant to look and feel. It is mostly clutter free and the large 9 inch touch screen is responsive and very useful, but more on that later as i get to grips with the system and its technicalities.



The front seats are large and comfortable, with excellent back and thigh support, and made of soft chamois fabric, but prone to soiling easily.

The seat has to be folded and slid all the way front to access the rear seats:





The rear seat itself is very comfortable and well placed. Three can sit abreast easily. Surprisingly, it has more legroom than the 4 door Fortuner, which is saying a lot. Under thigh support is decent and the seat can split 60:40 and recline as well. To add to the rear seat comfort, it has cup holders on both sides as well as in the center armrest, rear AC vents as well as a remote control for the audio system.









A few other useful features are the sunroof, vanity mirrors with lights on both driver and passenger side, plenty of cup holders all around, bottle holders on the doors, and to top it all, the center console has a very effective cool box to serve chilled drinks.









Visible her are the covered front cup holders, leather covered gear stick and hand brake, and the control dial for various 4WD settings.

Moving on the driving experience so far, the car has covered 1000 kms already at the time of writing this review, and the first service is due today. I have taken care not to rev the engine beyond 2500 as recommended by Team BHP, hence have not hit peak performance yet. Even so, it seems to be responsive and eager, no slouch this.



The engine is the familiar 2TR-FE 2.7l inline 4 petrol, good for 164 bhp @5200 rpm and 245 Nm torque @3800 rpm, mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission. This same engine powers the Fortuner and Innova petrol models in India. However, this Landcruiser is 110 kg lighter than the Fortuner, and tuning is such that a good amount of torque is available at low rpms, making driveability very good and stress free. Of course, I am yet to push the engine, so more comments on that later.

Kitna deti hai? So far 9 kms to the liter. Refinement is good, even though there is no sound proof material below the bonnet, which is HEAVY, but thankfully held by gas struts.

Ride quality is great, and makes short work of slight bumps and undulations (can't say potholes since there are none in Dubai), much smoother and comfortable than the Fortuner.

Handling is aided by the full time 4WD system, hence good compared to other ladder frame SUVs, but I would not push it too much. Brakes are good and have great bite, but the car does feel like its nose dives a bit on hard braking.

It comes equipped with ABS, EBD with Brake assist, traction control, vehicle stability control, dual front, sides, curtain and knee airbags.

Driving it has been a great experience so far, with the high seating position, commanding view of the road, and wide comfy seats. The ride is excellent and handling good, if you respect the limits of a vehicle with high center of gravity and ladder frame construction.

It is equipped with some serious off road hardware such as low range gearing and center diff lock, excellent ground clearance of 235 mm, all terrain tyres and good approach, break over and departure angles. The engine does not feel underpowered in this car since it is lighter, and with good low end power and torque, will likely pummel the desert sands into submission. It is a tough as nails unit, known for its reliability, durability and ability to punch above its weight, at the same time being low maintenance and relatively fuel efficient.

More after the first service is done, and the engine is completely broken in. Looking forward to some off road adventures in this thing.

Till next time, adios amigos.

P.S.All photos were taken using Samsung Galaxy S7 camera, so apologies for poor low light quality in some images.

Thanks for reading

[Sankar]

Wow! This is cute and butch at the same time. Congratulations!
I wish Toyota launched a small 2 door proper 4x4 here in India, but the Prado would be too expensive here even in this smaller form factor. Approximately how short is the overall vehicle length compared to the regular Prado and the Fortuner? Is the 4 liter V6 option available for this model?

[Kn1ght1941]

Thanks,

The length comparison for all the vehicles are below:

Prado 2 door - 4505 mm

Prado 4 door - 4780 mm

Fortuner - 4795 mm

Unfortunately there is no 4.0l V6 available in the 2 door version, since the 2.7l is sufficient, even for dune bashing and other off road uses. it was available in the previous generation of the Prado 2 door however.

[Shanksta]

Congrats on the new truck. Wishing you loads of (s)miles!
I for one never knew Toyota still offered 3 door SUV's and thought the older 199x year versions of the LC's were the last of them. This is such a cool looking car and looks smart.

From the outside the space in the trunk with rear seats up looks small but actually that is a huge boot. Is the fuel tank capacity the same as the 5 door Prado or smaller?

Also do you get a parcel tray or a roller cover as an accessory to prevent people from peeking into the boot.

OT: I see 2 FJ Cruisers in the showroom. I remember the FJ Cruiser's production being stopped in 2016. Is that the case? Were those new or used FJs? Is the production still on only for UAE?

EDIT: Did some research and man it is a steal for roughly ₹23lacs(I converted the retail price mentioned on the Toyota UAE website). It was costlier than the Fortuner by only a lakh?

[Turbanator]

The length comparison for all the vehicles are below:
Prado 2 door - 4505 mm
Prado 4 door - 4780 mm

Congrats on your new acquisition, you guys are extremely lucky, no Income tax, Sales tax or Customs We can just envy you.

I think your thread will be the only one here for a new Prado, it's too expensive in India for what it offers so hardly anyone buys. I support your decision on buying Prado over anything else especially Fortuner when the difference is too little. But one question- why did you choose this over a regular 4 door one? And how much was exact costs for this and the 4 door at your place? Did you get any offers as the new MY2018 must be available by now as well?

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by Kn1ght1941

Thanks,

The length comparison for all the vehicles are below:

Prado 2 door - 4505 mm

Prado 4 door - 4780 mm

Fortuner - 4795 mm

Unfortunately there is no 4.0l V6 available in the 2 door version, since the 2.7l is sufficient, even for dune bashing and other off road uses. it was available in the previous generation of the Prado 2 door however.

Yes the 2.7L is powerful enough. The 2 door version is just 29cm shorter than the Fortuner, but in the pictures it looks shorter probably due to the large flat bonnet. Just a foot off Fortuner's length is good size for a 5 seater. If there was a choice I would happily choose a 5 seat ladder frame 4x4 Toyota SUV over its 7 seat counterpart.

[abhishek46]

Wow! I seriously did not know that this Prado SWB version was still production.

Congrats on your purchase!

Apart from the compact dimensions advantage, I presume the SWB will be much better in off road scenarios as well, due to the lower wheelbase (Just like the LR Defender).

[Kn1ght1941]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Congrats on your new acquisition, you guys are extremely lucky, no Income tax, Sales tax or Customs

You can say that again.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

But one question- why did you choose this over a regular 4 door one? And how much was exact costs for this and the 4 door at your place? Did you get any offers as the new MY2018 must be available by now as well?

Many reasons to choose the SWB - cool looks, better off road, more manageable in the city, LWB has the impression of a family wagon rather than an off roader, 350 kg lighter weight has positive impact on performance, efficiency and driving experience, and of course cheaper to buy as well

Its price was AED 129,900/- (INR 2,273,250/- @17.50). I got a discount of AED 10,000/-, since this was the 2017 model. I paid AED 6500/- (INR 113,750/-)for insurance and AED 5000/- (INR 87,500) for a service package for 4 years or 80k kms. The 2018 Prado is available alright, but in 4 door version only for now.

Originally Posted by Shanksta

Congrats on the new truck. Wishing you loads of (s)miles!

Many thanks for that, really appreciated

Originally Posted by Shanksta

From the outside the space in the trunk with rear seats up looks small but actually that is a huge boot. Is the fuel tank capacity the same as the 5 door Prado or smaller?

The boot capacity with seats up is 600l+, enough to gobble up 2 suitcases upright. The fuel tank capacity is 87 liters, same as a 4 door 2.7 Prado and 7 liters more than the Fortuner.

Originally Posted by Shanksta

Also do you get a parcel tray or a roller cover as an accessory to prevent people from peeking into the boot.

Nope, sorry. The best "accessory" for this purpose is a 50% window tint.

Originally Posted by Shanksta

OT: I see 2 FJ Cruisers in the showroom. I remember the FJ Cruiser's production being stopped in 2016. Is that the case? Were those new or used FJs? Is the production still on only for UAE?

Those FJs are brand new, the one in front is the Xtreme version with off road accessories from the dealer. Interestingly, when the announcement was made regarding stopping production in 2016, the sales skyrocketed so much here that Toyota decided not to pull the plug on it yet, at least in the ME region.

Originally Posted by Shanksta

EDIT: Did some research and man it is a steal for roughly ₹23lacs(I converted the retail price mentioned on the Toyota UAE website). It was costlier than the Fortuner by only a lakh?

It is costlier than the base model Fortuner EXR by AED 15k (INR 262,500/-) but actually cheaper than the comparable GXR model by AED 5k (INR 87,500/-). The discount made it sweeter.

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Wow! I seriously did not know that this Prado SWB version was still production.

Congrats on your purchase!

Thanks. Yes, good to have this car alive and kicking.

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Apart from the compact dimensions advantage, I presume the SWB will be much better in off road scenarios as well, due to the lower wheelbase (Just like the LR Defender).

There was a time when all off road vehicles were 2 door SWB. Jeeps, Ford Bronco, Toyota FJ40, Nissan Patrol, and of course LR Defender (man i love that one). The very reason was that they were better off road than LWB versions. But they are a dying breed now, sadly.

There is something about 2 door cars which makes them feel more personal, individual, for you kind of thing.

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by Kn1ght1941

... The engine does not feel underpowered in this car since it is lighter, and with good low end power and torque, will likely pummel the desert sands into submission. It is a tough as nails unit, known for its reliability, durability and ability to punch above its weight, at the same time being low maintenance and relatively fuel efficient...

Congrats on the buy! The 2 door is indeed a very good off road vehicle.

So, when are you going to join me for an off road drive?

[Kn1ght1941]

Thanks,

I will be really happy to join you on an off road drive, just waiting for the 2500 kms barrier to be crossed.

[DicKy]

Congrats
To be true, when I first saw the thread title, I was like. " Oh, here goes another enthusiast who got his hands on an old rare Prado 3 door import. can't wait to see him work it back to good shape. ", but voila, duffai NRI buying a brand new 3 door Prado.

The Gulf markets sure has a plethora of 3 door versions of SUVs.

My absolute favorites are the the LandCruiser 70series and Nissan Y61 Patrol.





But their high prices and ever strong residuals means these are the only viable options

Originally Posted by Kn1ght1941

There is something about 2 door cars which makes them feel more personal, individual, for you kind of thing.

True that. After the Tata Sierra, the only thing close to it in India was the old Isuzu D-max space Cab, even though it is a pickup truck.

(Thar/Gurkha/Gypsy are too crude a gang.)

[rav11stars]

Brilliant choice and hearty congratulations.
I'd say your review came at the right time for me as a Godsend I'm in Ras Al Khaimah and am on the lookout for a new car. Quite obviously being a first-time buyer here, I'm confused with the choice. I'll not hijack this ownership thread. I'll PM you.
Wish you many miles with this beauty!

[nerd1200]

Wow, This looks like Toyota's bad-ass version of the TUV3OO!

Jokes apart, that's a rare breed you have there. Wish you many happy miles with your beast.

[Ford5]

This car never ceases to get my attention at all traffic lights in dubai. First you think it's weird looking, then you realise its a modern day Toyota and not some Ssangyong rexton kind of vehicle and the same story repeats all over again whenever i see the LC Prado 2 door here in Dubai. The raised centre console is an eye catcher imo. What were the prices of the FJ Cruisers if i may ask you.

[james]

Congrats on getting a wonderful lil' car, Kn1ght1941. I cant stop admiring her. I was looking out for one on Dubizze a few weeks ago. Unfortunately the ones in my budget were either too old or had run a LOT. May just have to settle for a pre-owned Altima like the rest of the desi's here.

Cheers!