[RajeevMD]

TOYOTA HARRIER: A JDM adventure (an ownership review)
DATE OF COMMENCEMENT: 06.12.17
DATE OF COMPLETION AND POSTING: 12.12.17


Prologue:

Very recently, I had introduced myself to the Team-BHP community via the introduction thread and had a handful of requests from interested members asking me to do a write-up on the long term ownership of my Toyota Land Cruiser VX V8. I had started writing it but had to put it on hold since I was unable to find time to compile pictures for a thread that would do justice to the LC. In short, it’s coming soon…

Coming back to this ownership review,

Disclaimers:

• This is a review of a Japanese Domestic Model (JDM) Toyota which many of our members may not be familiar with.
• The review is based in Sri Lanka by a Indo-Lankan Team-BHP member.
• The objective of this review is to give insight to our members regarding JDM cars while being aware that I’m not adding any irrelevant content to this forum.
• This is a long post.
• Kindly excuse my amateur writing style.

Credits:

My sincerest gratitude to all those passionate members who had been putting out quality ownership reviews which inspired me to do one too.

The Scenario:

Now that I’m domiciled on this small island in the Indian Ocean, it was pretty clear that I would be driving my cars here most of the time while my rides in the subcontinent would hardly see a few thousand km every year during my visits. The cars in my island garage were ageing gracefully and it had been 2 years since our last purchase. All of our cars were being put to good use though none of them were taking a beating like our good old Hilux pickup truck. I was quite happy with my Honda Vezel Hybrid especially with the amazing fuel efficiency figures 13-15 km/L (gasoline) average and the low maintenance cost.

Then came the time we packed off our little brother for his higher education abroad and the car he was using (MB C220 CDI) was just lying unused in the garage for a while now. Since it was pointless keeping a car unused while it sat there depreciating we came to a conclusion to sell it off to an enthusiast who would care for it like we did. In a short while we found an interested party and it changed hands for a fair sum.

It was around this time that I felt a need to upgrade since I was travelling out of town quite often and I was looking for something more comfortable than the Vezel that came with suspension so hard that it was such a back breaker on imperfect roads. Using my contacts, I got it sold almost immediately (due to its impeccable maintenance) and now my finances for the new car was set.

The Look-out:

So I set out looking for a sedan or a crossover or a SUV. Upon my research, I came across the newly facelifted Toyota Harrier which was more of a premium crossover than a full blown SUV and immediately my mind was set on it just like that. Now the question was, which engine option and which trim to go for.

The JDM only (recently officially introduced to Singapore and Malaysia as well) Toyota harrier came with 3 engine options.

1. 2.5L 152PS (+143PS electric motor) petrol hybrid CVT-i with E-four-wheel drive (only the electric motor powers the rear wheel).
2. 2.0L 151PS NA petrol CVT-i with 2WD & 4WD.
3. 2.0L 231PS Turbo Petrol Auto (torque converter) with 2WD & 4WD.

The Generational Facts:

• The Toyota Harrier in its previous generation shared its underpinnings with the Lexus RX.
• The Toyota Harrier skipped on the third generation update of the Lexus RX, thereby running on the second generation design for over 10 years while the Lexus RX was on its third generation.
• This generation skip made way for the Toyota Harrier to take a different path in terms of platform for its third generation.
• The third generation Toyota Harrier is based on the same (and new) platform as the smaller Lexus NX although the body shell is still more similar to the RX and so are its dimensions.
• The car featured here is the first facelift of the third generation model.

The JDM Dilemma:

The whole idea of getting down a JDM car seems attractive at first, but let me warn you that not all things are blingy as they seem. Coming to the downsides of importing a JDM car,

• NO WARRANTY for the car once its off Japanese soil.
• NO OFFICIAL SERVICE centres although there are many all brand service centres with expertise in JDM service. Toyota too accepts JDM Toyotas for service but unofficially.
• OEM spare parts are hard to source and are expensive.
• If your model is recalled in Japan for defects, you’ve got to live with a faulty car and the company is not responsible for any malfunctions.

The additional upsides of going for a JDM car over an official import other than the ones mentioned above are,

• Better build and material quality. The quality of JDM cars are leagues above official import models of the same class.
• You get all the latest features in a car that first world countries get.
• JDM quality control is so strict that it is very rare to come across a manufacturing defect.

The Decision:

The heart screamed turbo, the government screamed NA petrol while the mind said hybrid. In the end, the government won since considering the prices and import duty it was logical to go for the NA petrol. The turbo was expensive to procure in Japan and attracted a higher duty based on its CIF price. Hybrid was also expensive to procure but lower duty (lower duty slab since it’s a hybrid yet duty higher than NA petrol version since it was >2000cc engine) and still out of my budget.

The Purchase:

I had 2 options to buy the car from
1. From a car sale which has got one in its stock.
2. Import it from Japan personally with the help of an importer.

Being the easier way I decided to buy one from ex-stock at a car sale and the hunt began. After almost a month of searching and price comparison I finally zeroed in on a sweet deal from one of the car sales in Colombo and paid an advance to reserve the car after doing a PDI loosely based on Team-BHP’s guide.

I had gone for a Toyota Harrier 2.0L 151PS Naturally Aspirated CVT-i 2WD model with a Pearl white exterior, saddle tan interior and dealer (Japan) fitted Modellista (Toyota’s official body kit OEM manufacturer) body kit.

The first pics from the time I initially saw the car at the dealer's place:

Front view



Rear View



The car comes in 3 trims,
• Elegance – Basic model with 6 airbags, Panoramic sunroof, LED headlamp with halogen high beam, attention assist, pre-crash alert, pedestrian safety, adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist.
• Premium – Elegance features + Electric driver seats, 9 airbags, full LED headlamps with sequential turn indicators, daytime LED, Bigger alloys, key card along with remote keys, Electric tailgate + (Option to choose leather seats)
• Progress – Premium + 360 Camera with bird’s eye view + JBL Green wave 7.1 sound system and 9” display with GPS navigation.

I chose the Premium trim since it didn’t make sense to choose Progress as the JBL Green wave player doesn’t tune into local radio frequencies (Japs use 76-90MHz bandwidth), has only Japan’s navigation maps and in Japanese Language (language change isn’t possible without modifications) while the 360-degree cam could be fitted aftermarket (the car I chose had one fitted locally by the dealer along with 360-degree cam recording facility). Also I refrained from choosing leather package as the car comes with Napa leather which is an expensive option while it’s a pain to maintain as well. The standard seats are a combination of regular leather and quilted fabric.

The Delivery:

Almost 10 days after I had booked the car, I had my finances arranged, insurance covered and headed to the car sale on an auspicious day to take home the car. Delivery of cars at car sales in SL aren’t a pompous affair like in India (which I miss here). Got my car invoiced and drove it home. That was all. I decided to wait for 2018 to register my car when a new registration series opens so that I could obtain my desired registration plates. Unfortunately, I took just one pic in my excitement that day.

The car ready to be driven home



Once it was home, we did a small Pooja and I had decided that the car was old enough to be named. I had already thought of a name for it and on that day it was christened “KELPIE”, after the mythical Scottish water horse (based on the folklore I had come across during my travels to Scotland).

The Shopping List:

I had a few days before getting my car registered and road legal. In the mean time I decided to discreetly (yup discreetly, since its illegal to drive an unregistered car except on the day of invoicing) take Kelpie shopping for accessories. By the end of the day I had got the following done,
• Sun film for front windows (rear windows and rear windscreen come with factory fitted dark tinted glass)
• 3M protection film for headlamp and door handle regions to prevent scratches.
• 3M lamination of lower door panels on the inside and the door sills.
• Quilted full floor carpets with noodle mats.
• A cover for the car (a bit of an overkill since the car is always parked indoors).
• Number plate frame in black void of any adverts (the dealer gave me one with his company name on it).
• Complimentary silicon-cover for the remote key.
• And finally a Karcher K2 high pressure washer.

Further add-ons planned for the future,

• Ceramic paint protection
• Kenwood DDX717WBT Music player to replace the local car sale dealer fitted unbranded warranty-less cheap Chinese music player (which has already got a few niggles a few weeks into installation).


The Galleria:

Exterior:

The front imposing fascia thats quite unusual for a Toyota.


The front three quarter view of this long car.


The full LED headlamp setup with cornering LED lamp (to the right), sequential turn indicator and parking lights as a streak below the three projectors. The outer projector is for low beam while the inner two are for high beam.


The vertical daytime running LED, the LED fog lamp and a horizontal DRL integrated into the body kit. Notice the parking sensor, shows that Toyota isn't keen on integrating it as well as VW does.


The solid front grill with a tiny slat for air passage. Japanese Toyotas are individually branded and hence the car gets the Harrier logo in the front instead of the well known Toyota logo. Behind this logo sits the radar system for driving aids. Also note the front camera (after market gadget) fixed into the front slat (OEM camera also occupies the same spot).


The side profile makes it look more like a jacked up station wagon than a crossover/SUV.


The passenger side mirror. Notice the bottom reflector fitted underneath. This comes factory fitted for models that haven't got a factory fitted camera.


The underside of the passenger side mirror. Notice the reflector, the aftermarket camera and the puddle lamps. The puddle lamps were on while I was shooting this pic since I was next to the car with the key in my pocket.


The driver side mirror with only the puddle lamp and the camera.


The front door handle. Notice the twin horizontal slats to the right. Touch them and the car is locked. To unlock just touch the inner side of the handle. All this with key in proximity. I had stuck a protective film behind the handle as a temporary measure to keep the scratches off until Kelpie goes in for a ceramic coat.


The rear view with the familiar Toyota logo.


The rear windscreen with the rear wiper. Notice the black line (which is blue for hybrid models) and the red line of reflectors connecting both the rear lights.


The rear light assembly swoops quite a bit forward into the side profile. The rear spoiler painted in black is a standard feature.


The rear diffuser with reflector that is a part of the body kit along with the tailpipe attachment. The body kit does indeed give some character to this car which is otherwise bland looking on the rear in a stock car.


The only name badge on the car. Quite opposite to the Ssangyong Rexton that comes with a gazillion of them.


Aerial view of the panoramic sun/moon roof. The light and rain sensors are visible on the windscreen. Also seen on the windscreen behind the IRVM is the camera for lane detection.


The car is shod with 235/55/R18 Bridgestone ECOPIA H/L 422 plus tyres made in Japan. The alloys in a grey shade with chrome like finish to it.


The well insulated hood makes the cabin silent and almost feel like an EV at low revs.


The hood is attached to gas struts on both sides for ease of opening.


The neatly packed engine bay.


A close up of the air intake, fuse box, ECU and the Panasonic battery.

[RajeevMD]

Interior:

The Front

The interior view of the cockpit from the driver's side. The floor mats are quilted art leather with 3M nomad type mats buttoned to them.


The interior view from the passenger's side. The passenger seats are not powered. The seats are part leather and part quilted fabric. This combination goes well for tropical climates. The cup holders and the 12v socket are neatly concealed by the gloss black plastic lids on the centre console. The centre arm rest is also leather wrapped. Underneath it lies a deep storage area where an optional Qi wireless charger could have been fitted if specified.


The view of the tan leather covered interior. There is leather on all the panels which a passenger might come in contact with. The dash is of a sizeable capacity and features soft opening.


The driver side seat is 8 way power adjustable but sadly no memory function on my car.


A view of the passenger seat from the driver's seat. The tan leather is quite pleasing to see (at least for me).


Front driver door interior clad in leather. Also seen are the all auto window switches, the mirror adjustment knob and the switch to toggle auto mirror folding.


The lower portion of the door. The bottle holders are small and are clearly designed for Japan. The OEM speakers are of great sound quality. The doors (all 4) come with puddle lamps at the bottom. I got the bottom half wrapped in protective film.


The elegant steering wheel wrapped in leather for the bottom half and lacquered wood at the top. The steering has a nice feel to it especially when you hold the chill wooden area after your palms get warm due to holding the leather (I hope you get what I'm trying to convey). On the left are buttons for controlling the music player and for attending calls. On the right the buttons are for meddling with the MID and to toggle the radar safety systems like lane departure and adaptive cruise control.


Top: Driver a/c vent with air volume control. Middle: switches for vehicle ignition, Parking brake, brake hold (useful when in standing in traffic signals), toggle switches for engine start/stop, traction control and auto headlamp function. Bottom: switch to open/close the electronic tailgate from the front. (Empty switches are where the bird's eye cam, heated wiper and ac power socket switch should have been. Unfortunately my car has skipped on those options.)


The fuel lid and bonnet opening levers are placed below the above shown switches. The fuel lid can also be opened by pressing the lid while the car is unlocked.


The switch to electronically adjust steering wheel for rake and reach. Also this car is equipped with the function where the steering wheels moves to the most backward position when the ignition is off and the vice versa when it is switched on for making it easy to get on/off for the driver from his/her seat.


The classic Toyota cruise control stalk covered in a plastic bag.


The stalks on both side of the wheel are of good quality and similar to those seen on most Toyotas.


Even the sides of the cascading centre console are leather wrapped for those times when you rest your knee on them. Notice a portion of the knee airbag to the right under the steering. The small red bulb you see is an aftermarket fitment. It is the sensor for remotely controlling the menu of the 360 degree cam system whose display though is through the infotainment system.


The auto dimming IRVM, the front cabin LED lights, the switches to open & close the sunroof and the blinds. The sun visors (still not unwrapped) have vanity mirrors and lights for both passengers and a clip on the driver's side to attach toll tickets.


The centre infotainment system. Nothing special about this Chinese aftermarket player which I intend to replace soon. On top is the typical new gen Toyota digital clock and the air vents without air volume adjust controls. The hazard light switch is neatly integrated with the clock.


The a/c control panel is touch sensitive like in Honda. Toyota has fitted its Nanoe air filter to keep large particles away. The temperature controls are swipe touch i.e. you swipe up/down to control temperature. It is indeed accurate and responds well to touch. This panel also contains the controls for the Eco and PWR mode. The blank area next to it was intended for seat heating and ventilation controls on both sides.


The Top

The view of the panoramic sun/moonroof with the air vent open. It is huuuuuuugeeee. Lights up the cabin well even though the headliner is wrapped in black fabric.


A roof with a view


The Middle

The middle row of seats. They are very comfortable for 2 adults and a child. Fitting 3 adults is a bit of a hassle. The outer seats are equipped with isofix points for baby seats. The head rests are adjustable and the centre armrest has 2 cupholders that unfold on the touch of a button.


The rear grab handles have a soft close mechanism and a hook to hand light stuff or a coat.


The rear seats get 2 a/c vents placed on the back of the front centre armrest.


The seat pockets are of a decent size and the rear seats are reclinable using the lever on the sides. The same lever is used to fold the seats flat.


Above the rear seats lies the lights for the boot and neatly tucked away is the seatbelt for the passenger on the middle seat. This seatbelt is indeed a complete three point belt thereby allowing an adult to travel on the middle seat.


The large boot with the rear seats up.


The even larger boot space with the 60:40 folding rear seats down.


Tethering hooks and the grooves to place the rear parcel shelf (which unfortunately hasn't been opted for in my car).


The underfloor storage with neatly organised spaces for various goodies.


Under the above lies the puny spare wheel, tool kit, tow bar and hazard triangle. Unfortunately no first aid kit (gonna get one soon).

[RajeevMD]

The Instrument Cluster & MID

The instrument cluster with a few warning lights on. The MID without any menu selected shows just ODO/Trip reading and outside temperature.


The welcome graphic animation on the MID with the car name and logo.


The info menu showing,
left: avg. consumption & range,
top right: avg. consumption, avg speed and running time since last trip reset,
bottom right: live consumption indicator (eco meter), avg. consumption, avg speed and running time since last ignition.


Left: Menu showing if lane departure warning & adaptive cruise control are on/off.
Right: Warnings screen (currently shows no warnings in Japanese).


Left: Eco indicator.
Right: Fatigue detection and warning indicator.


Settings menu to meddle with the driving aids and vehicular settings.


Start stop indicator showing,
left: stop time during current ignition and stop time during current trip since last reset.
Right: fuel saved by stopping engine since ignition and fuel saved since last trip reset.


Shown here is the MID in the 3 different modes; Eco, Normal and PWR.


The Other Stuff:

The stickers on the car showing the various certifications the car had got to go through before going on auction in Japan and shipped abroad.


The remote keys with keyless entry and remote boot opening.


The Key card with no remote functions but can be used for keyless entry and ignition. On pressing the small silver button a small physical key emerges from the card for use when battery is dead. The key card is very compact, almost the size of a credit card but a little thicker and fits in a wallet with ease. This is the key I use.





The Driving Dynamics:

The Engine:

As stated earlier Kelpie comes with a 3ZR-FAE two litre heart running on gasoline. The engine is good for 153 PS of max power @ 6100 rpm being a naturally aspirated one. The torque too is decent at 193NM from 3800 rpm onwards. This engine comes with Toyota’s Valvematic variable valve timing and runs on an Otto cycle.

What do all these numbers mean for a 1610kg crossover?

Well, this engine was put in the Harrier with fuel efficiency in mind. Hence the Harrier isn’t any Skoda Octavia vRS to drive. It is a very sedate and calm machine on the road. Power is delivered in a linear manner as the revvs build up steadily. Toyota Japan hasn’t tuned this engine with performance in mind, hence the stress on the engine to put out more power is gone, which in turn relates to the long term reliability of these machines.

The engine is very silent and has almost zero rattle on start-up except for cold starts where there’s a bit of sound initially. The recommended gasoline for this engine is the regular unleaded which has an Octane rating of 89 in Japan. Here though, I feed it with 95 Octane gasoline (costs LKR 128 per litre i.e. ~INR 54 per litre which is still cheaper than the INR 61.5 per litre for regular diesel in India), hence the smoothness.

With regard to fuel efficiency, the company stated fuel consumption is around 16 km/L (under Japanese test conditions), so far I have observed figures as follows:

1. City 7 km/L
2. Highway 13 km/L
3. Overall avg 10 km/L


The Gearbox:

Going with Toyota’s fuel efficiency mantra, the Harrier comes with Toyota’s Super CVT-i gearbox.

Rubber band effect? Yes.
Sluggish? Yes

The remedy to the classical CVT problem in this case is the use of 3 different driving modes. The Eco mode is the laziest mode in which you could drive this car. Floor the accelerator, make yourself a cup of chai, drink it and then it gets moving. Such is the response. The upside though is amazing fuel economy. This mode is only good for cruising on expressways and in bumper to bumper traffic.

The normal mode is much better to drive. The lag (CVT lag) is minimal and it is best to be driven in this mode. Fuel efficiency isn’t very bad either and this is the mode I usually am in day to day driving.

But for those times when you need the power, there’s the power mode (PWR mode) wherein the virtual ratios are altered such that power is delivered from a lower rpm. The downside though is that the fuel efficiency takes a big hit.


Other Observations:

• The suspension is on the softer side and tuned for comfort.
• Handling is more similar to a Toyota Innova.
• The car has a 60L fuel tank useful for those really long journeys.
• The brakes are very responsive as all wheels get disc brakes with the front being ventilated.
• The factory fitted tyres are 235/55/R18 Bridgestone ECOPIA H/L 422 plus. Going by the reviews, I had initially thought of getting them changed to Yokohoma but on driving the car I realized they were grippy enough and really silent. Moreover, these are Made in Japan Bridgestones (which aren’t easy to source otherwise) and I know for a fact that Japanese made tyres have a really long life (I’ve had Japanese Yokohomas in my LC 200 and they were good for around 50k kilometres of which 50% was hilly terrain). Hence I’ve decided to hold on to them.
• The steering is super light and has zero feedback. Being an electric power steering (with fancy driving aids), it feels like it has no direct connection to the wheels. It gets heavy at higher speeds though. The part I love about this steering is that it makes the car very easy to drive on urban roads and long drives are effortless.


The Fancy Driving Aids & Safety Systems:

The car comes with these safety systems fitted as standard,

1. Toyota Safety Sense P, a radar based collision avoidance system that brakes for you when it detects a potential collision.
2. Intelligence Clearance Sonar, a system that prevents collisions due to sudden forward or backward acceleration from stand still. It also brakes for you if it detects any obstruction while pulling out of a parking lot.
3. Pedestrian safety system that avoids knocking down pedestrians at lower speeds in city roads.
4. 9 airbags. 1 driver, 1 passenger, 4 curtain airbags, 2 seat airbags and 1 driver knee airbag.
5. Lane departure warning with steering assist. At over 50kmph if lane departure warning is on and the car wanders outside the lines without turning on lane change indicators, the steering steers itself back to its lane.
6. Driver fatigue warning.
7. Radar based adaptive cruise control.
8. Automatic high beam assist.
9. Iso-fix points in the rear seats.


The Conclusion:

So far I have driven the car for just around 470 Kms and find it adequate for my lifestyle. Yes, it’s not very spirited on the driving department, but it does what it is designed to in a good way. As of the day I’m posting this review, I am still waiting to register my car and start enjoying it on a daily basis.

To conclude, here are

My likes:

• Clean design and modern exterior looks.
• Top notch interior quality on par with the Germans.
• Leather wrap and soft touch materials for those parts that we come in contact with often.
• Toyota’s history of making super reliable cars.
• The wide panoramic sun/moon roof.
• Chrome-like finish on alloy wheels.
• Vast number of safety systems being standard.
• Fuel efficiency.
• Interior space is huge.
• Powered tailgate.
• Credit card sized key card.

My dislikes:

• Lethargic performance in eco mode.
• Lack of warranty outside Japan.
• Hard plastics on lower panels of dash and door let down the otherwise top notch cabin.
• Lack of rear parcel tray as standard fitment.
• Front bumper skirt that comes part of the Modellista kit is a bit too low and tends to get scratched easily on the road kerbs while parking.
• Rear passengers could do with more rear a/c vents and an individual a/c controller for the rear.
• Old fashioned digital clock on central console.
• MID language being Japanese (cannot be reprogrammed).

A few parting shots:

[Rehaan]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[vishy76]

And I thought that the Altis was the best looking toyota!

Congrats on a smart looking yet reliable Japanese. The ownership review covers all aspects beautifully! The Harrier seems to be a Lexus in Toyota clothing, from looks to outright quality. Only if Toyota would bring something like this to India.

Must say, your dealer has done a fantastic job of integrating the 360 degree cameras as an accessory. It took me a bit of time to digest that these were indeed fitted locally.

Wishing you many happy miles along with smiles with the Harrier.

Regards,
Vishy

[prguru]

Thanks for the detailed review, man that's a looker !! I like the Harrier logo as well, wish you many many happy miles ahead Am curious to know how do you use the key card if when the battery is dead ? and if you have any photo of how the small key card looks , please post it.

[blackwasp]

Nice review there, its interesting to see that you can get your hands on a JDM spec car. Also this bears an uncanny resemblance to the NX300. Is the NX based on the Harrier or is it the other way round?

Can you share pics of the 360-degree camera display? For an aftermarket job, it sure looks well integrated.

[RajeevMD]

Originally Posted by vishy76

And I thought that the Altis was the best looking toyota!

Congrats on a smart looking yet reliable Japanese. The ownership review covers all aspects beautifully! The Harrier seems to be a Lexus in Toyota clothing, from looks to outright quality. Only if Toyota would bring something like this to India.

Must say, your dealer has done a fantastic job of integrating the 360 degree cameras as an accessory. It took me a bit of time to digest that these were indeed fitted locally.

Wishing you many happy miles along with smiles with the Harrier.

Regards,
Vishy

Thank you for your wishes of goodwill.

Yes, indeed even I was shocked at the level of workmanship of the aftermarket camera. This is mainly because such aftermarket fittings are done on almost 99% of new cars here and due to the competition among such accessory dealers, they even send their technicians abroad to get trained on handling electronics especially Japanese cars.

Originally Posted by prguru

Thanks for the detailed review, man that's a looker !! I like the Harrier logo as well, wish you many many happy miles ahead Am curious to know how do you use the key card if when the battery is dead ? and if you have any photo of how the small key card looks , please post it.

Thank you for your wishes. When the keycard battery is dead, the only way to open the car is using the small physical key attachment in the card. I have posted a pic of the keycard already. If you notice clearly there is a silver button on the card. The physical key could we taken out of the card by pressing the button. It works just like pulling a key out of a remote key.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Nice review there, its interesting to see that you can get your hands on a JDM spec car. Also this bears an uncanny resemblance to the NX300. Is the NX based on the Harrier or is it the other way round?

Can you share pics of the 360-degree camera display? For an aftermarket job, it sure looks well integrated.

Yes, the Toyota Harrier is based on the same platform as the Lexus NX but with wider dimensions and longer wheelbase. I shall definitely share pics of the 360-degree camera display in my next post.

[ROG_AK]

Congratulations on the beautiful car. It brings back memories of my childhood growing up in Africa where most of the cars were JDM and so was our Toyota. They sure are great cars! Can't the language on the MID be changed or is it only Japanese?

[RajeevMD]

Originally Posted by ROG_AK

Congratulations on the beautiful car. It brings back memories of my childhood growing up in Africa where most of the cars were JDM and so was our Toyota. They sure are great cars! Can't the language on the MID be changed or is it only Japanese?

Thanks you. Unfortunately the MID language cannot be changed. People have tried to change it on JDM cars in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand as well but it hasn't worked out. I hope someone figures out a way sooner.
I'm sure you must have had a great ownership experience with your JDM Toyota in Africa.

[Varun_HexaGuy]

Hi sir,
First of all congratulations for buying an hell of a car. The Harrier is truly a Lexus NX300h barring the Toyota Badge. Even the steering wheel is so similar to the NX's which I happened to experience up-close during a recent Auto Expo in my city.

The materials, the finesse, the fitment and the the basic dashboard layout also looks so similar to the NX. Wish Toyota brings this model to India. This looks a lot better than the NX for some reason. IMO, the NX looks a bit too flashy and the Harrier looks understated.

Plus the dealership-fitted 360-degree camera looks like a factory fit. The install is just so neat. That's some exemplary work!

And not to forget, wishing you many more miles and happy miles with the Harrier.

Varun

[hondaford]

Hello,

I am a fellow Harrier Premium owner from Singapore.

Thanks for your detailed post. Learnt a few new things about my car.

Harrier is very popular in Singapore. In fact, after the Honda Vezel it is one of the top three car models being imported through parallel or unofficial channels. So much so that the official Toyota distributor Borneo Motors had to start importing it when they saw the demand for this car model.

While Harrier is a comfortable and reliable car, it is not a driver's car. My 10 year old Honda Stream stationwagon was a much more fun drive with its 5 speed auto gear box than the Harrier's CVT. But the Harrier is more fuel conscious averaging 13kmpl with a 2.0L engine compared to 11kmpl on the 1.8L Honda.

Harrier would do very well if it was launched in India. It surely is a more pliant ride than the Fortuner built on the HiLux truck platform. And would give Creta a good run for the money.


Best regards.

[RajeevMD]

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

Hi sir,
First of all congratulations for buying an hell of a car. The Harrier is truly a Lexus NX300h barring the Toyota Badge. Even the steering wheel is so similar to the NX's which I happened to experience up-close during a recent Auto Expo in my city.

The materials, the finesse, the fitment and the the basic dashboard layout also looks so similar to the NX. Wish Toyota brings this model to India. This looks a lot better than the NX for some reason. IMO, the NX looks a bit too flashy and the Harrier looks understated.

Plus the dealership-fitted 360-degree camera looks like a factory fit. The install is just so neat. That's some exemplary work!

And not to forget, wishing you many more miles and happy miles with the Harrier.

Varun

Thanks Varun. Yes indeed the Harrier is more of a Lexus than it is a Toyota.

Originally Posted by hondaford

Hello,

I am a fellow Harrier Premium owner from Singapore.

Thanks for your detailed post. Learnt a few new things about my car.

Harrier is very popular in Singapore. In fact, after the Honda Vezel it is one of the top three car models being imported through parallel or unofficial channels. So much so that the official Toyota distributor Borneo Motors had to start importing it when they saw the demand for this car model.

While Harrier is a comfortable and reliable car, it is not a driver's car. My 10 year old Honda Stream stationwagon was a much more fun drive with its 5 speed auto gear box than the Harrier's CVT. But the Harrier is more fuel conscious averaging 13kmpl with a 2.0L engine compared to 11kmpl on the 1.8L Honda.

Harrier would do very well if it was launched in India. It surely is a more pliant ride than the Fortuner built on the HiLux truck platform. And would give Creta a good run for the money.


Best regards.

Hello fellow Harrier owner, hope you've been doing some happy miles on this brilliant car. I agree this isn't much of a fun car to drive and more of a long distance cruiser fit for expressways.

Yes I had heard that it's a very popular model in Singapore and Malaysia that the local dealers had to bring the car officially to fight back with parallel imports for market share. AFAIK the official imports are not the 2.0 naturally aspirated engine with CVT like the ones you and I have. It is the 2.0 turbo with torque converter AT box. It is indeed much much better to drive but very bad on FE.

If it came to India, I'm sure it wouldn't be placed at the Creta segment. It is more likely to give competition to the likes of the Kodiaq.

Please feel free to share pics of your ride as well.

Cheers.

[Alfresco]

Learnt a new term today, JDM, thanks to this forum.
I know that every automobile market has different requirements but, nevertheless, reading about it gives you an idea of the demands on quality in advanced markets and also how far behind we are in that department.
I read more about it on the internet and was amazed to see the fan following for JDM cars!