Impressive off-road and on
TENSE: CLIMBING BREEDTSNEK, THE DRIVER WAS MORE STRESSED THAN THE VEHICLE
The Prado VX-L is serenely comfortable and near silent at highway speeds.
Here’s a motoring trivia question very few of you will come close to getting correct: How many printed pages of material are there in the owners’ handbook wallet in a 2018 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado VX-L?
While you ponder that, let me be the first to admit that cars are getting more complex as electronic systems, aimed at improving efficiency and comfort, proliferate. And that the legendary Prado (baby sibling – if you can call it that – of the more legendary full-size Land Cruiser) is an expedition-type vehicle, not some Sandton mom’s taxi. So it needs some complex off-road hardware.
Give up on the question? Ok, let me put you out of your misery. There are 1 467 pages in the various booklets in the wallet in the Prado’s large glovebox (it has to be, to accommodate a tome which makes War and
Peace look like light reading). The main owners’ handbook is 894 pages. The instructions on the satellite navigation systems take up another 360 pages, while the off-road supplement totals 180. Finally, the maintenance and warranty booklet is an anorexic 33 pages.
The detail in the documents is testament to two things: the thoroughness of Toyota and the amazing range of capabilities of the Prado. After a week with the vehicle – and after going through the off-road tech supplement – I came away more than impressed.
The Prado’s crowning achievement was to clamber up Breedtsnek, somewhere between Magaliesburg and Rustenburg, as it if were nothing. Let me explain about Breedtsnek. In the 1990s, we used to drive up it easily in our VW Jettas. It has had no maintenance for the past 15 years I would guess and now requires a 4x4 to negotiate. Recently, my brother-in-law took his Nissan X-Trail up it and whacked the underside on many occasions because of the boulders and dongas which now constitute this “road”.
I was worried even with the Prado’s off-road armament. Firstly, I was by myself, which meant I had no-one to act as “spotter” negotiating the trickier bits. (Any off-road expert will tell you that a good “spotter” is one of the best pieces of off-road equipment.)
Fortunately, the Prado’s electronic systems – which offer five preset modes – take much of the guess work out of off-roading. You can also lock the centre and rear diffs for extra, equalised traction. At one stage, I did lock the centre diff because, even in the appropriate mode, there was a time when the Prado scrabbled for grip.
It helped immensely that the VX-L comes with air suspension and the ride height can be jacked up higher than many off-roaders.
In the end, the driver was much more stressed than the car was, although, to be fair, I am a very cautious off-roader.
What did surprise me – because I expected the Prado to conquer the wilds with ease – was how pleasant the big Toyota was on road. With the suspension set in “comfort” mode, it wafted along, although not at a hysterically fast pace because the 3l four-cylinder, 120kW turbodiesel motor’s all about torque and relaxed performance delivery. Nevertheless, it was well able to cruise, serenely comfortable and near silent at highway speeds.
On my 250km route to and from Breedtsnek, the Prado returned just over 8l per 100km, remarkable consumption considering it took the best part of 45 min to negotiate the worst 10km of the pass.
Staring at the Prado crouching under my carport (it’s too big for the garage) I was struck by a number of things. First, its size. It takes seven if you want it to and, if you don’t, five passengers and a lot of kit (helped by the fact the spare wheel goes on the back door).
Second, it has a curious mix of muscle and elegance and, it looks capable.
Finally, I contemplated the price, which for this version is R980 000. That’s a lot of money but there is a lot of vehicle. And you will be probably able to pass on the bragging rights about the handbook to your grandchildren because the Prado will be around a long
time.