Overlander Disco Vs Prado

[RichardK]

I assume some of you have read the report in August Overlander on the Prado/Disco comparison.

The conclusion was thumbs up for the Disco as being better both on and off road, in fact there in an interesting piece about being "stuck" in a culvert, and when they attempted to get the Prado out they achieved it after two attempts......the Disco did it first time.

Their only concern was the V6 Petrol motor which they believed was not as good as the Prados'

Their end result was that the Disco is a better buy than the Prado.

[rangieman]

of course what did you expect ! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif

[VladTepes]

yeah that's hardly a surprise. It's just like a newspaper headline saying:

Scientific Tests Prove
Better to Breathe Air than Water :!:

[Phoenix]

It was a good article, and I love the disco in that blue 8)

[disco95]

Was it the same blue Disco as the one shown in the September issue? Because that one was coil sprung. It would be good to see the base D3 beating Toymotors products. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[rmp]

Have to agree with that, the D3 is quite an amazing vehicle. It's better than some softroaders on-road and on dirt roads, and is up there with the best offroad. Plus it's a great 7-seater. It has the smoothest 6-speed gearbox you could imagine and is incredibly quiet. Absolutely the best 4WD on the market that I've driven. The Prado is nowhere near as composed onroad but comes close offroad.

However...value for money. $83k for the TDV6 SE is too much. That's $13k more than the LC100 GXL. LR can afford to charge a premium for the D3, but not that much.

The D3 is also an LC100/Patrol competitor now, it's certainly big enough inside.

[Ace]

Land Rover has made two mistakes with the D3, that piece of **** petrol 6, its nearly as thirsty as the 8, and the ****y fuel tank, every magazine has comented on the tiny size, it is about half what it needs to be. But it was good to see the Disco come up trumps, but did we really expect anything else? matt

[Captain_Rightfoot]

As you have all read elsewhere, a Prado on our trip broke it's diff (doing exactly what we were doing). Toyota sent them a nice letter saying they wouldn't cover the damage as it was not being used for it's intended purpose.

So, they are saying a Prado's purpose is driving to the shops and to pick up the kids. If that is what Toyota reckon, isn't that the end of the story then? It's not an off road vehicle 8O

[matbor]

Originally posted by Captain_Rightfoot
As you have all read elsewhere, a Prado on our trip broke it's diff (doing exactly what we were doing). Toyota sent them a nice letter saying they wouldn't cover the damage as it was not being used for it's intended purpose.

So, they are saying a Prado's purpose is driving to the shops and to pick up the kids. If that is what Toyota reckon, isn't that the end of the story then? It's not an off road vehicle 8O

Funny they say that, they should sue for false advertising then !!!

Have a look at there website : http://prado.toyota.com.au/toyota/vehicle/...725_582,00.html (http://prado.toyota.com.au/toyota/vehicle/Gallery/0,4667,1725_582,00.html) Only 2 or 3 photos out of the 9 are on road !!!!

I suppose it depends exactly what they where doing though style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

Matt.

[RichardK]

I can't help but comment that the background in all those Toyota pictures appears to be computer generated :!:

[matbor]

Originally posted by RichardK
I can't help but comment that the background in all those Toyota pictures appears to be computer generated :!:

I would think it would still be considered false advertising though !!

[Ace]

It shouldnt matter, if the vehicle isnt modified or being driven illegally they should honour the warranty. Matt

[matbor]

Didn't you read the fine print....

[Ace]

Originally posted by matbor
Didn't you read the fine print....

Oops, i forgot Toyota have alot of that. Matt

[DiscoTDI]

Take a copy of an add with a Prado off road, and then sue them for false advertising, many a WRX driver did that when they drove their vehicles like the adds and needed *warranty* work style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[Captain_Rightfoot]

Originally posted by DiscoTDI
Take a copy of an add with a Prado off road, and then sue them for false advertising, many a WRX driver did that when they drove their vehicles like the adds and needed *warranty* work style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif
I think that is one of the angles they will be taking at small claims 8O :?

[DiscoTDI]

It works, the best thing would to be not buying a playdo in the first place style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[Ace]

Originally posted by DiscoTDI
It works, the best thing would to be not buying a playdo in the first place style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

Second that one. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif

[rmp]

Prados are fine vehicles. They just don't seem to be strongly built. I've even got a video of one blowing a CV and diff while trying a simple hill.

Also, they are fine, but it beats me how Toyota manage to engineer every last skerrick of inviduality from their vehicles.

I'm not wild about the handling of the Prado either, it's hardly a driver's car.

[disco95]

I agree with your comment there RMP, there is no character to a toyota.

[VladTepes]

Originally posted by RichardK
I can't help but comment that the background in all those Toyota pictures appears to be computer generated :!:

http://prado.toyota.com.au/TWR/content/static/8306.jpg

There's something wrong here.

Look at where the water is disturbed and how far IN FRONT of teh front wheels it begins. 8O :?:

Also I think the car in this shot is actually sitting still - how most Prados spend their life off-road :!: style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[Bushie]

Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but a number of years ago I was involved in the making of Prado adds, You may remember the ones where the Prado was being driven around the city and all the streets were red mud!

Anyway as you would realise most of that was computer gerearated but the mud was in an old quarry not far from where I live (now NatPark). Another part of the commercial was the Prado driving through water.

The water was supplied by the local RFS and pumped over the rocks all around the Prado, at the time we said it would have been easier to drive the thing 5m down stream and into the actual river flow - maybe 300mm deep. The Toyota rep on scene wouldn't allow this as they didn't want to give the impression the Prado could drive in DEEP water.

The picture of the Prado crossing the river with the trailer is definately suss as well.

Bushie

[p38arover]

I note there's a lot of splash in front of the trailer wheels (NOT).

Ron

[rmp]

Yep, that picture is faked, and poorly so. Pure laziness of the part of Toyota, given their budget it shouldn't be so hard to find a place to get a few decent shots. There are any number of pro photogs who could do it.

[Ace]

Originally posted by VladTepes+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VladTepes)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-RichardK
I can't help but comment that the background in all those Toyota pictures appears to be computer generated :!:

http://prado.toyota.com.au/TWR/content/static/8306.jpg

There's something wrong here.

Look at where the water is disturbed and how far IN FRONT of teh front wheels it begins. 8O :?:

Also I think the car in this shot is actually sitting still - how most Prados spend their life off-road :!: style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/b][/quote]

It definitely isnt moving, water movement around the wheels of the car is not real, look at the water around the wheels of the trailer, no movement what so ever, the water is flowing through the holes in the rims.

Regarding prados being weak, there is a guy in my local club who is madly in love with his. At a meeting a couple of months ago we were discussing the track up Mt Airley, about 30km from my place, the owner of the property you drive through said the track had just been graded and that he can take his old subaru wagon up to the top but not all the way along the track. He then said that he is recomending people with prados dont go up there because 4 out of the last 5, or something like that, had gone up there and had broken drive train components. The club member stood up and said he took exception to that comment saying it wasnt factual, and then proceeded to tell me that I should cut my land rover in half instead of cutting the club sticker in half to fit on my windscreen. I dont think he liked his precious Playdo being bagged out. Matt style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[p38arover]

Originally posted by Ace
look at the water around the wheels of the trailer, no movement what so ever, the water is flowing through the holes in the rims.

Well spotted, Ace!

Ron

[RichardK]

I guess, technically, it could be construed as fraud