What happened to your D3/D4 today?

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Originally Posted by RANDLOVER

I saw a on/off road test of the new Lexus Prado, impressive with very little wheel spin even in the air over dirt moguls, but no diesel available here yet.

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I used to think the new Defender was a face only a mother could love, but compared to the new Prado I reckon it's almost Italian in its beauty.

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Originally Posted by BradC

I used to think the new Defender was a face only a mother could love, but compared to the new Prado I reckon it's almost Italian in its beauty.

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Looks are subjective…..[smilebigeye]
Some Prados look horrific but others,they must be another model,with dark wheels are not too bad.

Defender with steel white wheels,are not that pleasing to the eye,but some other models look fantastic,and they have a great range of colours.


The problem with the Defender is the lack of room particularly in the rear load space area with the second row of seats up.The rear door set up is also not very well thought out.The internal sides of the rear load space area substantially curve at the bottom which would be a pain as well.

We looked at them extensively when we were moving on from the D4.


The Prado has the same issue,limited room,with the 7 seat models but the 5 seat models have buckets of room.
Probably nearly as much as the LC300.

I don't mind the looks of the new Prado and Cruiser, at least they look square and boxy the way a 4wd should, like a Discovery except for the latest iteration.

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Originally Posted by BradC

I used to think the new Defender was a face only a mother could love, but compared to the new Prado I reckon it's almost Italian in its beauty.

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It really is a work of art some great details.

I have to say I like the new Prado much better. It has taken the square lines of the Disco in many aspects. A friend has one but loaded to gills with tech.

PS I tried your access method for the washer and it worked well 5 minutes. The new Eurospare pump doesn’t have the power of the previous.

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Originally Posted by BradC

I used to think the new Defender was a face only a mother could love..

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It reminds me of a certain droopy-eyed dog.

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Originally Posted by scarry

Looks are subjective....


The problem with the Defender is the lack of room particularly in the rear load space area with the second row of seats up.The rear door set up is also not very well thought out.The internal sides of the rear load space area substantially curve at the bottom which would be a pain as well.
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JLR seem to agree as they brought out the 130, which is not 130 inches in the wheel base, as they extended the body behind the rear wheels, similar to what they did going from D1 to D2.

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Originally Posted by RHS58

Tried hard to want a new Defender, got very close, but the kicker was it wasn’t going to be the tow vehicle I would be confident in, and my LR mechanic didn’t show much enthusiasm.

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Much the same, I love the idea of one, but the price, plus the various practical elements of the D4 that I lose (flat floor, split tailgate, etc) mean i just keep fixing the old girl. Young kids also helps the argument - I'm less precious about a stray maccas chip, a leaky water bottle or a sandy bum in my D4

However when a mechanic doesn't show much interest in a car, i read that as a positive - means they don't get to do much with them, right? :)

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Originally Posted by veebs

Much the same, I love the idea of one, but the price, plus the various practical elements of the D4 that I lose (flat floor, split tailgate, etc) mean i just keep fixing the old girl. Young kids also helps the argument - I'm less precious about a stray maccas chip, a leaky water bottle or a sandy bum in my D4

However when a mechanic doesn't show much interest in a car, i read that as a positive - means they don't get to do much with them, right? :)

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Yeah another great point. The anger I get from having a new car and the scratches, the kids carelessness etc. Having the worn out girl has some plus sides

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Originally Posted by PerthDisco

The new Eurospare pump doesn’t have the power of the previous.

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Thats a shame. My $20 Allmakes one is like a firehose.

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Originally Posted by scarry

What new vehicle is worth the money you pay for them?

None that i can think of except maybe something Chinese if you want a gamble...[smilebigeye]

Even a Hi Ace van is $56K,SR 2WD D/C Hilux,$59K,just rediculous.

FWIW,drove a mates 300GR S last weekend.

Sure it goes like a shower of ****,but is much more cramped inside than the 200,particularly when sitting in the front seat.The engine and gearbox combination is super smooth,probably smoother than any vehicle i have ever driven,particularly a diesel.

For the money,not really worth the upgrade ATM.
i would go the VX anyway,much easier to sort out a GVM upgrade,than the GR.

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You are absolutely correct. How do you judge "value for money" these days!

BTW, his wife uses the word "truck" for any 4WD, so no intentions of belittling their LC200 in that respect.

Due to the haste these days of getting a new model out into the market in order to offset development costs, we are seeing more and more vehicles have stupid little problems which, given the vast advances in modern technology shouldn't really be the case.

I think if you buy a new vehicle, expect to have some sort of a problem with it.
On FB sites I see all the Chinese 4WD's, new Rangers, Isuzu's, etc all having some sort of "issue".

FWIW I'd take an LC200 over a 300 from what I've seen.