Landcruiser 200 series - uncomfortable seats

Lol, good pun about either a) the size of the wallet to be purchasing a 200, or b) take it out to purchase good after market seating . . . or maybe a little of both :)

Yes details of the update model have been released for its launch in October. Same engine but now meets Euro 5 emission standards by using a DPF and new injectors. Power has increased to 200kw but peak torque remains at 650 Nm. Fuel efficiency has increased from 10.3 to 9.5 litres/100km. There are other safety and technology upgrades in the VX and Sahara models. The bug-eye headlights are gone….looks more streamlined and appealing IMHO.

Any appeal is cancelled out by the presence of a DPF.

Well the best tow rig available in Australia is the Silverado and they have a DPF so they can't be all that bad.

I know former Silverado owners who would disagree with you. They are not the "best" just because you bought one.

DPFs need particular maintenance and are very, very expensive to replace if you stuff them up. Avoid them at all costs.

The F650 is the best tow rig in Australia.....if a pi**ing contest is needed..

A DPF is a pain and adblue would be my choice if I could afford any of these new 4wds..

But, uncomfortable or not, a 200 series would be hard to go past for comfort !!

Well I should have explained myself a little better seeing some people choose to be rude and personal. When I say Silverado I am actually referring to any of the 3 big USA trucks…..Chev, Dodge Ram or F250. I could live happily with anyone of these or their derivatives. These IMHO are the best tow rigs available in Australia for safety and other reasons (e.g. not been overloaded or towing beyond limits etc).

But the point I was making is that all these vehicles have DPF now. It seems the way the modern CRD is going. Some (incl Silverado) have DPF and use AdBlue. If DPF is so problematic why is the industry going in that direction (and please don't say its to meet emission standards).

I agree with Gronk the 200 series is incredibly comfortable to drive. I am not sure if the Kinetic suspension helps or not in this regard. When I had a GXL it was an option on that model, not sure if its standard or not now but if I ever was going back to a 200 series I would get one with the Kinetic suspension (KDSS).

Have a look HERE

This is what happens with a DPF and it is a problem I am afraid with both light and heavy vehicle engines.

Our shopping trolley is a turbo diesel Kia Soul. I knew, in the back of my head, that it had a DPF but I didn't realize their role, and their pitfalls, until I educated myself about them.

The trigger was that the engine was remaining dirty black, whereas, when it was new the oil kept its honey colour.

As the article linked in the previous post from Slow one states, the worst thing you can do with a DPF is short, stop start runs. Like going to the shops and back (!).

So now I take it for a 20 minute run up and down the freeway once every fortnight and now that it's out of warranty, I do the oil changes myself and make sure I use low ash oil suitable for DPFs.

Geepeem, making sweeping statements like yours invites a swift response; it wasn't rude or personal, just well deserved.

Second para should read: engine oil.

How has this line of discussion got anything to do with the subject of this thread which is 200 series seat comfort and options.

Please go and have you pi#$ing contest elsewhere

garrycol,

The OP is test driving. He's about to make a buying decision.

It's important that he knows other info and issues.

I could have had this discussion with you and Geepeem by Member Message, but only one of us has coughed up the readies for Membership.

So having "mine is bigger than yours" type discussions about tow vehicles is helping the OP decide about seats in 200 series. I dont think so.

7 years and 280k in my Touareg with DPF....not a single issue at all.

No point complaining about it.

Brett....

From wikipedia on DPF.

DPF description and servicing

I suspect removal of the DPF will be the second thing most people do after blanking the EGR.

Thanks Slow one for the link. You are the first to add some substance to the discussions rather than broad meaningless statements like "any appeal is cancelled out by the presence of a DPF". Why is it cancelled out???? This forum is supposed to be a place for sharing information (facts). You set the bar for making the first sweeping statement Gonebush! That statement added nothing to anyone's knowledge.

We have had a diesel Audi as our town car for over 10 years (early 2005 model). It has done 95% of its kms on short trips. It has a DPF. We have never had any problems with the DPF. I believe you need to service and use the car according to manufacturer' specs…..use a low ash oil (less than 0.99%), use low sulphur fuel, avoid idling vehicle for extended times, avoid short trips, regularly go for high speed freeway trips. If you comply with these conditions I believe the DPF will not be an issue and would not prevent me from buying the new 200series.

I will not be making any further comment on this post.

Then you'll know what uncomfortable really feels like .....;)))))))

Cheers

Anthony

And seats are optional in Landrovers! ;)) Michael

Yes Axel, you are correct.

Walking is good for the back.

The seats in a D4 Discovery are super comfortable, those earlier comments must be referring to Defender seats maybe? Anyway, walking is bad advice if you are remote... if the car fails to proceed you should stay with it, just lie back in those comfortable recliners with the excellent sound system playing soothing music. If you are in the Toyota then sit on a rock next to it....

LOL good comeback Michael.

Perhaps everyone could share the same rock, since the Toyota is uncomfortable and the Land Rover's electrics are probably the failure, so no reclining seat, no music.

Of course the owner of the new Patrol wouldn't even make it to the rock. Ran out of fuel hundreds of km back.

Obviously some of you have chosen not to sit in Disco D4. I had a 200 for a week before choosing the D4 (and I really wanted to like the 200).

Seats are a world ahead it comfort full stop.

Just did the CSR. We had my good mates 200 GXL along. He did not know how to drive her over the dunes, so I spent some time inside the 200 (better than using the maxtrax every dune). Once we worked out to turn the CDL on and traction control off, he was all good. Problem was he brother did not want to get back into the cruiser....and he is a diehard 100 series owner.

Too little leg room, and seats that are simply not designed to eat up the miles.

Sahara seat much better but still legroom poor.

Brett....

Perhaps that is right Brett.

But I can tell you that my mate who has a Disco 4 flew to Cairns to drive back to Melbourne with me, he said he would trade cars in a heartbeat. he could not believe the power, or the long distance comfort. Mine isn't a GXL admittedly though.

Oh for an edit button

"200 GX"

Thanks for that- might be the best solution.

DITTO to that I have the same set up as COOKIE 1 and model just came home after 14,500 ks no aches or pains.
Not a problem of any sort towing a 21ft van averaging 18.5 k/100 it is a GREAT vehicle.
Cheers

Yes, I have a back problem, and the seats gave me a lot of pain within a very short time, so will have to keep looking.

I likewise have the 2011 Altitude model. I have found that unless the seats are carefully adjusted they can be quite uncomfortable. The key adjustment for me is the one that raises/lowers the horizontal seat angle. If the adjustment is such that the front of the seat is high it is uncomfortable. In general I would rate the Toyota seats as "good" provided you get the adjustment correct. I have spoken to people who have replaced their 200 Series seats with Ricaro's and are very impressed with the resulting improvement.
Robert

Does Recaro do side airbag seats ??

If they don't, then their business is going to slowly fade away..

Yes they do
http://www.idealseat.com.au/html/03_ergonomics/ergo_es.html

Thank you for that suggestion- sounds like Recaros might be the way to go if if all else fails!

Mate, you have to be careful. A few years ago I got blood clots from long driving stints in one of my cars, totally out of the blue but very dangerous. Cheers.

Yes, very similar problems to mine . Thank you for your advice & suggestions .

If you want a decent tow vehicle with a brilliant driver seat and position get a Wildtrak Ranger PX....