Comparison of 150 series Prado or hilux with a 90 series diesel prado

If you are looking at comfort and 4WD ability I just purchased the Ford Everest Ambiente. $49900 plus on road and it will tow 3T and has power to match plus highway and offroad comfort. Available in 5 seat also.

I have just come back from a trip on the dust and gravel and noticed a lot more dual cab utes than before.

Mainly Toyota, Fords and some Mazdas, I have read that Tritons don't handle the dips as well as others.

Outback still heaps of Prados, I suspect the big fuel tanks are one of the reasons, lots of Land Cruisers being driven by locals.

On the Caravan forums the utes do get good reports and people do seem quite comfortable in them. You will find dedicated threads for most car brands and they discuss comfort (for the wife) and reliability (for you)

The current 2.8 Prado is having teething problems with the new model, DPF on the first one is reported as a bit of a nuisance but it has been mentioned that the new model will have a manual DPF burn button.

A DPF burn when on a grass track can be a fire risk so hopefully they do put it in.

I know a guy with and Isuzu MUX who tows and he likes it.

I can only talk about the Prado 150. We had one until May this year. We had it from 2010. It was a fantastic vehicle; never gave us any grief, It was used to tow our van and camper. Towing the van the fuel consumption fell more than when we towed the camper, a Vista. The fuel tank capacity was a bonus.

We used it extensively for 4WD trips, It did the Anne Beadell twice, The Hay River, Binns Track, The Victorian High Country, Oodnadatta, Birdsville, Flinders and several others. It never missed a beat and was an excellent 4WD vehicle. We did upgrade the suspension. It was automatic and the gear changing for 4WD was a breeze.

It was also a comfortable touring vehicle.

We now have a 200 Series as we have a larger and heavier van.

Di

I moved from an older ute (previous generation Ranger) to a 2013 Prado a year ago and there is no comparison comfort wise.

Newer utes are no doubt better but the newer wagons will be too.

I don't think there is any question a Prado is as capable in the rough as anything. Not sure about towing capacities but the 150l fuel tank is a bonus, particularly when off the beaten track.

I understand budget may be a consideration but remember a wagon comes with some things that are an extra cost on a ute, like a dust free storage area behind the seats for starters. For me that has been just about the best thing

Remember the old saying: happy wife, happy life.

God luck with whatever you choose.

The Prado or Hilux would be fantastic, Dmax are a good ute too. You should also consider the Toyota Forerunner which is a Hilux Wagon basically or the Isuzu MU-X. Basically all of these vehicles would be very reliable with the wagon versions being more comfortable. I really think the choice is yours the Prado would be the most comfortable and spacious

agree with Mark c .Go for a wagon , just as good off road or better than a twincab .
I have a Pajero 2012 and love it .

Cheers

Might sound crazy but how tall are you ?

I am a larger type shape size (read over 6 foot tall) and high side of the 100kg mark. often referred to cross between giraffe beached whale and gorilla -leave gorilla bit to ones imagination

Few weeks ago I assisted with moving some ex lease back to dealer for service then sold at auction house.

I drove a manual 150 prado and had no leg room between legs and steering wheel, I honestly though it wheel was at the low position and would raise up abit -nope went lower.

Hilux - yet again manual despite a more F1 well back stance I had movement for legs when changing gears (ended up double clutching all gears) add bit more realistic head room

If I ever had to replace my current 120 prado I wouldn't consider 150 series on leg room alone, felt very awkward to drive - being manual probably didn't assist but they were my immediate assessment.

Toyota have done themselves a discredit by limiting the fuel capacity to only 150 litres in 150 series.

The 120 prado has a decent in theory 180l - I often put in 155-160 when the warning light comes on, est of 20l circulating between two tanks engine,

even the new troopie also only has one tank and around the 130l capacity which is very light on considering fuel consumption rate and distances between fuel stops I'd prefer if they had it around the 180-200 l capacity

Thankfully none of them are running adblue tanks yet another supply issue out bush apart from major towns

If you are planning to tow, or upgrade a van in the future, take great care with your allowable towing capacity. The dual cabs are renowned for the pitfall where you can only tow the max capacity if you considerably reduce your car's payload. the car's GVM + towing capacity does NOT equal the GCM in all vehicles.

Take a ride in a Hi-Lux before you decide. No comparison in ride comfort to any Prado and I doubt your wife would be happy in one. As for a dis-service with 'only' 150 litres, yes it is less than the 120 series but still miles ahead of the rest of the pack which are typically about 80 litres.
No longer have my 120 series but they were a terrific vehicle, good in town, excellent turning circle and streets ahead of any of the ute variants.
Good luck.
Ken

Thanks all for the comments. Some more pondering to do before making a decision. One thing I will need to check is whether the drawer unit I have in the 90 series can be transplanted into a 150 series.

One thing to consider when comparing any station waggon to any utility is the suspension.

The stationwagon is a pasenger car and as such will be softly suspended for its weight, where a utility will be stiffly suspended for its weight.

Now this has pro's and cons.

the softer suspended vehicle will be more comfortable and will have better wheel articulation.
Where the stiffer suspended vehicle will carry more payload and be a more stable towing platform.

On the matter of payload ..... remember your ball weight has to be deducted from your available payload ..... AND pretty much all of the station waggons have poor payloads to start with ..... so put 4 x 90 KG adults and 20KG bag in one and you have enough payload left for a couple of slabs of beer (If ya lucky)...... that is before you fit any accessories or hitch up a trailer.

most of the single cab utes you have 1 tonne in the tray plus 2 pasengers .... you can put half a tonne of gear inn the tray, 200kg ball load and still have plenty of payload to spare with 2 on board.

All bets are off if it's a dual cab

As for dual cabs ..... all of them are after thaughs, none of them are built on chassis specifically designed for the purpose.
The weight distribution is poor.
the rear seats are uncomfortable in many ways
AND
the trays are so small ya cant even put a long handled shovel in them without it being diagonal

worth thinking about
do the maths ..... and not just the easy stuff

cheers