Patrol v's Prado 2004, Top of the range
Submitted: Sunday, Jan 20, 2008 at 16:56
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wheelinchek
Hi, I posted a while back about some info on purchasing a 4wd.. I have since priced and completed some comparisons.. Interestingly Toyota's tend to be that little more expensive than the rest..I am very lucky at present I am in a position where by i can purchase either a 2004 Proado Grande or 2004(early) Nissan Patrol Ti.. for about the same price.(just under $40k) Both are petrol, not my first choice, but on the table. I dont aim to do any heavy load towing, so not sure the diesel is of a real concern. Both cars are between 80-95k on the clock. The prado is setup with a set of coopers, bull bar,
uhf radio,dual batteries, niether have been off road. To me the Toyota tends to hold its price a little better. The nissan has had a petrol pressure pump issue and this is being replaced, very rare as the servicer says which stops the car in its tracks, (possible risk) But now what is the best vehicle for outback travelling, beach and sand driving... I know people prefer a certain model toyota / nissan, more interested if anyone knows of any specific items that are a potential in these types of cars for travelling the distances... resale value, daily driving. Cheers
Reply By: stefan P (Penrith NSW) - Sunday, Jan 20, 2008 at 20:46
Sunday, Jan 20, 2008 at 20:46
"The prado is setup with a set of coopers, bull bar,
uhf radio,dual batteries, niether have been off road" yeah right
I lot of gear just to make it to the shops!!!!
Cheers Stefan
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Reply By: Stephen M (NSW) - Sunday, Jan 20, 2008 at 21:58
Sunday, Jan 20, 2008 at 21:58
Either one. The patrols are alot thirstier then the prado's. The prado is probably better for running around town. The patrol is more robust. The prado will have better resale. Really depends on what you feel comfortable driving around in. How much time off road and how much time running around town ?? For 40k you could buy a second hand GXL D4D prado and have great fuel economy as
well. If your worried about reliability issues with the petrol patrol why not a 4.2TD patrol. I presume your going auto by the sounds of it (TI) which isnt available in a patrol unless its 4.5/4.8 petrol or 3Litre t'd. Auto/manual
well I loved the old manual lux was brilliant in low range first compared to the petrol prado's auto, no where near it, but love the auto for the sand over the hilux. Ups and down either way you look at it. I'm aToyota person but would have either parked in my driveway.
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Reply By: Member - Cocka - Sunday, Jan 20, 2008 at 22:13
Sunday, Jan 20, 2008 at 22:13
Get out the big map of Oz and have a real good look at all the
places you would to go to. If your going to be off road with a possibility of being adventurous don't worry so much about the creature comforts, think about the strength of the vehicle and it's ability to do the task for which it is built.
You want the vehicle that's going to get back with you in it.
Time now to get onto your back and get underneath the vehicles, have a real good look around and you'll soon see if they have been off-road.
Whilst underneath
check the
suspension type, shocks, clearance and apparent strength of what you can see.
If it's built like a truck there's a good chance it'll serve you
well for many years.
Use the vehicle for which it was intended, have fun and don't worry about the resale too much. Consider it an investment in good times.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: wheelinchek - Sunday, Jan 20, 2008 at 22:30
Sunday, Jan 20, 2008 at 22:30
Hey thanks for the replies. The Patrol is from a friend of a friend, not much hard work on this car. The Prado is from a dealer, and this we did climb underneather, if it being hard off road it dont show, not even a scratch on under alloy front bumper.. it does look good rides great, but am always that little dubious from a dealer. I have done some of the internet searchin aint found one report of the issue it has...but I aint no expert. Patrol is a truck..
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Reply By: Member - Barnesy (SA) - Sunday, Jan 20, 2008 at 23:52
Sunday, Jan 20, 2008 at 23:52
You haven't stated exactly what you want a 4wd for! Only that you won't do heavy towing. You need to decide exactly what you want to do with it.
If you want to merely drive it around town and do the occasional camping trip on dirt, then the prado would suffice.
If you are getting serious and plan on doing a lot of hard or low range off roading then the Patrol would be tougher.
Both petrols will be thirsty and with good turbo diesels available in both vehicles I honestly don't see why people buy petrols.
Barnesy
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Follow Up By: Member - Richard K (NSW) - Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 09:36
Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 09:36
Occasional dirt road camping? Prado is capable of waaaaay more than this...
See my post below!
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Reply By: Alfantz - Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 08:38
Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 08:38
Having owned both vehicles in the Auto Diesel variant I'd go along with what Barnsey has said. The Prado is much better around town and nicer interior but I was pushing it too hard as a 4wd and things were starting to break. The Patrol is much more robust. Not as nice as a daily driver and storage space in the cabin is not as
well set out. Either way you go I would look seriously at the diesel option. Things to be aware of with the Prado diesel is that the handbook states an oil change is required every 5 000 kms. I havn't driven the 4l petrol in the prado but I have heard that it is the pick of the bunch. In terms of total cost of ownership it used to be on par with the diesel, but with recent increases in fuel prices not sure what the status is.
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Reply By: Member - Richard K (NSW) - Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 09:08
Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 09:08
Hmmm... I know that the Prado isn't ultimately as tough or as go-anywhere as the Patrol, but come on, everyone seems to be saying it's only capable of driving to the shops!!! We have owned a Prado (2002 TD Auto) since 2003 and still can't believe how versatile it is. Yes it can drive to the shops...it can also do long distance highway trips effortlessly... it can handle dirt roads all day long... it eats up fire trails for breakfast...it can crawl up and down low-range hills without fuss, whether they be rocky, slippery, washed out etc.. I've taken it on club trips where the Patrols and Landcruisers in front of me have radio'd at the start of a steep muddy climb to say "let me know when you get stuck and I'll come back down and snatch/tow you up" and then they see the Prado stay on their tail all the way to the top... this is all without difflocks or muddies, can't wait till the minister for finance allows me to
shell for these - I reckon it'll be a weapon then.
If I was going to be hurling my 4WD at giant
rock steps etc, yes I'd be wanting to be in something as tough as a Patrol or 75 series, but for the level of offroading that we do, I'm proud as punch with our Prado.. Anyone who says its only good for going to the shops needs to take their blinkers off (no offence meant)
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Follow Up By: Geoff M (QLD) - Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 11:33
Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 11:33
Well said Richard ..... couldn't agree more.
Having never owned a Patrol I can't comment on them, but we've done our fair share of Outback/
Cape York travel in our petrol Prado and couldn't be happier.
I usually find that the people make the "shopping trolley" comment have no first hand experience ..... they're just go along with what they've "heard" or what they "perceive". Neither which are true.
Cheers ..... Geoff
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Follow Up By: Member - Barnesy (SA) - Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 12:55
Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 12:55
Yes, of course the Prado is capable. I didn't make my point very
well. I was trying to highlight the difference in off road performance. Something that Richard K has done better. I have seen Prados with lifts, muddies and lockers get to some hard to reach
places. BUT stock standard Patrols get there easier.
These prado's were actually better on sand than my GQ because of speed. A Prado Rio Grande? Patrol Ti? These are luxury 4wds and are unlikely to be driven hard off road by many people.
Barnesy
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Follow Up By: Member - Richard K (NSW) - Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 12:57
Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 12:57
And
well said Jeff!
I think the original TV adverts years ago for the Prado showing the stereotyped school Mum driving thru the city streets didn't help..
So far the only thing thats stopped my Prado offroad has been when I've run out of balls and I've chickened out..the Prado has way more ability than I think I'll ever be able to use.
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Follow Up By: Member - Richard K (NSW) - Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 13:11
Monday, Jan 21, 2008 at 13:11
Barnsey - Thanks for the exta clarification to your post. I think because the Patrol is a tougher rig (no arguments there) that drivers are more confident to really throw them at a tough rocky climb for instance? The Prado has very good ground clearance, approach, departure and ramp angles, good engines and lo-range gearing, pretty damn good articulation (for ifs) so there isn't much to stop it..I think a modified Prado vs a standard Patrol wouldn't always be a clear cut win to the Patrol but now we are really getting down to fine hairs... perhaps a good driver in a Prado will get thru tougher trails than a novice like me in a Patrol?
Cheers and beers
Rich
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Follow Up By: Member - Ivan (ACT) - Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 at 07:24
Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 at 07:24
Prado's WERE marketed as mum's shopping trolley - but it's the best thing that they have going for them as far as buying one.. There are stacks of them, they are relatively cheap, and most of them have low k's and definitely never been off road.
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Follow Up By: Alfantz - Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 at 08:30
Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 at 08:30
I have also been in your situation of being able to go where the Patrols and Landcruisers can't whilst in my Prado. And here is the big but.....The Prado cannot continue to do this over a long period of time because it is just not as tough. I loved my Prado but I also subjected it to 3 years of off road abuse and it couldn't take it any more. For most people the Prado is the way to go for its versatility, but I am usually doing at least one trip a month on some fairly serious tracks. This is where you have to think about how you are going to use the vehicle.
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Follow Up By: Member - Barnesy (SA) - Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 at 09:15
Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 at 09:15
I'm curious Alfantz, where did your Prado start having problems with heavy use? Was it with the IFS or somewhere else?
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Follow Up By: Alfantz - Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 at 09:12
Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 at 09:12
Hi Barnsey,
The swaybar bracket mount had broken on the weld to the chassis and the front diff broke. There were other issues where sticks had got caught in the drive shaft on a few occasions and also a stick managed to find its way up into the auto selector.
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Reply By: Robin Miller - Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 at 12:56
Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 at 12:56
Hi Wheelinchek
For your stated use the Patrol 4800 TI auto is the best choice.
A new Prado (diesel) is on my list for possible replacement of my manual Patrol 4800 , but the main reason for that will be lower fuel costs combined with range , as while the Patrol could be cheaper if on gas its range becomes limited.
So like all these things you need to examine your underlying reasons for the new vehicle.
Those Patrols still match even the new 200 series cruiser petrol V8's and even outperform them in some aspects and have a massively less complex control system to boot so with the exception of fuel use they are still near impossible to beat with an off the shelf product.
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Reply By: Member - John (Vic) - Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 at 13:05
Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008 at 13:05
Do a archive search on Prado Grande and have a good read about the rear air bag
suspension.
The Playdoe is a very good off road vehicle, but not the Grande in my view.
The air bag
suspension as fitted to this vehicle is a very poor off road performer from a reliability point of view.
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