Wednesday, Jun 10, 2009 at 21:11
Hi Motherhen & Richard,
To clarify; we only looked at the 7.3 diesels, but the interior fit and and finish is certainly leaps and bounds behind the Toyotas. The prices I quoted were for secondhand units in
Adelaide - which may in fact, be cheaper than the Eastern states.
I just wish they stuck the 4.5L V8 diesel in the Prado!
By the way, we towed a 750kg camper around Oz in 2002 using the (then) latest model 3 Litre Hilux. Non turbo - that was introduced about 18 months after I purchased. Packed to the hilt at that!
5th gear towing is no-no. We towed from
Adelaide to
Perth and by then, I could hear a slight whine coming from the gearbox in 5th (the Hilux was 3.5 y.o. at that stage, with 66,000km on the clock). For the remainder of the trip (20,000km), we towed in 4th @ 88 km/hr. Average fuel consumption was 13.1 L/100km - according to my log book.
Not much to you I guess, other than to say, perhaps a vehicle with a bigger engine might be a better solution.
Cheers, Matt
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