Tow vehicles

Hi Carl,

Not necessarily an accurate assumption though.

Maybe there was a Toyota Club gathering there:-)

Humans tend to operate in a herd fashion Carl , its often comfortable to do what others are doing , even when the logic shows otherwise.

But not all do , over the weekend I got to put a Mercedes ML320 thru its paces including finding its 4wd limits.

A friend , who hasn't done anything more remote than the Hay River track , made his own assessment of all the available tow cars that could handle 3500kg with some 4wd ability and he came up with that.

Wouldn't be my choice because we have different values , but its a hell of a good car with more than 500nm of V6 diesel , drinks little, built very strongly , excellent traction control , and its the quietest diesel I have have heard with seriously low NVH.

The only issue I could find is the indicator lever is on the wrong side

It is not all simple herd mentality or snobbery. Many years ago Toyota put a huge effort into breaking into the markets created by mining and other rural industries. It was a great strategy and it paid off well for them. Landrover, once the standard, virtually disappeared and now mining and agricultural companies run fleets of Toyotas. This means that Toyota also made a concerted effort to establish an Australia wide network of Toyota Dealers and qualified Service Centres. This network makes a Toyota an attractive proposition to people touring with caravans. The lack of service centres and the requirements for special tools etc still counts against many brands for Outback touring - however good the vehicle. Lynne

Hi

"VW 1, Pajero 3, Ford 4, Nissan 6, GM 3, Toyota 20, Mazda 2, Landrover 2. San Yong 1. "

This limited sample shows what I found out a few years ago when I added up the different makes used by Exploroz members (there was a list available somewhere). Toyotas are indeed the most popular single brand by a fair margin (people have different opinions on why – one real reason maybe because they are good)….BUT most people (i.e. over 50%) drive something else.

Cheers
Greg

Carl, I see this sort of thing once a week, Toyota's everywhere. Camp sites, caravan parks, off the beaten track, it goes on and on and on. I would advise people not to buy Toyota because otherwise how would they look different? Toyota's are boring, they always get from A to B and never seem to break down. Toyota's seem to get the job done without a fuss, and we need fuss don't we? And off course people buy Toyota's because they are like sheep, they just follow the leader. Why can't people start buying other brands, this phenomenon has me beat, perhaps it's like, "Oh just a feeling.."

This subject would be good to listen to in real time. Carl I like your pictures with the lines. Oh by the way we are on our 6th Toyota's with three of them still in the back yard ones to tow the van the 80 use to tow the camper and now has the rear seats back in as a people mover and the ute does ute things. Onto our third Jayco. Camper then pop top now full van. Find a brand that ticks most of the boxes and stick to them.
Sharon

I was always a Nissan man, and don't like to follow the crowd.

But in the end I bought a Toyota and found out that they are simply a better vehicle.

Boring but better.

Regards

Toyota has a good reputation worldwide, although there's been a few hiccups in recent times, and there are obviously many advantages to having a vehicle lots of others have - plenty of advice and experiences from other owners, lots of modification and setup ideas, ready access to spares (including 2nd hand spares), a wealth of after-market accessories/mods, and of course plenty of servicing options and a fair smattering of mechanical and electrical expertise. A smart and practical choice. My drive is a Jackaroo.

Back in the early 80's (year not the Toyota...lol) a mate of mine was in the market for a new ute. He took his sons HZJ75 down to the local Nissan dealer and parked it side by side with a Patrol ute and did a bit of a comparison.
Both 1 tonners, both 4.2 diesels. both 5 speed manuals both 2 1/2 seaters, I could go on but I'm sure you get the idea.

Toyota about $50,000 on road new
Nissan Patrol $40,000 on road new

He bought the Nissan and had a bloody good run out of it in all areas except a Toyota could hose him off convincingly however that wasn't a big concern as he bought it for work/leisure not drag racing.

The 6 cylinder petrol or diesel NA or turbo were both great vehicles. I wouldn't have the new 3.0 lt Nissan turbo as a gift. Well I would keep it long enough to sell.
There are now a heap of other mid-sized 4WD's with 3.0lt engines in diesel and lots of different petrol variants that all seem to do the job. It gets down to what size load you want to pull behind it.

Cheers
Pop

When you consider that almost every second ad is for toyota, all the big sports events are at least partly sponsored by toyota, is it any wonder that there are plenty of them on the roads.
There's no denying that they work and do the job reasonably well, they're like "white goods", no frills no character and over priced to blazes to the general public.

In times long past I was involved in purchasing vehicles for a Govt department.
We set out the required specications; basically 4wd, 1 tonne, petrol or diesel, extra cab and tray back.
All manufacuters were invited to tender. Toyota usually came in as the cheapest quote sometimes around $5000 under the others and often up to $15000 under retail price for the same vehicle speciis.
Makes you wonder why they are so dear compared to the competition .

ex Disco
(who hasn't bought a toyota in it's place.)

Carl ! Leave the poor Toyota owners alone, its all they have to get around in!!! ;))

Michael

I just purchased a LC200 GX (Barn Door Version)

It was a toss up between a Pajero Anniversary with all the Bling or the poverty pack Toyota.

The Pajero was 2/3rds the cost. 2/3rds the size , 2/3rds the power and 2/3rds the fuel bill I guess it was 2/3rds the car..

The Toyota was 1/3rd more expensive, it was Huge inside, it had 650Nm of Grunt. 650 NM of Grunt, 650NM of grunt and did I mention it had 650Nm of grunt and absolutely no Bling. Just Love that Car. Oops Wrong slogan

Easy choice really LOL

Cheers
Wayne B

G'day Carl,

Surely you've missed the real reason...

The majority of people towing, buy Toyotas and go to caravan parks. Those that buy 4WD vehicles for 4WDing are not staying in caravan parks they've gone off road - these must be the alternative vehicle owners!!

Just stirring the pot a little - don't anyone go getting all shouty!

Cheers,
(A proud Patrol owner!)
Corrugate

Just proves what good advertising can accomplish

Now guys if the Gov had not stopped us bring in the Isuzu MU 11 years ago there would have been all those others plus 50 MUs LOL

The same logic could be applied to what vehicles break down more often. If you go past a mechanic's shop, the majority will probably be Toyotas as well!