Still want numbers? Here goes. 60 kph in 4.7 seconds, 100 kph in 9.7 seconds and a top speed that you’d better advise your chauffeur never to try out. The real-time four-wheel drive transmission alternates between high and low range performance depending on the road conditions, thanks to the Torsen limited slip differential. While we copied the above line from the brochure, we did venture off-road with the test car to see how it coped with slippery, bad surfaces and it came out unscathed. I do have a weakness for low-rev, high torque nature of SUVs such as the Pajero which make me feel absolutely comfortable off-road. So I thought I had to be that extra bit careful not to get carried away and cook things with the Prado – like not to dance around after landing from a 40 kph yump (some tyre got traction, in the nick of time!).
The prospective buyers for this Rs 35 lakh SUV will never get to experience it to its fullest, as they are more likely to stay home when it drizzles, let alone drive their Prado on an off-road course. But if they decide to have some fun, they will discover that the Land Cruiser bloodline is quite intact.
The Toyota electronic modulated suspension (which lets you choose from high, low or normal ride height) will help with most rough terrain that you can summon, and a trick ‘2nd start’ system will ensure that the vehicle will move out of real trouble without wheelspin.
One good reason for any of the above-mentioned to buy the Prado (and one reason why grey market imports were high) is that the Prado makes you feel safe. Yes, it is quite big and only a terrible chauffeur who does not know how to brake and avoid a dog from, say, 120 kph (please train your drivers before they can handle powerful cars!) or a head-on collision with a train can hamper the safety of its occupants. Toyota has been generous with active and passive safety touches like ABS, electronic brake distribution and brake assist system and has endowed it with lots of airbags including a side-curtain airbag that resembles an arctic-spec tent when deployed –may no one ever get to see it!
So there. A well-engineered, nicely designed, brilliantly executed machine that unfortunately doesn’t guarantee exclusivity thanks to numerous examples plying our metroscapes already. That brings me back to my argument – the much smaller, easier on the wallet RAV4 would have been a more exclusive Toyota to be seen in! While we recommend a buy, I can’t help thinking there was something wrong with the model selection here.
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