Test driving the new 200

[Guest]

Morning friends,
Last week I went testing the all new 200 series landcruiser.
I only tested the "humanitarian" or, compared to European standards, very basic version, without the crawl options, multi touch screens, and with a manual gearbox. It was also equiped with an engine which will not be sold in Europe (I think), a V8 biturbo diesel engine with 220 BHP.
Amazingly comfortable machine, particularly thanks to the independant front suspension. Impressive engine, you can let it go down to 500 revs/minute and it will still pick up. Nice body, good seats, plenty of space inside.
The downside : a bit of a lack of feedback due to the comfortable suspension, and the fuel system (due to the fact that it is a common rail system) is sensible to the quality of the fuel. Therefore, Toyota will not recommend selling it on certain markets (for example : Mauretania, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Chad etc). This implies that it will be less suitable for overlanding purposes.
But it was an enjoyable drive altogether !
Cedric
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[Guest]

Hear hear guys, let's stick to our HDJ80's. They are the last of the breed!
--
Rgds,
Roman (London, UK)
'92 HDJ80 (auto)
On Dec 17, 2007 8:22 AM, C=E9dric VANDERMEULEN
<[Email address removed]> wrote:
basic version, without the crawl options, multi touch screens, and with a manual gearbox. It was also equiped with an engine which will not be sold in Europe (I think), a V8 biturbo diesel engine with 220 BHP.