Ismail

Oh, and the red interior by Lexus is just different, has more of a pop than the BMW red/burgundy. It’s the only option aside from black and I don’t mind that at all I am only stuck between white and titanium exterior paint. I feel the titanium is the signature color for this generation of Lexuses and should age well combined with the red interior, meanwhile white paint is the standard choice in the region when the 40-50 degrees heatwave hits like nowadays. What’s the verdict hereabouts on exterior colors?

So I took a detour en route home earlier and spoke to a Lexus sales person. As luck would have it, I just caught the last orders for the final batch of current generation GX’s arriving in 1-2 months then it’s a wrap for the 460. Funny enough, the only cars that were rolling off to new owners were 3 GX’s, looks like everyone’s trying to catch the last of the Toyota/Lexus SUV V8’s. I sat in one of the GX’s and was immediately sold, the latest center stack update is a major upgrade from my last experience as a passenger in a mid-2010’s GX. Since I’m going to be on the road most of the time, the Prado doesn’t really compare. Decision was made for a top spec GX absent Minister of W&F so will wait to see a surprised face in a couple of months hopefully when we walk over to the Lexus side instead of Toyota Thanks a lot to everyone for “sway”ing the decision in the right direction!

@Nilakantan Erode yeah, have to admit I haven’t given the Lexus due consideration, will delve further into that. The stock SWB Suzuki has served a solid 200k kms and has held up ok with basic maintenance. As the family grows my off-road time is reducing hence this thread. Most important thing is the missus blessing the purchase 🙌 @Gaurav I’m sort of convinced (perhaps sheepishly) that I can’t go wrong with any Toyota/Lexus product, esp. one made in Japan. I’ll research both Lexus and Prado recalls/TSB’s, but in general my experience with Lexus through a sedan in the family is a great like @Nilakantan Erode mentioned even with relatively heavy use. @Stumpy Paj Sounds like you have a similar use scenario. From research both the 1GR-FE and the 1UR-FE seem to have the best reliability out there mated to the 6-speed on both Prado and GX460, respectively. My mind is telling me better to get a top trim for the extra bells+whistles for the first years of use during warranty. The top trim GX pricing is closer to the LC300 4.0 VXR and that’s another comparison altogether. Will definitely check out GXOR. Overall, the GX looks like a better purchase on paper, with the main trade off compared to Prado being the lesser fuel capacity and marginally higher fuel consumption. Don’t think both of these will be a big factor in my case. I will probably put together a spec comparison spreadsheet, with Pros /Cons and see what I end up with.

@Rizwanm2 Good recommendation; the Lexus could be a good option with a V8 powerplant sitting between the LC300 4.0 and the Prado Limited price-wise. Another option to ponder upon!

@Gaurav off-roading should be limited to desert outings and camping during the winter season. However, the car will mainly be used as a means of transport 90%+ of the time. I’m considering keeping my trusty Suzuki GV for rough desert outings, potentially with off-road upgrades; while the Prado could be of use for more restrained trips. @Nilakantan Erode on KDSS, I read through other forums and it seems to be alright as long as it’s components aren’t exposed to the elements (sand, salt, water) for prolonged periods. It seems to have been used for years in LC200 and Lexus 4WD’s with no major issues or problems that are “Toyota easy” to fix. Don’t think I will do anything that could “break” the system but if anything ever does go wrong and Al Futtaim quote the price of a used Camry, I can always head over to my trusted local garage Also, said safety features are on both VXR and Limited but VXR bumpers are a bit overkill imo and would go off anyway so the Limited trim makes more sense. @Gautam Banka nice comparison. I’ve done something similar a few years back and Toyotas always come out on top too. Patrol Safari was also an option tbh given the similar price bracket but its lack of safety features and worse reliability and consumption gives Toyotas a clear leg-up. I appreciate the offer, perhaps we could do a drive indeed. Closing thoughts: Having contemplated further, I’m convinced the Limited trim seems to be the best candidate for my use scenarios, and provides a decent bang for buck even if it lacks the full range of options offered in other markets (Asia/Australia). It is also a good platform in general whatever I end up using it for down the road, even with KDSS. I wonder why dealers in the region don’t order the full range of options for a “top trim” vehicle; I wonder what drives their decisions or perhaps Toyota dealers specifically know the car will sell out regardless of options offered.

Hello Forum members, I’m in the market for a 5-door 7 seater family off-road capable SUV and had narrowed down my options to the current Prado LC150 and the LC300 4.0 VXR. Criteria and thought process: (1) Comfort: both cars have about the same creature comforts. Not an aggressive driver so don’t need a bigger engine, just something that can comfortably overtake and sustain 120 kph on longer drives with decent suspension. (2) Reliability: The plan is to keep the car long term and the 1GR-FE reliability is quite possibly the best out there aside from the Camry engines driving around town at +500k kms. (3) Space: Sufficient space for a weekend trip for a small family and 2 extra seats. Don’t mind adding on a roof rack later which both cars can handle. (4) Off-road: both cars have equivalent stock off-road tech and should handle the occasional off-roading well. Rear-diff is not an option on both cars from dealer but I read elsewhere it is not absolutely necessary and several aftermarket options are available later on if needed. Prado barn-door Tailgate I visited the dealer and had driven both cars previously. Unexpectedly, I prefer the Prado due to the following: (1) the classic driving experience (6-speed transmission not gear-hunting 10-speed, known interior surprisingly more solid build feel compared to LC300). I haven’t tried either off-road. (2) sliding 2nd row seats providing better 3rd row legroom and storage space if 3rd row is folded (3) Cost: Obviously cheaper top trim for the Prado (4) Fuel tank capacity 40L more on Prado; will be useful on long haul drives I went ahead and reserved a Prado Limited as the LC300 has a much longer waiting period. Also, current used car prices are not that far off from new so I do prefer the new car experience at almost the same price. What are your thoughts on the 150 Prado as an overall package versus the LC300? Is there anything I have missed out in my criteria and thought process above? Finally, i presume dedicated LC Fans know of the upcoming LC250 that was just announced to come with a 4-cylinder i-Force engine similar to the new Tacoma. What are your thoughts on this release? Looks, drivetrain, features, etc? Thoughts on how well the replacement of the v6 and additional electronic drive train components will this go down in the Middle East market? Hybrid-ish drivetrain setup and serviceability down the road with local garages? Expected Dealer price increase over the current current model year Prado.