200 Series LC..."Dislikes" vs 100 Series LC? (1 Viewer)

[chemguys]

On my second 200. I went from a 100 to my first 200. I too miss the opening rear windows that the 100 had. I do get to see my old 100 from time to time, as one of my cousins bought it and it does seem noticeably smaller in comparison. But the cameras, the power, the ventilated seats, LED headlights etc, etc...I just have no regrets being in a 200 now. As an aside, I'm sure many of you snicker a bit when you see all of the fancy new RRs on the road...around here I see lots of older LCs, but only new RRs, seldom if ever any older ones. Owned and driven LCs for 30 years now and have never been stranded in any of them.

 

[kevinfoutch]

Haven't looked at 200 series wiring diagrams (still under warranty for me), but if it's like the 100, then there are two am/fm radio antennas - one embedded in the shark fin (that also has Sat radio duty - at least both functions are in the fin for my Prius) and the one in the window - termed Diversity antennas IIRC.
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Below is something I wrote a little while back, shortly after buying the 200 - and I still have the 100.

1. 200's steering requires more effort to turn the steering wheel - no drag or anything, just harder to turn the wheel.
2. 100's brakes require more pedal effort to stop - not talking about panic stops, just a normal approach to red light. The 100 has less than a year on new calipers, rotors, a fluid flush and stainless lines.
3. 200 has a stronger response to initial parts of throttle application - first bit of fast pedal on the 200 takes some foot finesse, not so on the 100 - more linear.

FWIW in the 2008 LC owner's manual PDF copy I have, it seems to be a radio antenna in the rear quarter window.

 

[kolyo]

Just and I mean JUST traded my 100 in for a 200. Fresh perspective here.

Three things I miss the most:

1. Brake pedal feel. The 100 series brake pedal bit immediately and was extremely linear and strong. The 200 is just a mush pedal in comparison, I absolutely HATE the brake feel of the 200. Terrible in comparison, almost a non-starter.

2. Visibility. The 100 is like the Pope-mobile in comparison to the 200. When backing a trailer the "D" pillars at the back are huge giant blind spots, awful. Hood has giant strakes in it that are right in your field of vision at all times, I hate that. A-pillars are ENORMOUS compared to the 100. This is a major negative.

3. General drivability/feel. I feel like the 100 gives more feedback and is more of a driver's car. Drives much smaller and gives you more feedback. Some would consider this a negative I suppose, I don't.

That's about it. I love everything else about the 200 other than these 3 things. Wouldn't go back. The 100 is just too old. I felt like I was driving a highschooler's car when I drove the 100. The 200 feels like I'm driving a grown-up's car FWIW.

 

[kolyo]

Just and I mean JUST traded my 100 in for a 200. Fresh perspective here.

Three things I miss the most:

1. Brake pedal feel. The 100 series brake pedal bit immediately and was extremely linear and strong. The 200 is just a mush pedal in comparison, I absolutely HATE the brake feel of the 200. Terrible in comparison, almost a non-starter.

...

Exactly my experience. Reluctant to move up to a 200 for this reason only. Anyone else feeling the same? LX owners?

 

[Obi Wong Kenobi]

Exactly my experience. Reluctant to move up to a 200 for this reason only. Anyone else feeling the same? LX owners?

I noticed those things as well but I didn’t care. I’ve had two 100’s (99 LC and 06 LX) and would never go back. The 200 has been an amazing vehicle so far.

 

[kolyo]

Is the "mush pedal" an year specific peculiarity. In my price range are production years 2008-2010. Are the later ones any different?

 

[KLF]

Install TRD or Hawk "Super Duty" brake pads. Problem solved. At least it really made a difference for me.

 

[Markuson]

Exactly my experience. Reluctant to move up to a 200 for this reason only. Anyone else feeling the same? LX owners?

I agree brakes feel mushier. Once you get used to it, though, it's not something you really think much about. Jumping out of a truck you're used to and into the 200, the brakes will certainly feel different. But I've stopped noticing.

The 200 brakes are STRONG when you need them. VERY.

 

[m3fan]

Just to follow up on this a few months later– I'm totally used to the brake pedal and the rest of the car's "quirks" FWIW. It's great.

 

[Romer]

I felt the same on brake pedal. The couple of times I had to slam on the brake my 200 stopped much faster than my 100 would of. I stopped carry about that feel after that. I think it's a result of the redesigned brake system and not an indication of stopping power. That is just a guess on my part though

 

[Roy Park]

The ABS actuator is electronic in the 200 series, as it is in many modern cars. They control the brake feel so a 100 pound Asian lady can press the brakes without it feeling harsh. But it’s adjustable. I just recently had it done on my Tundra and it made a difference in feel. It just engages sooner. Go to a shop that knows Toyota’s and it shouldn’t take them much more than 30 minutes to adjust. If you’re a loyal customer, they might not even charge you.

 

[Obi Wong Kenobi]

And just to add on that, the feeling may be a little softer, but braking distance is much improved compared to a 100. I’ve gotten used to the feeling although I do have to adjust slightly when I jump into my weekend car. Just a slight difference in brakes...

 

[SWUtah]

I've had an 80, 4-100 series and 2-200 series. Loved them all. I like the front end on my 2015 the best. Have not warmed up to the front end on the 16-18. But that's just me

 

[kolyo]

Install TRD or Hawk "Super Duty" brake pads. Problem solved. At least it really made a difference for me.

The ABS actuator is electronic in the 200 series, as it is in many modern cars. They control the brake feel so a 100 pound Asian lady can press the brakes without it feeling harsh. But it’s adjustable. I just recently had it done on my Tundra and it made a difference in feel. It just engages sooner. Go to a shop that knows Toyota’s and it shouldn’t take them much more than 30 minutes to adjust. If you’re a loyal customer, they might not even charge you.

Perhaps I should explain a little better the different way the pads on my Hundy and on my friend's LX200 reacted to exactly the same pressure and manner of applying force on the pedal I am used to over the years. It was most evident in panic stops. Both pedals are equally easy to apply, and i feel that even a child can operate them, let alone a 100 pound Asian lady (BTW, my personal experience with 100 pound Alien ladies tells me they are in no way inferior strength wise to any 200+ European or American counterpart) But in the 200 it took just a few milliseconds longer for the truck to come to a halt because the pedal covered twice the distance before the pads bit. Lesson learned but the scare that those few milliseconds lost might be crucial in certain crazy city traffic circumstances remains. My problem is with the braking manner of the 200 has nothing to do with breaking distance or brake strength, which I don't doubt are superior in the newer model. But if the immediacy of the bite on the 200 can be achieved by either adjusting the electronics or by installing TRD or Hawk "Super Duty" pads I'll be as happy as i am when relying 100% on the instantaneous, perfectly linear and predictable reaction of my 100 in totally unexpected situations.

 

[ryanCA]

BTW, my personal experience with 100 pound Alien ladies tells me they are in no way inferior strength wise to any 200+ European or American counterpart) .

How are these Alien ladies in bed...

 

[kolyo]

The Alien ladies simply refused to get out of it as opposed to the Asian ones who were rather reluctant to jump into bed

 

[HRTROB]

The 2016-up models with the larger front rotors have a much better brake pedal feel. Day and night difference compared to the 2008-2015

 

[TeCKis300]

I just got back from a big snow trip in Denver. So wish I had my 200-series!

Braking bite is a double edged sword in my opinion. It's great for tarmac and high traction surfaces, and I do enjoy that in my sports cars. Not so good when there's several inches of snow and ice on the ground. The best way to break traction and spin a car is to have too much bite from the brakes!

I had the not so fun pleasure of renting a Ford Fusion Hybrid in Denver. Not only did the brakes have too much initial bite, they were somewhat unpredictable and hard to modulate with the blended EV braking system. I had to be extra cautious when applying them.

For the LC, it took a bit of getting use to, but I do like how it is setup. It's great to modulate when bouncing around off-road on low traction surfaces. Yet the brakes are strong with lots of heat capacity even when towing extreme loads.

I've heard reports of the 2016 and up being grabby. Not sure I want that!

 

[ryanCA]

I just got back from a big snow trip in Denver. So wish I had my 200-series!


I had the not so fun pleasure of renting a Ford Fusion Hybrid in Denver.

Next time in Denver, rent a 200. I always rent a 200 in utah/Denver, and beat them up, versus using my own 200 perfect mall crawlers. Why drive a Fusion, when you can drive a rental 200.

 

[TeCKis300]

Next time in Denver, rent a 200. I always rent a 200 in utah/Denver, and beat them up, versus using my own 200 perfect mall crawlers. Why drive a Fusion, when you can drive a rental 200.

Hah, should have in retrospect. I didn't expect the weather and only went to the lower elevation Loveland ski park. The Fusion def wasn't my first choice, but with snow coming in, single digit temps, and tired kids from travel at 8PM, we just jumped into the preferred car already setup. Didn't want to go to the counter!

Which car rental company has 200s?