2024 GX/Prado Release and Discussion (1 Viewer)

[stridertexas]

Precisely. I hate to be practical here, but it seems to me that MSRP is only relevant if you can buy the thing at MSRP. And, in this precise case, you can’t because Dealers get in your way. And dealers will probably muscle buyers even more for the new LC250 and GX. I don't think your 90K+ is far off.

My own conspiracy theory is Toyota has to allow a bit of pad for the distributor and dealer through accessories. It’s better PR than allowing entire dealer networks to have ADMs.

I haven’t seen any ADMs from Toyota or Lexus in Central Texas. I’m sure those ADM dealers exist, but I haven’t seen them where I live in a Gulf States region…

 

[Specialeyes]

Precisely. I hate to be practical here, but it seems to me that MSRP is only relevant if you can buy the thing at MSRP. And, in this precise case, you can’t because Dealers get in your way. And dealers will probably muscle buyers even more for the new LC250 and GX. I don't think your 90K+ is far off.

All the more reason the dealer model needs to die. Let the manufacturers set the price and any sales/promotions. Dealers offer me absolutely NOTHING of value these days when it comes to purchasing a vehicle. I just want a reliable service center for when maintenance is due.

 

[ThRiLlGmYr]

My own conspiracy theory is Toyota has to allow a bit of pad for the distributor and dealer through accessories. It’s better PR than allowing entire dealer networks to have ADMs.

I haven’t seen any ADMs from Toyota or Lexus in Central Texas. I’m sure those ADM dealers exist, but I haven’t seen them where I live in a Gulf States region…

In my experience shopping for a Tacoma last year most NC dealers were trying to get you with junk dealer and distributor add ons. I only had one who had a straight up ADM.

 

[Brown98LC]

Now that is a perplexing wrinkle....

You know how they did it for the 300?
Literally global announcement happened and I literally think that same night or same day they started sales in some countries.
To be fair 2 years later and you still can't walk in to a dealer and find one in stock (where i live anyway).

Crazy huh.
To be fair the 300 was already delayed.
You know I saw a preproduction 300 a while back that had a 11.2020 production date!

 

[M1911]

All the more reason the dealer model needs to die. Let the manufacturers set the price and any sales/promotions. Dealers offer me absolutely NOTHING of value these days when it comes to purchasing a vehicle. I just want a reliable service center for when maintenance is due.

Unfortunately, it won't. There are lots of dealer protection laws in states. Dealers are local bigshots and they contribute a lot to state politicians. Unless a manufacturer has a plant in the state, they don't have a lot of power in the capitol.

 

[OGBeno]

This is why SET is how it is. Anyone who has ever lived in South Florida has seen how many yachts SET has to support.

Account Temporary On Hold

Oh I don’t care about how they do what they do. That’s irrelevant to me. I did 4 years in the SET system; I’m well aware of how JME operates.

I’m just presenting the organizational facts of how the Toyota system is setup in the US.

 

[Acrad]

CORRECTION on Base and clarification on doors

5 door Prado is more expensive than 4R in Chile

Converted to USD:

$55,056.45 to $40,185.55 at base 5 door trims

Limited Prado appears to be $64,696.45 to a Limited 4R at $53610.45

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[malden]

You know how they did it for the 300?
Literally global announcement happened and I literally think that same night or same day they started sales in some countries.
To be fair 2 years later and you still can't walk in to a dealer and find one in stock (where i live anyway).

Crazy huh.
To be fair the 300 was already delayed.
You know I saw a preproduction 300 a while back that had a 11.2020 production date!

So we have a new FJ70, new LC250, new LC300 (in the process) and a new, new LC300 on the way. But who’s counting? Amazing.

 

[MeWantLC]

T4R and Prados ARE not the same car. GX in the USA IS a Luxury Prado.

One camp is saying the 4Runner and LC Prado are the same truck. You say something to the contrary. I would be keen to hear your thoughts as I know nothing about the 4Runner expect what I learned from a mornings test drive. About the 1Gr and transmission issue I could not reproduce any of the common negatives during my drive but that could very well be the effect of my style of driving. You may proceed your honor..

And that is now. Back in the day when the T4R was launched, and for a few years, YOU cannot buy a 4x4 here in Texas. I had to go to Utah to get the one I wanted. That chagned after.

Gulf States makes you buy $2-3k in accessories regardless if a dealer adds others.

So last I looked before summer a 4R SR5Premium 4WD is like $57k here in Texas…

I am with you totally. However, my biggest fear is the great points as quoted below....

I don’t. The 200 is already plenty powerful. My complaint about the 200 with the 5.7 is the abysmal fuel economy. I would prefer an engine that gets significantly better fuel economy and would accept a minor reduction in performance.

This. This might be the reason why I won't get a new LC250. I came back from Nationals wtih my daughter, and after sitting and drving both the 80 and the 200, man the 200 still feels like a tank !!!

one thing that may shock some 200 owners is, don't be surprised if you get in the 250 and it feels ''flimsy''. It may not feel as tank like on the surface vs the 200, but the mechanical parts should be excellent and on par ( if not better ).

When you open the door of the 300 and get in, the weight loss and the fact the body is mostly aluminum can be off putting at first if you are just talking about ''tank like feeling''. Anyway this may not apply to the 250 as much because the 250 only has an aluminum hood vs the 300 which uses way more aluminum on the body.

However if fuel economy is your main concern hopefully that wont matter and it will have lots of pros anyway that will make you probably not miss the 200..
Time will tell as you said.

I would like to hear, if it is possible to share, more about the last sentence... THANK YOU for sharing !

This is incorrect.

There is SET: Southeast Toyota

There is GST: Gulf States Toyota.

There is the rest of the US.

Both SET/GST are independent from TMNA and both operate differently than TMNA.

The US market was completely split up into distributorships, initially. That’s how Toyota gained foothold globally.

Toyota bought every single one in the US except for SET and GST for a number of reasons.

 

[Brown98LC]

Accidental post sorry.

 

[WkndProject]

T4R and Prados ARE not the same car. GX in the USA IS a Luxury Prado.




And that is now. Back in the day when the T4R was launched, and for a few years, YOU cannot buy a 4x4 here in Texas. I had to go to Utah to get the one I wanted. That chagned after.



I am with you totally. However, my biggest fear is the great points as quoted below....



This. This might be the reason why I won't get a new LC250. I came back from Nationals wtih my daughter, and after sitting and drving both the 80 and the 200, man the 200 still feels like a tank !!!




I would like to hear, if it is possible to share, more about the last sentence... THANK YOU for sharing !

Do SET and GST distribute Lexus too, or just Toyota?

 

[malba2366]

The 4Runner TRD Pro is $55,000 in it's current generation. When the 6th gen comes out it will be $60,000 and there will most likely be a Trail Hunter edition that will be $63,000+. The LC250 will never be sold under the 4Runner so I'm expecting $68,000+. The current GX460 starts at $60,000 and the new GX550 will most likely start at $70,000. Maybe $75,000 for the Overtrail.

The 4 runner will likely become a smaller more off road focused vehicle that competes with Bronco and Wrangler. There is really no reason to have the 4runner stay in its current segment and have a LC250 in a very similar segment, and then the GX550 at Lexus. If the LC250 starts at 60K and the GX at 70K, it will not sell very well. The prices cars sold at over the past couple years with ADM included are not sustainable...defaults on auto loans are going up as are rejections on auto loans.

 

[ThRiLlGmYr]

Prado is more expensive than 4R in Chile

Converted to USD:

$44,211.45 to $40,185.55 at base trims

Limited Prado appears to be $64,696.45 to a Limited 4R at $53610.45

SUV

Accede a Toyota y conoce todos nuestros modelos. Descubre All New Hilux, All New Fortuner, All New Corolla y mucho más, ¡Te ayudamos a elegir la mejor opción!

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View attachment 3387582

The base Prado in Chile is a 3 door so it is in no way comparable to the new LC250. The comparable Prado is the 5 door which is about 10k more expensive.

 

[ThRiLlGmYr]

Do SET and GST distribute Lexus too, or just Toyota?

Not 100% sure but Jim Moran did own the Lexus dealership near Ft. Lauderdale. JM Lexus, but I don't know if the distribution network is the same.

 

[tampacruiser95]

I drove a Prado for a year overseas. Also owned an FJ Cruiser and have driven a late model 4Runner. The Prado was easily the superior truck.

 

[Acrad]

The base Prado in Chile is a 3 door so it is in no way comparable to the new LC250. The comparable Prado is the 5 door which is about 10k more expensive.

Corrected my 3 door miss above.

I was replying to earlier post that 4R was more expensive than the Prado in markets where they are both sold and not trying to compare to LC 250

 

[ThRiLlGmYr]

Corrected my 3 door miss above.

I was replying to earlier post that 4R was more expensive than the Prado in markets where they are both sold and not trying to compare to LC 250

Sorry, you are correct. Either way the Prado is more expensive. My argument is with those claiming there are $35k Prados and that is where the LC250 belongs. If there are $35k Prados I am willing to bet they are the 164-bhp 3 door models (that seem to exist somewhere) and are not at all comparable to the LC250.

 

[malba2366]

Sorry, you are correct. Either way the Prado is more expensive. My argument is with those claiming there are $35k Prados and that is where the LC250 belongs. If there are $35k Prados I am willing to bet they are the 164-bhp 3 door models (that seem to exist somewhere) and are not at all comparable to the LC250.

You are right...no way a $35K LC250 is happening, that is even less than the base highlander. All signs point to a $50-55k starting price.

 

[Brown98LC]

One thing I don't like about the 300 is the high hood from inside, can be annoying if you want a clear view over some terrain.

I think its for pedestrian crash safety requirements?
I hope that would be done better on the 250?

 

[vantage78]

I really don't understand giving people the option to upgrade the Tacoma from a 4cylinder to a 6 cylinder for 500 bucks, and not do so in the LC.

Thats not going to drive me to the GX, that's going to drive me into something elses.

Lets say that a locked LC maxes at 55k. In order to get the larger engine, i would have to step up into the GX at around for the base "Premium" of 65k, and its not even going to have lockers, or crawl control. I would have to upgrade into the Overtrain which will probably breach 70k.

Unfortunately, the fact that getting a better engine for not much more makes it a huge a target for TMC; why continue to provide that option when taking it away could increase profitability? I’m sure someone from their finance org has modeled in a better margin by forcing people a certain direction, even if it meant losing others. Although companies like Toyota need to listen to their customer base, at the end of the day, they are bound to their shareholders and need to maximize their profits.

If I had to guess, the LC 250 will start at $50k (with current US prices of the t4r starting at $40k, Sequoia starting at $60k, there is a nice missing gap between the two BOF ranges) and will go up to the $62-$65k range. This means overlap with the GX lower end tiers, which offer a TTV6. Which then might convince someone to jump for a Lexus model, and bam…you just helped increase the $TM share price by .00001%