Any buyer's remorse after getting the new 250? (1 Viewer)

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I have been driving diesel cruisers for 30 years and am importing diesel cruisers from Europe to the US for about 15 years now . The Prado name was never used in Europe , every 70 90 120 and 150 sold new in Europe trough Toyota of Europe was always a land cruiser , the few Prado’s you find there came in trough grey import and central america had these same models labeled as prado .

As far as being a “light duty” you are correct but I consider every cruiser with a gas motor light duty , trow a automatic behind that and it is already a big different from the HD turbo diesel manual trans we see everywhere else in the world .

In the netherlands the 250 comes with the new 2.8td engine but automatic . Price tag is to be expected to be around 120k because of added taxes .

So Toyota already debadged all European sold 70 series SUV's and later series, different than in most of the world and per their own information. That sounds familiar then, does not change what it is.
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DL819, did you buy a 250 and have some likes or dislikes?
No, but this is the first "Land Cruiser" branded vehicle to seriously interest me since the 80 series. I would much rather read what actual owners think than read the same tired arguments from 200 series owners who are still mad at Toyota.

Unfortunately, some of the posts in this thread (not yours) also had a condescending tone that got under my skin, because it's so opposed to the graciousness exhibited by most Land Cruiser "enthusiasts" that I know.

In the 1990's and early 2000's, I joyfully used 40, 60, and 80 series Land Cruisers as "tools" for work, play, and family adventures. Since then, I have set out to purchase a 100 on three separate occasions. Unfortunately, the larger and more luxurious series was no longer the best tool for my needs. When I needed something larger, the F-150 SuperCrew was more capable. When I wanted something a little smaller, the GX was simply more fun to drive. I appreciate the 200 series, but is even further from what I want.

With all that said --- I am in the camp that's been hoping for an updated 60/80 rather than an updated 200. This Land Cruiser is clearly a compromise - it is a return to the 60/80 roots, but it's also built on the 250 platform. There are some things about the new platform that I really like and some that concern me, so I would like to know what new owners have to say.

Ironically:
  • This platform may cause me to take another look at the 100 series. Sometimes, the only thing better than a new Land Cruiser is an old Land Cruiser.
  • This platform may also be your best chance of getting the 300. More Land Cruiser enthusiasts will create more demand for the pinnacle of the brand.
 
What about DL819 and Rex14 shine some light on their experience with the 250 series? Or they do not own one and just want to complaint what we write. Bring your own points dudes.

Didn't complain about anything, just calling BS where I see it.

I own a 2005 LC 100 series. Took me over a year to find one I wanted. It's got plenty of life left in it before I even consider replacing it, as should be the case for any Land Cruiser owner.

I have zero interest in owning 2 Land Cruisers (regardless of series) at the same time. I'd rather own a different class of vehicle(s) entirely, which is currently the case with my other vehicles.
 
I'm a little under 3,800 miles on my 1958. Picked it up in late June and have been on one Colorado trip where I primarily mountain biked but did some mild offroading.

Bad things:

Fuel mileage on mine has never lived up to billing, even when I was running stock tires and had all the front air dams installed. Now, with no squared-off air dams in the front and 275/75/18 (Edit: 275/70/18) Falken Wildpeak AT/4s on stock wheels, I'm hovering in the high 17s in city driving. For what this vehicle is, that's still pretty good. But something to consider.

The engine still takes some getting used to. Sometimes a little herky-jerky coming to a stop. But nothing too bad. Seems like the most fuel efficient way of driving is a speed up and then coast style.

I've occasionally had problems with the stereo borking my carplay connection.

Adding electrical things have the added wrinkle of the battery being in the back. So, something like a winch or any electric-heavy stuff will require running some thick-gauge cables from the back into the engine bay. See dissentoffroad's youtube video to see what they did.

Good things:

Love the ride. Love the looks. View and seating position are top-tier for a modern car. (Hopefully) Toyota reliability. Aftermarket is coming around slow, but I'm 100% confident in a year or so there will be a whole gamut of quality stuff that fills needs.

Conclusion:

Overall, I'm happy with it. The other vehicles in contention were a Defender 110 or a Ineos Grenadier. I came from a LR4 that I daily drove for about 8.5 years, so Land Rover ownership did not scare me at all. The wheel and tire limitations there were the biggest negatives. I would have run hard for a Grenadier except for the fact that the closest dealer is about 6 hours away from me.

As it is, I'm probably in for the long haul with my Land Cruiser.
I sold my Grenadier yesterday, absolutely hated it on trips over an hour. I bought a 200 to replace it but my wife has a GX550. You certainly made the right decision.
 
I sold my Grenadier yesterday, absolutely hated it on trips over an hour. I bought a 200 to replace it but my wife has a GX550. You certainly made the right decision.

Just drove the Grenadier. I thought it rode pretty nice considering what it is. The steering is super light. The turning radius is laughably awful.
 
Anybody considering this at current $51k? Got a NA V6 and probably pretty good durability given it is a Honda. I know it is not a body on frame, pretty impressive though.




Honda quality has been a hit or miss lately, but the real deal here is a person considering a body on frame vehicle probably isnt cross shopping a unibody and vice versa.

That being said i'd wait for the passport if offroady crossover was on the menu. Looks cleaner.
 
No remorse here. Made the difficult decision of selling my 06 LC100 that was purring along at 205k miles. I’ll regret it when I’m retired but for now hated to see it not being used.

The 250 is still large but drives small and nimble. Is not fast but feels quick. Averaging 22ish mpgs at 6k miles. After dallying a 03 and then 06 100 (still loved both) enjoying all the new tech and comforts. Zipping up Sonora Pass in Cali a couple times this summer was a blast, its just a fun lil power train.

Loved the idea of a Grenadier, great looking rig, but when I saw a video of a guy struggling with the turning radius as others mentioned i was out. Always found the 100 and 200 to shine here for their size and the 250 does also.
 
Ha. I can't imagine that there was a worse place to ask that question.
 
We should put a thread at the top of this forum titled YES, WE ALL UNDERSTAND THE 250 IS A PRADO.

I dont understand why so many threads veer into a big body vs 250 debate. Toyota ‘deceived’ us? Mmkay.

These are great trucks and many of us who actually own them are very happy.
 
No regrets just a little anxiety over long term reliability. I haven't had any issues but first year model is always a concern. Coming from a 4Runner I am more than happy with its on road performance and tech, styling is a step up too. The drive-train can be a little jerky at low speeds and the ground clearance could be better, but overall very happy with the first 5k miles.
 
We should put a thread at the top of this forum titled YES, WE ALL UNDERSTAND THE 250 IS A PRADO.

That would make it worse, because it's not called Prado. It's just the 250 series, which is the latest generation of the Land Cruiser light duty series. (This was posted earlier in the thread referenced from Toyota's press release)
 
That would make it worse, because it's not called Prado. It's just the 250 series, which is the latest generation of the Land Cruiser light duty series. (This was posted earlier in the thread referenced from Toyota's press release)

What difference does it make if its badged with the P word or not?

For months theres been a handful of people semi trolling this forum and thumping how superior the 200/300 is and how Mr T pulled one over on the US market. I dont think any of these folks own or intend to own a 250.

In our market the 250 is the successor to the 460- how about we debate that for once?
 
That would make it worse, because it's not called Prado. It's just the 250 series, which is the latest generation of the Land Cruiser light duty series. (This was posted earlier in the thread referenced from Toyota's press release)
You’re not going to win that battle with Prado badging appearing on the truck in other global markets.

But what I don’t understand is what this has to do with the thread? My only regret at this point is not unfollowing the thread sooner as it degraded to a pissing match over its “real LandCruiser” status. If that bothers you don’t buy one. Keep your 40/60/80/100/200 or go buy a LX600.

Peace out. I love my 250 or what ever you want to call it.
 
You’re not going to win that battle with Prado badging appearing on the truck in other global markets.

There's no battle. The 250 likely retains Prado badging in those limited specific global markets purely for name recognition with the customer base, as the name was used in the past iterations of the light duty series platforms that were offered there. In the USA, it's meaningless. Toyota's marketing materials targeted for the USA are very clear the 250 is a light duty Land Cruiser. There's no deception occurring for anyone who can read.
 
On one hand i do agree that toyota has cleverly omitted the prado nameplate, and thus drawn the iire of Land Cruiser purists and qdr buffs. However on the other hand, its their product, their brand cache, their engineering and they owe us nothing.

As one other member posted, like it and buy it, or dislike and buy something else.
 
And the Land Cruiser family has had 3 family members for decades. All are ‘Land Cruisers’

From the original HD line the Wagon line was created as a variant from the 40 Series in 1967 with the 55 series.

From the original HD line the Light Duty line was created as wagon variant of the 70 Series in 1985.


The trolls keep fighting for the stealth-wealth prestige truck as the only ‘Land Cruiser’. I’m glad to see the trolling seems to have lessened a bit.

I’m happy with my GX, would buy it again. I’d skip the Mark Levinson stereo. I got the OT+ and am quite satisfied with it. OT or OT+ are nice vehicles, the straight OT is a better value. The LC is a strong winner too and the fact the 250 series LC is selling ~10x the rate of every year of the 200 Series speaks volumes to the success of Toyota’s approach.

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Can't wait to get mine!

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It is a good thing you never had or drove the 200 (I am assuming) or you would feel lacking much more.
I agree with this. I am at 10,000 miles on my 550 and tell everyone that asks that I liked my 200 more. It was just tighter, more comforatable and less "cheap". I am considering trading it back soon.
 
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