bloc
SILVER Star
And a handful of 4.0 tacos with similar mileage IIRC.
How's the LC200 refresh/8-speed holding up now that it's 4+ years old?
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I’ve owned a 2008, 2014 and 2018. The brakes on the 2018, the suspension and transmission all took a backseat to the earlier models - they tried too hard with the moderate refresh and missed the mark. The ABS locks up way too quickly, the nose dives and the eight speed can’t find the right gear, and I think because of that it was actually slower (even though R&T states otherwise). It takes third gear to get to 60 versus two in the earlier models. My wife and I both agreed, we literally hated it and sold it in 10 months. I will say that the technology did get slightly better (nothing in comparison to Ford or even Dodge though, which is sad to say) and the leather seats are a bit more comfortable.
The 2014 was really nice and drove like the 2008. The downsides were the stereo (tough to navigate through the touchscreen display) and The perforated leather which wore quickly.
My favorite was the 2008, which we owned when we owned the 2014 and 2018. The JBL sounded the best (don’t know why), the truck handed the best and of all of them, it just felt more solid all around. I sold it last year - I hate that I did.
Slightly OT to the OP, but I recently bought a 2015 LC. One of the considerations in buying the 2015 was that the while the 2016 had the eight speed what I did not like were Toyota's active safety controls. I found them to be too annoying. The other bit was interior color, the tan IMHO was ugly and I have never been a fan of black interiors. So when I found a 2015 with ~36K miles I bought it.
As to six vs eight I have found a few times on hills at high speed the switch and forth between fifth and sixth to be noticeable but not unexpected.
As to six vs eight I have found a few times on hills at high speed the switch and forth between fifth and sixth to be noticeable but not unexpected.
The suspensions were not materially changed between model years.
bloc
SILVER Star
Correct. ABS activation probably has more to do with stronger front brakes and potentially less traction from worse tires than anything else.
If less than a 200# increase in weight makes that significant of a driving difference to you in a Cruiser than you belong driving for Ferrari.
@TeCKis300 do you actually notice a difference in the way a 200 drives when you have a friend in the front seat or not?
You don't have to believe me, but yes, I do. You probably would too driven back to back at more than a casual pace. Note where much of the weight gain is, over the front axle.
The weight increase, the lower gearing of the 8-speed necessitating more shifts to 60, the larger brakes noted by some to be more grabby, are likely combining to create the impression.
I don't know what's up with their specs, but the total sum should be 5,875 lbs.
My other car would eat some Ferrari's for lunch.
That’s quite impressive.
I’ve seen pictures of the Porsche in the background - I bet it’s a blast!!
If you look behind the front tires at the suspension on a 2008 versus a 2018, you'll notice extra components (i.e. dampeners, etc.) - so yes, some things have changed. And I will say the 2018 does not ride as tight as a 2008, whether that is due to suspension changes, weight, etc., I'm not sure. But overall, it does ride differently.
What extra dampeners??
bloc
SILVER Star
The only visible pre-post 2016 difference should be the addition of a ride height sensor on the rear axle for the auto leveling headlights. Other than that the slight tweaks could be to spring and maybe damping rates, but if you can see the differences there you are much more mechanically inclined than I am.
Moby
GOLD Star
Funny, I realized after I posted previously that I have owned a 6 speed, just the 4.6 in the GX instead of the 5.7. I really liked the 6 speed - it really allowed the 4.6 to hit its potential. In fact it was the major difference in buying the GX over a 4R with the 5 speed, which, at the time when I test drove (2012), shifted only marginally better than my built A440 (and that is a looooow bar).
I don't get it as 'better' though. I don't have any more hunting in my 200 than GX, even with the smaller engine. I was a little concerned about reading of some of the early 8 speed failures, but rolled the dice as it does seem like reported failures are down. But performance wise it feels like a step forward to me.
I'd also note that mods play a big part here. Bigger tires, more weight (as noted above), etc. all impact hunting versus stock.
I don't get it as 'better' though. I don't have any more hunting in my 200 than GX, even with the smaller engine. I was a little concerned about reading of some of the early 8 speed failures, but rolled the dice as it does seem like reported failures are down. But performance wise it feels like a step forward to me.
I'd also note that mods play a big part here. Bigger tires, more weight (as noted above), etc. all impact hunting versus stock.
Not sure what you mean by this. Coming from a 2016 GMC Yukon denali and my wife’s 2014 Acura MDX, I have found my 2020 Heritage to have a pretty awesome cruise control system. It’s very smooth and not overly reactive or intrusive.
bloc
SILVER Star
My cruise works GREAT, especially when I put it in manual non-radar mode. Mountains or not. The only tweak is I sometimes need to select S4 or 5 depending on the hills, but that is a function of my tires and ride height on stock gears, not the programming or design.
What complaints, I have a 16 and if I floor it from a stand still it shifts odd.
I have the 8-speed. I strongly prefer driving with ECT on. More responsive shifting - I don’t have to “bury” my foot to get it to downshift on slight hills or in traffic.
I love the convenience of the radar cruise control for highway driving (Colorado seems to have a lot of slow and go traffic these days, even up in the high country). Mileage is noticeably lower (1-2+ MPG) using cruise versus foot in these conditions. Tends to over accelerate and over brake.
Open highway, the cruise control is perfect from my perspective (and mileage is better than I can achieve with my foot). That includes both up hills and down hills. It is surprisingly smart with engine braking, even downshifting to hold speed on downhills. Still click it off on passes, though.
As far as 8 speeds go, it shifts more than our other cars (both Toyota and Honda), but seems to do so appropriately... in all conditions except slow speed deceleration. Coming to a near stop then throttle to hold speed (e.g. going around a slow corner), tends to leave it in 1st gear and “race” the engine for a few seconds.
Can’t speak to durability... only have 4K miles on mine.
That’s 4K hard core off-road, open highway, mixed city/highway, stop and go, stock for about 1/2 of it built for the other half - no towing (yet).
I never do full throttle starts, so can’t speak to shifting in that mode.
I love the convenience of the radar cruise control for highway driving (Colorado seems to have a lot of slow and go traffic these days, even up in the high country). Mileage is noticeably lower (1-2+ MPG) using cruise versus foot in these conditions. Tends to over accelerate and over brake.
Open highway, the cruise control is perfect from my perspective (and mileage is better than I can achieve with my foot). That includes both up hills and down hills. It is surprisingly smart with engine braking, even downshifting to hold speed on downhills. Still click it off on passes, though.
As far as 8 speeds go, it shifts more than our other cars (both Toyota and Honda), but seems to do so appropriately... in all conditions except slow speed deceleration. Coming to a near stop then throttle to hold speed (e.g. going around a slow corner), tends to leave it in 1st gear and “race” the engine for a few seconds.
Can’t speak to durability... only have 4K miles on mine.
That’s 4K hard core off-road, open highway, mixed city/highway, stop and go, stock for about 1/2 of it built for the other half - no towing (yet).I never do full throttle starts, so can’t speak to shifting in that mode.
I have a 2019 LC200 8-speed with 70,000 miles, no major mods (E-rated tires on stock wheels, dirty deeds exhaust)…..I experience hesitation on med/hard acceleration after hard stops when trying to then accelerate (traffic conditions occasionally warrant that here). Anyone else experience that? Normal?
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I have 125k on my 16’ - I had the re-flash pretty late in the game, around 90k, but it was a game changer. Now I will say in traffic 1st to 2nd is slightly rough…however normal day to day, long road trips, towing - it has been fault free. I drive….a lot- its been great. I’ll probably hit 200k by the end of the year.
