My Initial Observations After Driving The 200 For A Bit (1 Viewer)

[Boston Mangler]

Sooooo

Ive had them all (other than the 55)

After putting 1000 miles on my 200, here is my unsolicited opinion of it

LOVE IT, but...

Pros:
-Nicest ride of any vehicle ive ever owned, and it is tired, bone stock, with 212k miles so thats a win, and will only get better after some wear parts replacement.
-Power for days, perfectly fine in stock trim, but i may tune it down a little for off idle response, to mid range to mimic Tundra tune, for what it is, its way too snappy from stop
-Cargo area is yuge and will make perfect camp vehicle for my needs
-Can feel the luxury and raw power co-existing (hard to explain)
-Turning radius is impressive for such a large vehicle
-KDSS works and works surprisingly well
-Brakes feel considerably better than both Tundras, and 1999 100 i've owned even though the Tundras are supposedly bigger and better. I dunno
-So dang easy to work on compared to 80 or 100
-OEM replacement parts still available and fairly cheap

Cons:
-HVAC controls via the nav screen, i HATE everything about this, and need to remedy it, seriously, i freaking hate it, and its driving me bonkers
-Seats, not as bad as the 80 or 100, but for a flagship model, they are pretty horrible, i have a XLT (2nd model up from base peasant pack) Ram 5500 and the seats are 10x nicer, i will be swapping these out at some point, hate the stock seats in the 200. IMHO Toyota has always lacked big time in the seats and brakes dept with their trucks
-Ergonomics, i am 6'4" with short legs and a long torso, my head touches the headliner in the lowest seat position. Still working on a fix, its coming

Neutral: A little wallowly and floaty, likely due to age and miles and worn out springs and other suspension components. All of which will be replaced soon.

This is going to be the perfect base to build off of IMHO

My unsolicited .04 (inflation)

Carry On...

 

[jwmNC]

Best way is to just use the temp control buttons to adjust to what you want and let the computer sort it out. I use a CarPlay head unit which means it’s another step or two to get to the on-screen climate controls, but I don’t find myself needing them very often.

 

[Madtiger]

How do you change seat out? Doesn’t the seat have side airbags?

 

[Madtiger]

Best way is to just use the temp control buttons to adjust to what you want and let the computer sort it out. I use a CarPlay head unit which means it’s another step or two to get to the on-screen climate controls, but I don’t find myself needing them very often.

Yup. Set temp and forget. AC system in LC is top notch!

 

[Boston Mangler]

Best way is to just use the temp control buttons to adjust to what you want and let the computer sort it out. I use a CarPlay head unit which means it’s another step or two to get to the on-screen climate controls, but I don’t find myself needing them very often.

Thanks. Will try that and see if i can get used to it

 

[Boston Mangler]

How do you change seat out? Doesn’t the seat have side airbags?

Yes they do.

None of my other cruisers ever had ANY airbags, so i have zero issues removing 1 out of many on my 200.

I know some/many folks are concerned about being as safe as possible at all costs, i am, not...

This is not my daily, and not a family vehicle.

For each is own

 

[Madtiger]

Yes they do.

None of my other cruisers ever had ANY airbags, so i have zero issues removing 1 out of many on my 200.

I know some/many folks are concerned about being as safe as possible at all costs, i am, not...

This is not my daily, and not a family vehicle.

For each is own

I wonder if it will give you error message if you take it out??

 

[Boston Mangler]

I wonder if it will give you error message if you take it out??

Yes. But always ways around such things

 

[Supra Turbo]

Not sure I agree with a generalized statement of "Toyota has always failed in the brakes dept". I thought my MR2 turbo brakes were pretty adequate for 1995. And IIRC, Supra turbo held a record for shortest braking distance from 70 that wasn't beat until the allmighty Porsche Carrera GT came out. I think my LC200s brakes are alright all things considered, though my rig just surpassed 24k miles so everything still feels fresh. I do agree regarding LC200 seats - for a flagship model, they are lacking.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Not sure I agree with a generalized statement of "Toyota has always failed in the brakes dept". I thought my MR2 turbo brakes were pretty adequate for 1995. And IIRC, Supra turbo held a record for shortest braking distance from 70 that wasn't beat until the allmighty Porsche Carrera GT came out. I think my LC200s brakes are alright all things considered, though my rig just surpassed 24k miles so everything still feels fresh. I do agree regarding LC200 seats - for a flagship model, they are lacking.

Well, I’ll clarify and rephrase

I’ve never owned a Toyota CAR, only trucks and LCs

I felt the brakes on the 80,100,Tundras were lacking.

I had both a 2012 and 2014 tundra and both ate rotors. And yes, I know how to drive, use engine braking, etc.. DBA rotors ended up being the magical fix.

If my damaged brain remembers correctly, there was an entire generation of Tundras that got recalled for very premature rotor warpage.

Currently happy with brakes on my 200, seats not so much, but not horrendous

Mine is a 2010. Are the seats in later 200s any different/better?

 

[jwmNC]

Crying-treated rotors have been a surprisingly good upgrade for me. The original rotors developed vibration fairly early but the cryos have many more miles on them and are still smooth.

 

[ryanCA]

I too have owned all LC (still have many of them in the fleet) except the 55 pig.

My 200 is the ugliest of all of them (since mine is a pre 16 model), but it is the best LC of all them (power, luxury, refinement).

I love my 200 LC, esp poverty spec USDM style. Similar to @Supra Turbo no issues with my FJC/Taco/MR2 Turbo brakes. 200 brakes are adequate. Nothing to write home about, but I have had worse. The 200 LC brakes are like my wife. Not the best at anything. Not the worst. Gets the job done.

 

[TeCKis300]

I think the 200-series has solid and strong brakes. They are fixed caliper brakes which are more akin to performance vehicles than the common floating caliper setups on mainstream vehicles. As we build the vehicles with larger tires and more weight, I think any stock system can be challenged.

The 2016+ already come with larger brakes, but the pre-2016s can be upgraded to those brakes, or donor Tundra/Sequoia calipers.

Brakes upgrade question, flame away

Bought a 2008 lx570 recently. 230,000 miles , runs good,clean. A few dents and dings. Doing a few maintenance things. Bought 5 liters ahc fluid( still need to flush), replaced rear lift gate struts, got 5 new tpms sensors, did the ranger method on power steering fluid., going to change all the...

forum.ih8mud.com

The other part is that Toyota often specs conservative and mild manner pads that don't put up with a ton of heat. I've tried over 5 compounds on various vehicles and where I've landed is on the Hawk LTS. Great high temp handling, cold weather friction, reasonable dust, excellent modulation for such a grippy pad. Compromise is a bit more low speed / cold weather squeaking. I joke with the there's a mouse in the car as we creep along the school drop off line.

One of the often cited challenges is warped rotors. My experience says these are due to uneven pad deposits rather than runout. Lack of proper bed-in or driving style associated with sitting on the brakes at a light after a sporty stop. Another round of proper bed-in often resolves this.

With the above upgrades, my brakes feel OEM and confidence inspiring, even with 35s and towing at over 15k combined weight in the mountains. Good engine braking practices still recommended.

 

[Supra Turbo]

My 200 is the prettiest of all of them (since mine is a pre 16 model), but it is the best LC of all them (power, luxury, refinement).

Fixed.

 

[Boston Mangler]

I think the 200-series has solid and strong brakes. They are fixed caliper brakes which are more akin to performance vehicles than the common floating caliper setups on mainstream vehicles. As we build the vehicles with larger tires and more weight, I think any stock system can be challenged.

The 2016+ already come with larger brakes, but the pre-2016s can be upgraded to those brakes, or donor Tundra/Sequoia calipers.

Brakes upgrade question, flame away

Bought a 2008 lx570 recently. 230,000 miles , runs good,clean. A few dents and dings. Doing a few maintenance things. Bought 5 liters ahc fluid( still need to flush), replaced rear lift gate struts, got 5 new tpms sensors, did the ranger method on power steering fluid., going to change all the...

forum.ih8mud.com

The other part is that Toyota often specs conservative and mild manner pads that don't put up with a ton of heat. I've tried over 5 compounds on various vehicles and where I've landed is on the Hawk LTS. Great high temp handling, cold weather friction, reasonable dust, excellent modulation for such a grippy pad. Compromise is a bit more low speed / cold weather squeaking. I joke with the there's a mouse in the car as we creep along the school drop off line.

One of the often cited challenges is warped rotors. My experience says these are due to uneven pad deposits rather than runout. Lack of proper bed-in or driving style associated with sitting on the brakes at a light after a sporty stop. Another round of proper bed-in often resolves this.

With the above upgrades, my brakes feel OEM and confidence inspiring, even with 35s and towing at over 15k combined weight in the mountains. Good engine braking practices still recommended.

Thanks and I agree with all you said.

Hawk LTS pads are also what I landed on as the best all around.

 

[Umbrarian]

Best way is to just use the temp control buttons to adjust to what you want and let the computer sort it out. I use a CarPlay head unit which means it’s another step or two to get to the on-screen climate controls, but I don’t find myself needing them very often.

Sorts out temp fine, but does not sort out the fan speed. I have to manually adjust the fan speed.

 

[lx200inAR]

Sorts out temp fine, but does not sort out the fan speed. I have to manually adjust the fan speed.

If the system has more ground to make up, i.e. you request 68 degrees when it's 75 degrees in the truck, the fan speed increases. And any of the defrost settings default to high as well. I'm definitely in the camp of, just put it in auto and adjust the temp. If fan speed isn't high enough, just set the temp lower and it will increase. I just wish the 200 had the vent under the steering wheel.

 

[Umbrarian]

If the system has more ground to make up, i.e. you request 68 degrees when it's 75 degrees in the truck, the fan speed increases. And any of the defrost settings default to high as well. I'm definitely in the camp of, just put it in auto and adjust the temp. If fan speed isn't high enough, just set the temp lower and it will increase. I just wish the 200 had the vent under the steering wheel.

I know how it works. I own a 2021. The problem is the fan speed I prefer is not the one it wants use. Hence a knob would better for me as opposed to going through the screen.

I have similar issues with vehicles that have automatic volume control.

 

[lx200inAR]

I know how it works. I own a 2021. The problem is the fan speed I prefer is not the one it wants use. Hence a knob would better for me as opposed to going through the screen.

I have similar issues with vehicles that have automatic volume control.

Guess i'm not tracking. If I want higher fan speed i just set the temperature differential higher and i get higher fan speed.

 

[HighRanch]

Well, I’ll clarify and rephrase

I’ve never owned a Toyota CAR, only trucks and LCs

I felt the brakes on the 80,100,Tundras were lacking.

I had both a 2012 and 2014 tundra and both ate rotors. And yes, I know how to drive, use engine braking, etc.. DBA rotors ended up being the magical fix.

If my damaged brain remembers correctly, there was an entire generation of Tundras that got recalled for very premature rotor warpage.

Currently happy with brakes on my 200, seats not so much, but not horrendous

Mine is a 2010. Are the seats in later 200s any different/better?

If you are still sitting on the original seats from 2010 (not sure how many miles they have been used) I would guess that most newer seats
are different/better. Just guessing, but with 14yrs of use they may need some help and could be refreshed from an upholstery shop.