I haven't been very active on Mud lately, but I just got back from a week long fly fishing, off-roading and camping trip in my truck and it just got me thinking about how much I am still in love with this truck. I thought I would share some thoughts about the 200 and what I think about vehicles in general.
(I posted pics and the trip description in the LX photos thread)
I have a 16' LX that has a mild build and I feel like this vehicle is nearly perfect and even with all the money in the world, I don't think there is another vehicle that can do everything I do as well as this LX. The last week I drove 800 miles, of which at least 250 were off pavement including some pretty rugged Colorado passes. This truck just crawls up anything with ease. The crazy thing about off-roading in the LX vs other vehicles is how nice it feels the whole time. If the windows are up it's remarkably quiet and smooth. I drove many long miles of rough or washboard type roads and I would be surprised to find many vehicles that can do this so smoothly. Many times I have actually had to remind myself to slowdown because it's easy to get too comfortable and forget that it's still a narrow washboard road. When doing more technical off-roading, the truck just makes terrifying obstacles seem easy. It has lots of power and it is extremely comfortable when driving the long stretches of highways or interstates. And I tow with it constantly and it does great pulling trailers over Colorado highway passes at highway speeds. It fits my whole family in it comfortably and is a perfect daily driver for me, impressing clients and fits in most parking spots in a city.
Suspension: I was talking to a guy on the trail and he asked me what suspension I had and I said it was stock. I sometimes forget how much I love the AHC suspension in the 200. Ive had 2 different 100 series and we all know that the AHC in those wasn't great, and I replaced it in both. However the 200 series it is incredible. It flexes well, is smooth at speed. And I can't tell you enough how much I use all the various settings. I switch it to Sport+ when driving curvy roads at high speeds (common in Colorado) to reduce body roll and it makes a huge difference, because I highly dislike body roll through corners. I lower the suspension all the time to fit into parking garages, and I definitely wouldn't fit in those without the lowering feature. I love raising it to clear obstacles off-road, and it really gives this truck great clearance angles (bumpers and 34s" help too). But another thing I love is lowering it at camp to make getting in and out of the vehicle easier. I like lifted trucks but it's a real pain in the ass at points and lowering it is a great feature. A couple notes, the vehicle drives way better off-road in the normal height (only available in 4 high) and it definitely rougher in the high setting, so I generally switch to the normal height when possible.
Usability: I will never understand why every SUV doesn't have a split gate! Having a tailgate is sooooo incredibly important to me thatI can't imagine having a vehicle without one and sadly Toyota seems to not care about this feature anymore. I use the tailgate constantly. I have a full set of ARB drawers in my vehicle, which I also can't imagine not having, so the tailgate serves as a nice place to set things while unloading or loading since the top of the drawers is such a high loading platform. I sit on the tailgate when dressing for skiing or putting on my waders for fly fishing. When you don't have a tailgate its gross to sit in the cargo area because your clothes get so dirty from having to tough the bumper of the car (especially during winter when changing out of ski pants. I rig my fly rods on the tailgate, organize my gear and it allows my dog to jump in and out with ease. I didn't even bring a table camping because I used the tailgate and flip up table on my tire carrier for cooking.
The drawers make for a level platform so I often sleep in the back of the truck. I usually set up my small cooler in the corner and can put a laptop up there to watch movies when camping by myself. But my wife and I and our dog fit comfortably in the back and it's great.
The size of the 200 is perfect for me. I load the thing to the max and I really can't imagine having a smaller vehicle just from a cargo/passenger point of view. I wish it was actually bigger for a lot of things I do, but the size makes it still manageable for all the off-roading I care to do. I don't care to do off-roading more difficult than what I have already done in this truck. I don't really off-road as a hobby. To me off-roading is just a way to access good fishing, camping etc. I have taken it over several moderately hard passes in Colorado and anything more difficult is only necessary for Off-roading as the goal, when for me it's more of a means.
Other Options: Ive thought a lot about what other vehicle I would buy but really nothing else made seems to check all the boxes for me. I want a full size SUV but none of them are appropriate for offloading anymore. I suppose the best alternative out right now is the Sequoia or LX600, both seem nice but have drawbacks. I really like the Yukon Denali but again, can't offload that thing. Range Rovers are incredibly nice, but I will never own one of those POS. I have to be honest, I like a luxurious vehicle so I am not interested in a bronco. The one vehicle out there that I actually do want is a Rivian R1S, but I will always need a vehicle that can tow on a road trip and EV's are just not meant for that at all. I would really like to have a full size truck, but really the added length makes it tricky to park in a lot of places in downtown Denver where I work, and again, their overall size makes them way more difficult to off-road with.
In honesty, there isn't one vehicle that can do everything perfect but this LX seems to do everything I do almost perfect. I don't think there is another vehicle out there that even interests me as a replacement. I have thought about it and I have already decided that when it is time to move on from this truck I will have to replace it with two vehicles, a full size truck or Yukon/similar SUV and keep a 80 series or similar LC. But for only having one vehicle, this really thing really checks all the boxes. I can't believe that I have had this vehicle for 6 years and I still get in it and think it's ****ing awesome. When I test drive other new SUV's and trucks, I think the LX hold up really well to brand new trucks (except infotainment...). And when I read about the new vehicles or watch YouTube (like Tinkerer's Adventure for example) it really makes it clear that no manufacture is building vehicles with the same quality of the 200 anymore.
These 200 series vehicles are really special. They are the last of their kind. Big V8, heavy duty build quality, no compromises for new tech/emissions/cost cutting. I feel lucky to own one of these and I will be sad when it comes time to move on.
(I posted pics and the trip description in the LX photos thread)
I have a 16' LX that has a mild build and I feel like this vehicle is nearly perfect and even with all the money in the world, I don't think there is another vehicle that can do everything I do as well as this LX. The last week I drove 800 miles, of which at least 250 were off pavement including some pretty rugged Colorado passes. This truck just crawls up anything with ease. The crazy thing about off-roading in the LX vs other vehicles is how nice it feels the whole time. If the windows are up it's remarkably quiet and smooth. I drove many long miles of rough or washboard type roads and I would be surprised to find many vehicles that can do this so smoothly. Many times I have actually had to remind myself to slowdown because it's easy to get too comfortable and forget that it's still a narrow washboard road. When doing more technical off-roading, the truck just makes terrifying obstacles seem easy. It has lots of power and it is extremely comfortable when driving the long stretches of highways or interstates. And I tow with it constantly and it does great pulling trailers over Colorado highway passes at highway speeds. It fits my whole family in it comfortably and is a perfect daily driver for me, impressing clients and fits in most parking spots in a city.
Suspension: I was talking to a guy on the trail and he asked me what suspension I had and I said it was stock. I sometimes forget how much I love the AHC suspension in the 200. Ive had 2 different 100 series and we all know that the AHC in those wasn't great, and I replaced it in both. However the 200 series it is incredible. It flexes well, is smooth at speed. And I can't tell you enough how much I use all the various settings. I switch it to Sport+ when driving curvy roads at high speeds (common in Colorado) to reduce body roll and it makes a huge difference, because I highly dislike body roll through corners. I lower the suspension all the time to fit into parking garages, and I definitely wouldn't fit in those without the lowering feature. I love raising it to clear obstacles off-road, and it really gives this truck great clearance angles (bumpers and 34s" help too). But another thing I love is lowering it at camp to make getting in and out of the vehicle easier. I like lifted trucks but it's a real pain in the ass at points and lowering it is a great feature. A couple notes, the vehicle drives way better off-road in the normal height (only available in 4 high) and it definitely rougher in the high setting, so I generally switch to the normal height when possible.
Usability: I will never understand why every SUV doesn't have a split gate! Having a tailgate is sooooo incredibly important to me thatI can't imagine having a vehicle without one and sadly Toyota seems to not care about this feature anymore. I use the tailgate constantly. I have a full set of ARB drawers in my vehicle, which I also can't imagine not having, so the tailgate serves as a nice place to set things while unloading or loading since the top of the drawers is such a high loading platform. I sit on the tailgate when dressing for skiing or putting on my waders for fly fishing. When you don't have a tailgate its gross to sit in the cargo area because your clothes get so dirty from having to tough the bumper of the car (especially during winter when changing out of ski pants. I rig my fly rods on the tailgate, organize my gear and it allows my dog to jump in and out with ease. I didn't even bring a table camping because I used the tailgate and flip up table on my tire carrier for cooking.
The drawers make for a level platform so I often sleep in the back of the truck. I usually set up my small cooler in the corner and can put a laptop up there to watch movies when camping by myself. But my wife and I and our dog fit comfortably in the back and it's great.
The size of the 200 is perfect for me. I load the thing to the max and I really can't imagine having a smaller vehicle just from a cargo/passenger point of view. I wish it was actually bigger for a lot of things I do, but the size makes it still manageable for all the off-roading I care to do. I don't care to do off-roading more difficult than what I have already done in this truck. I don't really off-road as a hobby. To me off-roading is just a way to access good fishing, camping etc. I have taken it over several moderately hard passes in Colorado and anything more difficult is only necessary for Off-roading as the goal, when for me it's more of a means.
Other Options: Ive thought a lot about what other vehicle I would buy but really nothing else made seems to check all the boxes for me. I want a full size SUV but none of them are appropriate for offloading anymore. I suppose the best alternative out right now is the Sequoia or LX600, both seem nice but have drawbacks. I really like the Yukon Denali but again, can't offload that thing. Range Rovers are incredibly nice, but I will never own one of those POS. I have to be honest, I like a luxurious vehicle so I am not interested in a bronco. The one vehicle out there that I actually do want is a Rivian R1S, but I will always need a vehicle that can tow on a road trip and EV's are just not meant for that at all. I would really like to have a full size truck, but really the added length makes it tricky to park in a lot of places in downtown Denver where I work, and again, their overall size makes them way more difficult to off-road with.
In honesty, there isn't one vehicle that can do everything perfect but this LX seems to do everything I do almost perfect. I don't think there is another vehicle out there that even interests me as a replacement. I have thought about it and I have already decided that when it is time to move on from this truck I will have to replace it with two vehicles, a full size truck or Yukon/similar SUV and keep a 80 series or similar LC. But for only having one vehicle, this really thing really checks all the boxes. I can't believe that I have had this vehicle for 6 years and I still get in it and think it's ****ing awesome. When I test drive other new SUV's and trucks, I think the LX hold up really well to brand new trucks (except infotainment...). And when I read about the new vehicles or watch YouTube (like Tinkerer's Adventure for example) it really makes it clear that no manufacture is building vehicles with the same quality of the 200 anymore.
These 200 series vehicles are really special. They are the last of their kind. Big V8, heavy duty build quality, no compromises for new tech/emissions/cost cutting. I feel lucky to own one of these and I will be sad when it comes time to move on.
! My wife has had 4, 200 series LX over the years. Personally I prefer the LC . Either way - agree that 200 series rocks. I have had them all since the 40 series and I still have 60,62,100,200 in fleet. My fave are 200 and 60.
My daughter's Ford Edge grenaded on her and now she's driving the minivan as a medium-term stopgap until she can either fix her car or buy something else. She's been using the kneel function to help her elderly lab get in and out. 
I do like the LX a lot. Moreso than I did when I bought it. But most of the time it's just me and the wife and I would love if I could shave a couple inches off it here and there 
