Not sure what was meant by the last comment...
I do like the looks of the LC... and yep the practicallity of it comes in handy when you follow a sat nav which ends up taking you down some country a road - like what happened to us a few months back up in York on the way to flamigo land... Followed the sat nav down narrow lanes just to come accross a sign stating that the rest of the road was not suitable for road vehicles... LOVED it... the RAV was excellent - the kids were laughing their socks off due to the bouncy ride and the wife and her sister started to feel sea sick.... LOL...
If that would have been in our T3x Avensis I think we would have some problems...
SO yep practicallity is a factor I'm looking at, also as the LC has the extra row of seats available we can put the 2 of the kids on them and the other wee-en the missues and her aunt on the middle row whilst I'm upfront with her uncle, still got space for the golf clubs and the buggie in the back 10/10 and we dont have to travel in seperate cars when we visit them up in Scotland.
Regars
Rob
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you forgot the kitchen sink
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Blimey... if that fits in n'all... I'll sell the house and move in... LOL...
Wasn't aware about the road tax thoug, I must admit. I thought the whole greedy government tax was cancelled and scrapped.... Will have to find out about that, otherwise I might have to see if we can somehow push for the new LC as the emissions on the next range is supposed to be the same as the RAV range...
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Ok... just took a peep at the parkers website and found that
Road tax for a LC registered
1oct 04 - 23 mar 06 currently is £215 going up to £245 in April 2010
23 Mar 06 - currently is £405 going up to £425 in April 2010...
Hope that's still right...
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If you're trying out child seats in a Landcruiser, bring a child to try in them too.
Having driven one, I wouldn't fancy the stretch into the middle to strap in the occupant of the centre seat - and bear in mind that with three seats fitted, you won't have the option of sitting into the jeep to make the task easier.
The size of a car is no guide to whether it'll fit the third seat. A Prius does thanks to its flat rear bench. A 5 series doesn't because the swab is contoured to fit two adult passengers.
The ideal ride height for adjusting child seats is that of a Renault Scenic or Subaru Forester. The first doesn't fit your country track requirement, the latter won't fit three child seats across the back AFAIK. Maybe a Subaru Outback, Audi Allroad or Volvo Cross Country is worth a look?
Also, bear in mind the Landcruiser is designed as a working jeep (with a separate ladder chassis and coachbuilt bodywork rather than monocoque construction), not a family vehicle. That makes them good at towing and crossing rough terrain, but the crash resistance is abysmal. I certainly wouldn't entrust my family to one.
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but the crash resistance is abysmal. Icertainly wouldn't entrust my family to one.
Don't pick on one to test that theory out in the real world of road crashes.
What would you say is a safe vehicle instead.
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not sure I follow your needs entirely - you went off road 'cos you followed a sat Nav to a place that has loads of signposts? Do you need to go off road for work or horses etc? If not I can't understand wanting an SUV.
Scenic (grand has 7 seats) or Espace has loads of room and being able to slide seats enables fitting and adjusting child seats a doddle. They normally have the special easy fit system too.
Both of these have excellent safety records and I would have another tomorrow (infact the Espace is going to be traded in for a grand Scenic very soon if you were to be tempted...)
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Not interested in the likes of MPV (this to us includes the likes of Grand Picasso, Grand scenic, Espaces, s-maxes and so on .... not intersted in those nor interested in the likes of renaults, peugeot and citroen)
As for the crash test... the way we see it is when your ticket has been stamped your done, doesn't matter if your in a small car or a tank...
We understand the difference between the chassis and to be honest we dont tow horses nor live in the country side...
We do drive a lot and yep we follow the sat nav and even if you would have followed a street map it would have just shown up as a normal road... And to let you know... from where we drove to Flamigo Land there was no signs for it from Easingwold... so yep we followed the sat nav...
Anywho, this is going off topic... All I wanted to find out - from those who have a Land Cruiser - is the difficulty in getting 3 kid seats on the middle row...
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Friend of my fathers swears by Land Cruisers but as he is in his eighties he has not tried three child seats in the back. Simple test is to count the seat mounting positions - very few cars have 3 sets.
Crash resistance is good - a very strong vehicle and he has walked away from 2.
You are worried about a couple of hundred quid in road tax but want a land cruiser - the fuel cost will be astroniomical and far outweigh the VED cost - they are big and heavy
For lower running costs and better practicality and higher on road comfort you are discounting the best options.
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Do you count the renault megane as an MPV?
It has 3 seats in the back, but is not really a MPV, in my opinion. (like a zafira is)
hope you find something suitable.
(oops, just seen your reply previous, you don't wanna renault.)
Edited by heathercar on 02/09/2009 at 17:20
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From what I understand the LC returns around the 27-30mpg... at the moment my petrol Rav returns about the same... taking into consideration what Toyota Forum members have told me I should get around 550 - 600 miles out of one tank, that's better than my Rav so I'm happy - thats if the figures are right.... - As for the 400 quid to the government... well I pay enough to them so dont really want to have to pay more.....
In regards to letting other good vehicles go, well from the cars I have driven in the past I really like the Toyota range, I'm getting great service from my local dealer so why would I want to change?? If the LC is as good as everyone says it is then I do think I should just go ahead and get one. No one has actually reported anything negative about it.... the mpg figures as mentioned are not of a concern - as long as what I've been told is true and come to think of it about 5 people have told me they get around the figures mentioned above... so I guess the figures are about right.
Yep sorry about slating Renault... but I've had a few of them and the electrics kept on going, also the service centre local to me is pants!
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Must be a big tank to get 600 miles.
Wonder what the "urban" mpg figure is!
I would dread having to fill it up - £100 plus each time!!
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Tank is about the 87ltr... I currently fill my Rav up twice a month at around the 45 - 50 quid range, the LC would be once a month for about the same...
Must admit though in the background the Verso looks attractive however the boot space aint that great with all seats up and not to good with the seats down... so perhaps not so good after all...
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Rob
It seems to me (and maybe many of us here) that you want confirmation from us that your choice of car is a good one. We are not going to give you that. Your choice is your choice.
Many of us here have children (I have three) and most would no sooner buy a large 4x4 to transport them than a small hatchback. The ideal cars for transporting children is an MPV - for a whole variety of reasons I won't bore you with. No - they are no fashionable, but they do a job and generally do it well. They are certainly likely to be a lot safer than a large 4x4 as the chances of an accident are less and are far more economical.
By all means by the LC, but the more you try to justify it to us, the more it leads me to believe that you know deep down it is the wrong car.
BTW We do not have an MPV in our family, but we did when they children were smaller and it worked just fine. We have never had a large 4x4 either and cannot see why I would need/want one. I can read maps........
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Given the OP's navigational problems, something as modest a LandCruiser seems inadequate. The LandCruiser is of course the best vehicle for crossing any sort of land, but the navigationally-challenged may not always remain on terra firma.
So I suggest one of these: tinyurl.com/kwnaoq
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Rob, don't chuck that kevlar vest out yet, desiring a proper 4x4 seems to bring out the worst in some people..;)
I'd agree with the 27 to 30 mpg for a LC5 auto, if you get manual you may see more on a reasonable run.
Those figures concur with the Hilux which has the same engine and approx same weight as the LC5 and is auto but has 2WD normally with selectable 4WD, 30 normal running around and less if it's hammered, or used in town.
By the way, interim services approx £160 major (biannually) approx £270, shouldn't be far off the LC5 costs...like your Toyo dealer, can't fault mine.
I'll wear my hair shirt for a week as punishment.
Presumably the child seats fitted OK.
Edited by gordonbennet on 07/09/2009 at 20:23
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As I discovered a couple of weeks ago, I can get three car seats into my Focus and still fit the drive + one passenger.
1x Rear Facing <6 month Carrier, and 2x Group 123 Car seats, the Driver, and one adult sitting in the back.
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Blimey... never thought some guys would take this so personal...
The reason I harp on about the LC is that currently I have a Rav 4 (new shape model) and love it, I like the visability you get and although I dont live out in the sticks it comes in handy when you do end up down country lanes with pot holes or as mentioned earlier a road not suited for road vehicles... which by the way if you would see the road on the map you would not have known any different....
The only issue with the Rav is that when I tested it with 3 kid seats in the back (all forward facing) and found that it was very cramped and awkward to get to the seat belt buckles.
I then test drove the LC and again loved the visability, the fact that it has the extra seats in the back would help when we visit people, the 2 forward facing seats would fit in the back and the rear facing one would be in the middle row.
Now I'm not asking if it is a good choice of family car... we all have our own opinions of cars some might not like the big 4x4's all the environmentalist would probably bann them completely, I really like the visability you get from them, and as long as you dont drive like an idiot in one they are reasonably safe. What I am asking is for any LC drivers advice out there who have 3 kids in infant seats....
Furthermore I like the boot space you get, I have been looking at the likes of the Corolla Verso - and still I'm considering it - the only downfall with the verso is the bootspace...
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We chose our Verso precisely because it can take three child seats, or a combination of children and adults, in the second row. In 15 months we've used the third row twice. With the third row folded, the luggage space is pretty good and you can steal a bit more from the passengers by sliding the seats forward a little. We have a roofbox but use it only for our annual two-week holiday; we've comfortably managed two shorter self-catering trips this year with all our luggage in the boot.
It's a bit of an ergonomic mess, but if you know and like Toyotas this may bother you less than it does me. And our 2.2D gives about 41mpg, so if you're concerned about how much your car costs you in duty, that'll save you about £20 a month in fuel duty alone over any Land Cruiser.
If a Verso really isn't big enough, look at an S-max (although preferably not from behind.) From any other angle, it looks stylish, has acres of room for five and their kit (or even seven and their coats and sandwiches) and is surprisingly agile to drive. The driver environment is better designed too, although possibly less durable than a Toyota. It was too big for our needs, hence the Verso, but it's a superb family wagon.
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and yep the practicallity of it comes in handy when you follow a sat nav which ends up taking you down some country a road - like what happened to us a few months back up in York on the way to flamigo land... Followed the sat nav down narrow lanes just to come accross a sign stating that the rest of the road was not suitable for road vehicles... LOVED it...
Wow, I've heard it all now... that certainly takes the biscuit as an excuse for buying a 4x4!!!
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OK OK... point taken... Its not the 4x4 bit that Im after here... its the space and the seating position, the RAV I have is selective 4x4 and rarley use it. At the time I bought the Rav I liked the seating position and the ease of getting the kids in and out of it, also getting the double buggy we have into the boot without breaking my back - we did have to modify the rear door strap so that the door opened fully... Now with our 3rd wee-en on its way we have decided that the LC would be the choice for us and thought we'd ask around to see if there are other LC drivers out there who could let us know of any issues they have had with their LC (if any) or any tips in looking for a LC ie what to look out for....
Anywho, changed me Kevlar as the other jacket got a bit tatty... Ready for the next wave of abuse...
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