Hello everyone,
My 11-year-old son was my co-pilot, from Bucharest to Cluj-Napoca and back. We visited the Turda salt mines, the Scarisoara glacial cave and went ~ 170km on some off-beaten paths through the mountains. The weather was dry most of the time, with a brief storm in the first day, which caught us on the highway.
First and foremost, I LOVE this car! And I am not saying it lightly. Our previous car was a Toyota LC300 GR Sport. Last year, we parted ways with our beloved Land Cruiser Troopy HZJ78 with Alu Cab roof conversion. When my son got into the car for the first time, his words were "this car really asks for adventure, big time".
I would have never sold the LC78 Troopy. This was my dream car, but unfortunately it was a money pit. It was never ready-to-go, despite always being "just there, but not yet". An endless list of things to do, things to improve, things to replace, things to fix. After carefully evaluating my priorities in life, I decided it was time to say goodbye to it.
So I bought a LC300 GR Sport, thinking I will get the pinnacle of Toyota engineering for adventure. WRONG! The LC300, although a very capable vehicle, it is a very bad choice, at least in Europe. The dealership has no idea how to fix these things (because it is not officially sold in EU). And you might think these things do not break down... yes, they do. Loose turbo bolts, dusty air filter, binding in steering, very long DPF regenerations, god forbid for an ECU failure (10 weeks average for delivery, just asked because the ECU failed on a previous LC150). They are unable to perform even a simple task like a wheel alignment because there is no data(?) for this car in their software.
What I like about the IG in this short trip, coming from LC80, HZJ78, LC150, LC300:
1. Suspension and Steering - I know that this might sound weird, but the the suspension and steering on the IG is top notch. I've read stories and seen reviews, but the handling on this car is above even to LC300 (but this is maybe because it has a light steering binding on full lock that was never sorted out). Both HZJ78 and LC150 had OME BP51 suspension, and was never satisfied no matter how I dialed the compression/rebound. My IG has BFG load range E on 17" tires and 2.7 bar front and rear. I tried these tires on the LC150 and it was a total failure, even with 2.0 bar. The IG feels always on the sweet spot, no matter the terrain. The steering takes a bit to get used to it, but after that it's like threading the needle. No bouncy feeling like in Toyotas, no excessive tilts on high speed cornering, this car goes exactly where you want it to. Handling is impressive even at 170km/h on the highway (but not the noise, later on that).
2. Engine - although more complex than 2.8D from Toyota (a lot more complex), and most likely less reliable, the car does not feel unpowered at all. Ages better on acceleration that the 2.8D on LC150, and no lag compared to any Land Cruiser (yes, the LC300 has a terrible lag). Compared to the 3.3 LC300 diesel engine (hot vee biturbo), it looks less complex. The LC300 has better acceleration, but the brakes feel better on the IG.
2. Timeless interior and exterior design - no comment
3. Factory winch, dual battery setup, pre-wiring - I know there could have been a "better" winch, or better battery setups, but the fact that I can get them from the start is a lot less time and effort invested, plus the problem with homologation (in Romania you cannot homologate a winch on a passenger car if the winch was not equipped from the factory).
4. Modularity and utility - I've spent only two hours mounting a Lazer 18 ledbar behind the grille. Everything has screws and is designed to be removed and put back. Good luck removing a headlight from a Toyota.
What I don't like:
1. Climate control - this thing, in the current iteration, is useless. It's either too cold or too hot, auto or manual. I had to fiddle with the temperature knob every 5 to 10 minutes. Ended up cracking the window open to adjust the interior, which did a better job at controlling the temperature. Why is there a temperature control knob instead of a valve knob on manual mode beats me.
2. Back pain from the seats - maybe because of the lack of a lumbar support. I never had this problem before, not even after driving 3500km in a Dacia Duster (and no, it does not have a lumbar support, but I did use a rolled towel).
3. Noise - on the highway, 120km/h seems to be the max I can tolerate.
4. The flat brick windshield - I consumed 15 liters of windshield fluid in 1500km. Bugs splash on this thing like there is no tomorrow. I got a big fatty one that I thought the driver ahead of me had thrown an egg on my windshield.
5. Slamming the doors - random people asking me in the parking lot why I hate my life
6. Traction control - useless in the IG, like most other cars, but Toyota did it right. I miss the TC from Toyota. Had to stop, reverse and engage center diff twice with the IG in cross axle situations that Toyota would just "crrrr" for a second or two and get over the obstacle. Same for HDC/Uphill, I do not feel the confidence and control that Toyota gives you when you engage crawl control. Found myself engaging the lockers(central+rear) way often that I thought, especially downhill, which is a must in this car.
My 11-year-old son was my co-pilot, from Bucharest to Cluj-Napoca and back. We visited the Turda salt mines, the Scarisoara glacial cave and went ~ 170km on some off-beaten paths through the mountains. The weather was dry most of the time, with a brief storm in the first day, which caught us on the highway.
First and foremost, I LOVE this car! And I am not saying it lightly. Our previous car was a Toyota LC300 GR Sport. Last year, we parted ways with our beloved Land Cruiser Troopy HZJ78 with Alu Cab roof conversion. When my son got into the car for the first time, his words were "this car really asks for adventure, big time".
I would have never sold the LC78 Troopy. This was my dream car, but unfortunately it was a money pit. It was never ready-to-go, despite always being "just there, but not yet". An endless list of things to do, things to improve, things to replace, things to fix. After carefully evaluating my priorities in life, I decided it was time to say goodbye to it.
So I bought a LC300 GR Sport, thinking I will get the pinnacle of Toyota engineering for adventure. WRONG! The LC300, although a very capable vehicle, it is a very bad choice, at least in Europe. The dealership has no idea how to fix these things (because it is not officially sold in EU). And you might think these things do not break down... yes, they do. Loose turbo bolts, dusty air filter, binding in steering, very long DPF regenerations, god forbid for an ECU failure (10 weeks average for delivery, just asked because the ECU failed on a previous LC150). They are unable to perform even a simple task like a wheel alignment because there is no data(?) for this car in their software.
What I like about the IG in this short trip, coming from LC80, HZJ78, LC150, LC300:
1. Suspension and Steering - I know that this might sound weird, but the the suspension and steering on the IG is top notch. I've read stories and seen reviews, but the handling on this car is above even to LC300 (but this is maybe because it has a light steering binding on full lock that was never sorted out). Both HZJ78 and LC150 had OME BP51 suspension, and was never satisfied no matter how I dialed the compression/rebound. My IG has BFG load range E on 17" tires and 2.7 bar front and rear. I tried these tires on the LC150 and it was a total failure, even with 2.0 bar. The IG feels always on the sweet spot, no matter the terrain. The steering takes a bit to get used to it, but after that it's like threading the needle. No bouncy feeling like in Toyotas, no excessive tilts on high speed cornering, this car goes exactly where you want it to. Handling is impressive even at 170km/h on the highway (but not the noise, later on that).
2. Engine - although more complex than 2.8D from Toyota (a lot more complex), and most likely less reliable, the car does not feel unpowered at all. Ages better on acceleration that the 2.8D on LC150, and no lag compared to any Land Cruiser (yes, the LC300 has a terrible lag). Compared to the 3.3 LC300 diesel engine (hot vee biturbo), it looks less complex. The LC300 has better acceleration, but the brakes feel better on the IG.
2. Timeless interior and exterior design - no comment
3. Factory winch, dual battery setup, pre-wiring - I know there could have been a "better" winch, or better battery setups, but the fact that I can get them from the start is a lot less time and effort invested, plus the problem with homologation (in Romania you cannot homologate a winch on a passenger car if the winch was not equipped from the factory).
4. Modularity and utility - I've spent only two hours mounting a Lazer 18 ledbar behind the grille. Everything has screws and is designed to be removed and put back. Good luck removing a headlight from a Toyota.
What I don't like:
1. Climate control - this thing, in the current iteration, is useless. It's either too cold or too hot, auto or manual. I had to fiddle with the temperature knob every 5 to 10 minutes. Ended up cracking the window open to adjust the interior, which did a better job at controlling the temperature. Why is there a temperature control knob instead of a valve knob on manual mode beats me.
2. Back pain from the seats - maybe because of the lack of a lumbar support. I never had this problem before, not even after driving 3500km in a Dacia Duster (and no, it does not have a lumbar support, but I did use a rolled towel).
3. Noise - on the highway, 120km/h seems to be the max I can tolerate.
4. The flat brick windshield - I consumed 15 liters of windshield fluid in 1500km. Bugs splash on this thing like there is no tomorrow. I got a big fatty one that I thought the driver ahead of me had thrown an egg on my windshield.
5. Slamming the doors - random people asking me in the parking lot why I hate my life
6. Traction control - useless in the IG, like most other cars, but Toyota did it right. I miss the TC from Toyota. Had to stop, reverse and engage center diff twice with the IG in cross axle situations that Toyota would just "crrrr" for a second or two and get over the obstacle. Same for HDC/Uphill, I do not feel the confidence and control that Toyota gives you when you engage crawl control. Found myself engaging the lockers(central+rear) way often that I thought, especially downhill, which is a must in this car.
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