Anyone towing with a 4 Litre Prado?

[ah197331]

Hi,

I'm considering an auto 03, 04, 05 Petrol Prado, and wondered if anyone has had any first hand experience. I'm interested to know fuel consumption, reliability etc. What is likely to go wrong with a vehicle with 200 - 300K km? What to look out for? Does the 4 speed cope, or is a 5 speed Auto necessary?
We have a 17.56-2 OB.

Thanks in advance.

Andrew

 

[Antman]

Hi Andrew

I can't say anything about the 4L. However, I tow with a 2001 Petrol Auto Prado 3.4L. I have the 16.49-3 van. The 4 speed tows fine although I do have an Automatic Transmission Cooler installed - for the price and how easy they are to install - can highly recommend one. In towing I get about 20-21 L / 100kms. My normal around town driving is around 14 L /100. However if i fill with woolies or coles fuel it goes up to 15-16 L / 100kms. Funny that.

My Prado has 326000km on it and is running like a dream but has been maintained very well. That is the key with these cars. I have found toyotas very reliable and easy to obtain parts if needed virtually anywhere.

Oh i should say, mine has the power button (im assuming they all do?) and it tows much better with this activated so the torque converter is that little bit more aggressive.

Only thing I might say, is check your van as the Prados are only rated at 2.5t towing capacity so you might be close?
And for a bit of comparison - my father in law tows a 17" Discovery van with a 97 model manual petrol and he achieves around the same fuel consumption.

Cheers
ants

 

[surfingbird]

i tow with a 2004 5 speed auto v6.. it comes standard with a trans cooler..

i tow a 18.5 fill height.. and get between 22-26L/100 (only done a couple of small trips so far so dont have a very good average yet)

tows fine. the 5 speed is a much smarter auto, and would be worth it if you can find one at the right money.

 

[ah197331]

Thanks for the replies, Ant Man and Surfing Bird,

Surfingbird, when you are towing, do you spend much time in 5th gear, if you have selected 'Auto D', or does it downshift to 4th most of the time? What is the eninge speed in both gears at 90 - 100 km/h? Does yours have a 'power' button which changes the auto trans shift pattern?

Thanks,

Andrew

 

[surfingbird]

no power button.. i drive in D.. on my first big trip with the van (only got it 2 weeks ago) it was about 400kms.. the auto decided it wanted 4th. it would only engage 5th on very straight and level areas, or downhill.

^^ thats another reason i opted to wait for the 5 speed auto back in 2004 when i bought the prado. The 5 speed is completly computer controlled, it downshifts on hills (if you apply the brakes) to aid in engine braking, and locks up the torque converter electronically to stop load on the auto.. the 4 speed isnt as smart as the 5 speed autos.

my old man is a retired motor mechanic, and thinks i should put a bigger auto cooler on the prado (i do tow a full height tho, close to the 2500kg limit)..

first i will put an auto temp gauge on and then assess what action needs to be taken.

At least there is already an auto cooler on it, so putting a bigger one on shouldnt that hard.

engine speed - (i do run bigger tyres tho - 31.5 inch cooper stts) - 5th @100 is 1900rpm, 4@100 is around 2200 i think.

@90? dont know yet..

I am doing a trip tomorrow from Rockhampton to Rainbow beach, and that will be a good 500kms, so i will report back with my experiences.

 

[surfingbird]

towed on friday into a 30 knot headwind (gusting to 45!).. and still managed to average a 24.4L/100 figure..

stayed at 90kph this time.

90kph -
5th 1600rpm
4th 2200rpm

100kph
5th 1850rpm
4th 2400rpm

i recknon at 90 with no headwind i may get under 20L/100.. hopefully the trip back i wont have a headwind..

 

[zerosecta]

Not helping of 03 to 05 Model Specific Question but I have a 2010 4L 150 Series and towing the 16.49.1 - I'm looking at an average of 20L\100K --- Thirsty yes, But since 99% of the driving I do in my Prado is not towing, I wouldn't trade it for a diesel...

When compared to the diesel Prado, a Petrol Prado is an absolute Rocket

 

[straydingo]

well it is a tricked up TRD

 

[zerosecta]

well it is a tricked up TRD

Tricked being the Key word

 

[surfingbird]

averaged around 20-22L/100 on the way back..

and keep it in 4th.. it seems to slip 5th to 200rpm off what it would be in 4th anyway..

i drove it as a manual most of the way.. only selecting 5th on downhill or level ground.. and changed it back as soon as i lost a few kph..

 

[blacky]

These comments were a while ago... Wondering what experiences y'all have had in the mean time?

We have a 2004 Prado Grande with the 4l and auto.. 4 speed I think? Anyhow we've ordered our 17.56-2 OB, and to be honest I didn't spare a thought for our tow vehicle during the purchase...

One week til pickup, and am wondering how our beloved Prado is going to handle the van!

 

[Antman]

Hey @Peter Black
so as you read above, i have a 3.4L 2001 Petrol Prado with auto trans cooler. My figures from above have slightly changed since i put a more aggressive / heavier all terrain tyre on. My around town has jumped to 14.8 - 15.2/L 100 - still higher with woolies / coles fuel.. hmmm wish the ACCC would grow some balls but thats another conversation.

Towing
We did a 9300km trip christmas time last year. We averaged 23-24L/100km with the heavier tyres. We had a lot of strong head and side winds and did little driving without towing. We also had about 1000kms of dirt and rocks where i locked in 4wd.

So all in all, still about the same consumption for me.

Cheers mate
Ants

 

[blacky]

Ah sweet, good to hear it's all going well still mate

Think I may look at installing an oil cooler, going to check out eBay and see what's available. Got to be a good thing, can't hurt!

Cheers mate