mitsubishi pajero vs toyota prado

[zjed Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close zjed]

I have just tested both and they are both nice cars, I am going to pick up my 2nd hand VX D4D on Thursday. I will be taking an 6-9 month trip next year and my reasons for the prado are :-

- 180 litre tank
- toyota parts/service anywhere in the country
- resale value
- 17" rims - better tyres available
- general reputation for reliabiality, go anywhere, do anything
- better fuel economy
- feels more spacious (not sure how it measures)

zjed

[MTpockets Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MTpockets]

At the end of the day with all things being equal.....
You and your beliefs are the only things you can trust. I have owned my Prado for almost 2 years now and I love it like it was still day one. THE only car I have ever felt like that with.
Now you have the knowledge from this forum, go to a mitsubishi forum and get a response. The rest is up to your gut feeling.
Good luck. 8)

[zjed Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close zjed]

I have owned my Prado for almost 2 years now and I love it like it was still day one. THE only car I have ever felt like that with.

You've obviously never owned a nice bike. I sold my daytona a few months ago, it's a bit like losing your first born. :P

[Grandeman Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Grandeman]

There's no doubt that the Toyota commands a premium in their pricing - but as has been said before, there's a reason.

The Prado was essentially developed to be sold in the US as a Lexus - as such, it has Lexus levels of refinement. This is readily apparent from the moment you step inside and twist the key.

I agree that Toyota capitalises on this reputation and squeezes those extra dollars out of the customer.

To those who have made the choice, there are precious few that regret having put down the extra bucks for one - that is the true measure for me.

[MTpockets Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MTpockets]

I have owned my Prado for almost 2 years now and I love it like it was still day one. THE only car I have ever felt like that with.

You've obviously never owned a nice bike. I sold my daytona a few months ago, it's a bit like losing your first born. :P

If I lost my first born, I would be richer, and prolly buy a nice bike :shock: :lol:

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Do they take trade-ins ?? I've got a first-born that I would swap for a nice bike :lol: :lol:

Cheers
Chippy

[Grandeman Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Grandeman]

Would you get that much?

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Maybe for all 3 ... and I'll throw in the missus and mother in law for free :lol: :lol:

Cheers
Chippy

[Big Fella Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Big Fella]

Well a mate of mine has a P@#%&* Exceed and thought it was the ducks guts. Lets just say it sits in his garage now and does well.......nothing. Ok its the petrol and it cost him over $380.00 in petrol to get from Brisvegas to Muswellbrook in NSW. His wife has a pulsar and its the family car. After having been driven in the Paj I must say they are quite nice, got a kick a@*$ standard stereo in them compared to the Prado. We took it and a Pootrol, Troopy, Jackeroo, 100 series and my beloved old 90 series up to the common at Muswellbrook one afternoon afterwork. Lets say that all of the cars bar the Jackeroo did pretty well, but the Paj just made it through and that was with all the wiz bang electronics doing their thing. Sure it does 180km/h with no problems but it just did not like the harder stuff at all.

Anyhoo each to their own.

P.S. The same guy wants to buy a Teracan Diesel now! Why? Who knows.

[Guest Close Guest]

Either vehicle offers "More or Less" of something... I think its just a matter of what matters more or less to you. Heres how I see it, not necessarily what others may think or agree with...

Fuel Capacity/Range ... Prado ++, Paj -
Fuel Economy ... Prado + , Paj -
Build Quality/Fit &Finish ... Prado + , Paj -
Fruit/Gadgets/Gizmo's ... Prado - , Paj +
Traction Aids (standard) ... Prado - , Paj +
Onroad Handling ... Prado - , Paj +
Offroad Handling ... Prado+ , Paj -
NVH & Refinement ... Prado +, Paj --
Engine ... Prado+, Paj -
Comfort ... Prado +, Paj -
Warranty ... Prado - , Paj +
Dealer Network ... Prado +, Paj -
Resale ... Prado +, Paj -

I looked at both and know that I could get more car in terms of fruit with a Paj. But I appreciate the overall good quality of the Toyota. I dont like squeaks & rattles. I love how these Prados seem to do everything or at least most things very well. I love the range that the 180ltr tank gives as standard. The Prado is a great example of the KISS principle in practice. I'm happy to part with a few more dollars at the start and to get the quality. You cant measure it by specs. Its a far more tactile and subtle experience, but when you drive the better car, you can tell, and especially of after 3-4 years, if it still puts a smile on your dial, you'll know you chose well. Thats how I felt about my 04 Petrol, and Im even more happy with my 07 D4D.

At the end of the day, its your choice. It shouldnt really matter what others think, as long as you have considered what suits you best.

Cheers

Mark

[halojump Member Find all posts View Profile Close halojump]

Having owned a Pajero in the past (3.5 2002 NM Exceed AT) which I was reasonably pleased with for off-road use and on-road handling, I took the new NS Di-D VRX Auto for a drive and found

- The Diesel engine is very, very noisy at all speeds, so much so that in many cases you cannot hear the guy next to you without raising voices.
- The fit and finish has improved over my NM but it’s still a long way off what I would expect of a $60K vehicle.
- The service costs are very high in comparison to the Nissans and Toyotas.

I was always impressed with the Pajero’s off-road ability; I had OME suspension which and bulbar on mine and it out-performed most of my friends Discovery’s, Pathfinders, Jeeps and yes, even Landcruisers. (I am of the belief that 90% of off-road driving is up to the driver, not the vehicle).

My experience comes from driving with Telecom (mostly Landcruisers), SES (Landcruisers and Hilux) and recreationally (Jeep, Landcruiser, Discovery, RAV4, 4Runner) and it has shown that the biggest contributing factor in getting stuck or in trouble off road is usually an over ambitious driver, rather than any failing of the vehicle.

All that said, test driving the D4D Prado shows what a huge R&D budget can do in terms of NVH and build quality. The Toyota, whilst being more expensive is, to my eyes, a much better built vehicle and has benefited from being a product of one of the world's largest vehicle manufactures with lots of investment in vehicle build and testing.

The popularity of Prado’s for all sorts of uses makes their resale value quite high, this is especially important if you are going to be financing your vehicle, you do not want to end up with a vehicle that’s worth less than the payout.

In the end, it’s up to you. You’ve seen that asking here, in a Prado forum, you’ll get fairly (naturally) biased answers, ask in a Pajero forum and you’ll get the same in favour of the Pajero.

What swayed me (to a Prado) in the end was
- Vehicle built quality and NVH
- Dealer service
- Drivetrain and engine technology
- Quality reputation
- Vehicle resale estimates

[yetiboy01 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close yetiboy01]

I also have owed a number of Pajeros, 2000 NM petrol & a 2003 NP DID with all the same set up as my new Prado, Still getting used to the Prado, the engine is much quieter but the standard handling of the Prado compared to the Pajero is woefull if not down right scary, I have since fitted Bilsteins & lovells which has improved the handling a lot but still doesnt drive as well as the pajero, I must admit that I enjoy the quiet engine of the Prado. Build quality is a disapointment on the Prado, since I have had it over the last 4 months the drivers side seat base has been replaced, the aircon pulled out & resealed under warranty & I am finding that the platics mark very easily & the uphostery is not as hard wearing as the Pajero, Over 7 years of Pajero ownership I did not have one warranty claim on both vehicles. so far all I can say about the great Toyota build quality is its a myth.
AS far as resale goes I got $32,000 for my old NP Pajero with 100,000 K's on the clock. If the new Prado stands up to the abuse my old Pajero did I will happy but the verdicts still out.

Why did I buy a Prado you may ask, Had a drive of the new Pajero & the changes from the NP to the NP wernt great enough to feel like I was driving a different vehicle, so I gave the Prado a go much to the amazements of all my friends, even the ones with Prados

Nearly finnished fitting out the Prado, just need to finnish off a bit of wiring & it will be ready for hardcore touring

[Guest Close Guest]

Pajero No-No

Had a Pajero 2.8TD and it was trouble from the day I bought it. I owned a Surf at the same time and it was solid where the Paj was value engineering (read cheap and nasty) under the shiny paintwork. When we went shopping for a new wagon, my wife wouldn't even go for a test drive in the Paj. Love the Prado. 43 000km and 2 years on it still feels new. Prado any day, Pajero, buy it if you like it, I won't.

[Guest Close Guest]

i took me 4 months to buy a 4wd (i dont buy any car on a whim or impulse , too many sharks out there to be shafted without shopping around)

my first choice was a prado gxl , i was buying on a budget really , salary sacrificing up to 40k , i test drove 5 prados , 3 pathfinders , 3 hilux , 5 pajeros and 1 patrol .

the price of GXL prados in adelaide is thru the roof , good for yous who have them as the resale here is nutts !

i was down to the wire with the pajero due to late year , extras , warranty and price .... but i really wanted a prado .

The only thing was that the price of a GXL + snorkel + bullbar + lights + get rid of the grandcraps was going to be $45k

i joined this forum and spotted a GX owned by a member here , he knows who he is ..cough cough joracha ... i bought a 04 GX for 27k and have stuck 6k of extras on it ... everytime i look at it i smile ... best bloody decision ever .

when im out on the road and see a pajero (NP or new model) i think of how lucky i was that i nearly bought a vehicle i was stuck with for 3 years when i really wanted something else .... what i have got !

apart from the best looking 4wd on the road HANDS DOWN , you have a super engine and a unbelieveable 4wd .

no contest is my 2c