Have a V6, should I swap over to a D4D?

[Just*Managing Member Find all posts View Profile Close Just*Managing]

If range isn't a problem (& I know its not what you originally asked), have e you considered converting one of the petrol tanks to LPG? It won't give you better fuel economy but it should reduce the cost. And as I stand by for the battering of LPG naysayers, I will admit that I have not done this myself. I just pay up because I love my Prado and higher petrol costs is part of the deal.

[GEEEXL Member Find all posts View Profile Close GEEEXL]

18l/km 100 is shocking -- all that gear is just too much.....

f150's with a 7.3l v8 turbo diesel are getting 13l/100km -- they would tow a prado backwards and it would fit in the ute body!!!

it is very easy to over modify a decent 4x4 with all the 3 letter name branded products and some of their products only add weight to the vehicle nothing more!!.

Modified to far out of manufacturers spec's and you have just created a PIG. Something like a HJ47 or GQ etc is a different story their age and simplicity affords much more shite to be bolted to them all be it with a large horsepower transplant to go with !!

just my thoughts -- I have a d4d 150 purely to tow and launch a boat at times with limited ramps and available traction. It does this task quite well and is hence the reason for me buying it.

by the sounds you need to be opening your search to larger more capable vehicle with greater cargo size and capacity that will require much less modification from factory spec than your current vehicle.

G

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

Except...

An F150 isn't going to cut it in remote areas. It's going to break and it's too wide in body and track.

Fine around town if you like that kind of thing.

Thoughtfully adding stuff to a Prado extends it's usefulness in remote areas, same with any capable 4x4. I've never seen 18L/100km on our Prado, maybe 13 at worst. Don't tow a trailer though, that would add a bit.

[Whitey Shockie Maker of the Month Award Find all posts View Profile Close Whitey]

18l/km 100 is shocking -- all that gear is just too much.....

f150's with a 7.3l v8 turbo diesel are getting 13l/100km -- they would tow a prado backwards and it would fit in the ute body!!!

The figure of 18l/100km is for the petrol Prado around town. A fully loaded diesel Prado around town gets around 13l/100km.

If you took the F150 to the desert, you will rapidly chew over 20l/100km of diesel, and with that ridiculously long wheelbase you're going to be doing lots of digging!

While the F150 is getting dug out, the Prados (even the petrol ones) will cruise right on by!

Best

Mark

[topic97 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close topic97]

I gather the fuel usage quoted for the F150 was in relation to highway driving?
Because my petrol prado is pretty good on fuel on the highway.

Lets face it, no car is awesome on fuel around town - regardless of what you drive.
And economy starts with a lighter right foot.....

[GEEEXL Member Find all posts View Profile Close GEEEXL]

Hi guys the F150 250 350. . . whatever fuel figure is a real life figure like the 18/100 stated from he OP

My olds mans work sent two crews up to remote NT from Adelaide 1 crew in a tubo manual 100 series and the other in a turbo auto f150, bot loaded to the hilt. The fuel bill was almost identical except the f150 was hauling much more weight and bigger trailer. They are used globally as a offroad utility and not so much for a soccer bus

my point was that if you need to modify 300 items on car A then maybe better to look at car B that only requires 50 items to be modified tomeet the requirements

I wouldn't buy a f150 as i dont need that much grunt or cargo area for my travels but they are a very viable option for towing big loads !

G

[topic97 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close topic97]

Hi guys the F150 250 350. . . whatever fuel figure is a real life figure like the 18/100 stated from he OP

My olds mans work sent two crews up to remote NT from Adelaide 1 crew in a tubo manual 100 series and the other in a turbo auto f150, bot loaded to the hilt. The fuel bill was almost identical except the f150 was hauling much more weight and bigger trailer. They are used globally as a offroad utility and not so much for a soccer bus

my point was that if you need to modify 300 items on car A then maybe better to look at car B that only requires 50 items to be modified tomeet the requirements

I wouldn't buy a f150 as i dont need that much grunt or cargo area for my travels but they are a very viable option for towing big loads !

G

Not denying that they are great at towing loads & probably relatively efficient in doing so - that's what they are built for & would be geared accordingly to get the best power & efficiency.
And due to their huge wheelbase & weight they would be pretty stable on dirt roads too.

But try taking one to the tip of the cape or up the high country - it wouldnt cut it.

[Prerderp Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Prerderp]

Hi mate,

Dunno if anyone has said this yet (it's turning into a pretty long thread...) but if you like staying at 110 even while towing, petrol is a stronger option than diesel. Everyone always goes on about torque for towing, but torque is only important for getting started. When you get to a bit of a hill with your caravan on the back, power is the important factor. You can always drop back a gear to give you more torque, but power is a finite resource.

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

Yep I've towed 2.5 tonnes with my petrol , and as my mate who's itsabitashiti I was towing on a trailer said , this thing doesn't even know it's pulling 2.5 tonnes .

[Kapitan Member Find all posts View Profile Close Kapitan]

Hey All, been doing heaps of homework but can't seem to make up my mind what I should do. I've got a mint 2007 VX V6 Petrol Prado which is fully decked out and i absolutely love. Only issue is my constant 18L/100 fuel usage with a weekly mix of half city, half country driving. I've got all the usual ARB stuff, Bull Bar, Bash Plates, 2" lift, 265 BFG ATs, Winch, Dual Batts, Roof Rack with Awning/Shovel/Hi-Lift, Drawers, 60L Water Tank, Engel etc and keep wondering how much cheaper a D4D will be to run, Im currently averaging about 550 kms a week. I'm about to splurge on the Kaymar wheel carrier as well but am really tempted to buy a Diesel to swap everything over to and then sell mine.

What are peoples opinions there? I recon it could cost me around 5-10k to do the swap for a comparable vehicle but id also have to budget in an injector change as some point so perhaps the Petrol won't come out much worse off? I don't drive like an idiot but always like to sit on 110 and overtake so i know thats a big factor.

Anyone else in the same boat?

What sort of consumption are the D4D 120s getting when set up like mine?

Thanks, Ben

Stay with V6 Petrol!!

[rosco5 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rosco5]

I did 3 years in a 120 series V6, then 9 years in a 120 series D4D Diesel (got one as soon as they came out), I am now back to a 150 series V6.

My personal opinion is that unless you are a die-hard 4wd off-roader driving for days on end without ever going past a petrol station then the V6 is the way to go.

Yes, it will cost you more in V6 petrol.
Yes the Diesels will cost you more in servicing (man I dropped some serious coin on the D4D with injectors etc over the life)
I think this debate is ongoing but to be honest one will tip out in front so marginally that I think this debate is, in fact, negligible.

Why did I go back to a V6?
1) Value for Money - In the secondhand market, they are cheaper because apart from the die-hards who really need a long range diesel due to remoteness, there is an element of the general population who think that when you buy a 4WD you should get a diesel because that's the way it has been setup over many years. A lot of the old arguments "for diesel" are no longer relevant and many of these buyers are using them a shopping trolleys anyway. They have never considered the cost to maintain vs petrol, they just look a fuel consumption. I bought a secondhand one and the $10k I saved buying a V6 instead of D4D, gets me a lot of fuel. If I use an extra 5L/100 (which is what I calculate it to be based on what I am getting from the previous car to current), then at $1.30/L I use an extra $6.5 / 100km. That means my break even is at approx 153,000km excluding maintenance costs.

2) Performance - When I went from V6 to Diesel, I convinced myself that the performance was about the same. When I was ready to changeover again I drove them both side by side and was so impressed with the V6, I remembered how good it really was. It is a truly awesome ride.

3) Fit for purpose - The vehicle is used as the wifes daily driver during the week and the weekend car / holiday car for longer treks. I have found the diesel to be frustrating at times when overtaking as it doesn't kick down and boogie when I want to overtake on a highway on some occassions. I really feel that the diesel is way too underpowered for such a large 4WD. In the V6 I feel more confident to overtake, especially when we are loaded up.

4) Refinement - My wife who is, in fact, the weekday driver of the car loved the fact that it no longer sounded rattly and trucklike. The V6 is smooth, refined, responsive and sounds great. It is just as much a pleasure to drive around the city as it is off-road.

5) Reliability - After seeing a friend of mine go through 3 months of pain with a blown D4D in his Hilux, it definitely irked me. 3 months with no car and $15k later puts a massive strain on a family with small children. I researched this heavily before making the choice to move back to V6 and what I found is that the V6 is one of the most rock solid and reliable motors around. I managed to find just one V6 motor that had destroyed itself in a 120 Series on eBay. The cause was due to not fitting the sump plug properly, it ran out of oil and the owner ignored the oil warning light.

So in summary I am elated to be back in the V6 camp. I say this from extensive experience of owning numerous Prados with both engines over the past 13+ years (excluding the 90 series as this was different motor again).

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

Two question for all the diesel lovers. Who needs the shortest run up to get up a steep dune? Now lets just say you are dune driving and happen to come between 2 steep dunes who's going to make it to the other side???

Second who is going to be able to over take the slower vehicles while pulling the 2T van???

Just saying
Doug

[rosco5 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rosco5]

And for a bit of perspective here about range.

Whenever this debate comes up someone will invariably chime in about how your should get the diesel over the V6 due to the range. If this argument is really valid then the Prado Diesel is the ONLY car you could ever buy. Because as it turns out we are spoilt with our range as compared to "everything else on the market".

A quick scan of 4WD fact on Redbook shows that of my selection of 16 commonly found 4WD in the outback the top 5 for range is Prado 2.8, Prado 3.0, FJ Cruiser, Landcruiser Diesel and Prado V6.

Every other car has less range, some less than half the range of the Prado V6 (ie Landrover Discovery 4 V8). The Prado V6 even gets around 250Km more range than a 4Cyl Diesel Nissan Patrol.

So yes Prado diesel has great range, in fact, it is exceptional and unmatched but 1613km max range on a Prado V6 is not only respectable, it is damn awesome and better than every other manufacturers diesel and they seem to be able to trek around Australia to remote places just fine.

I have put it all in a spreadsheet for the disbelievers, straight off Redbook.

Pffttt...range ....

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

Good points, except you forgot those figures are not outback driving figures with a loaded vehicle with rack and maybe trailer covering rough ground and using low range etc.

If you push the V6 it will gulp the fuel.

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

oh lets just end this argument . THE DIESEL IS FOR TIGHTARSES who mistakenly think they are going to save money . Someone eventually had to say it .might as well be me .