Identity
Toyota Is one of the most prolific car manufacturers in the world, whether it is on their home market or on any other, they have one of the widest range of vehicles to suit everyone's tastes. Despite this matter of fact there are still gaps to fill and new cars to make in order to make the whole range even more interesting and this is just what Toyota did, 6 months ago actually, by bringing a new SUV to the table. Placed between the RAV4 and the Harrier (Lexus RX), here comes the Vanguard!
Headlines
3.5l V6 producing 280 hp, 4WD
4m57 long, weighs 2085 kg (4600 lbs)
Sequential gearbox
Design
A sporty and luxury design this is what Toyota wanted for its new Vanguard, this risky combination, successfully achieved on the Lexus RX, failed to impress us this time.
The front end is the most pleasant, offering a well designed grille and impressive bumper as well as nicely shaped headlights and lines on the bonnet. The sides are also pretty nice to look at but it's the rear view which seems a little out of place. In a way, it looks like a stretched RAV4 and we believe that Toyota should have spent some more time on this part of the car to give the Vanguard its very own personality at 360 degrees.
Interior
Simplicity and discretion are the key words here. Featuring a pretty old-fashioned dashboard, the Vanguard barely keeps up with the rest of Toyota's production on that very point and this is pretty surprising. On the plus side, be sure that, as most (all) Toyotas of high standard, the comfort is excellent no matter what terrain you drive on.
On the road
Remember that Toyota claimed the Vanguard is a sporty and luxury SUV? Well it is definitely behind the wheel that those sensations come true. A good part of this lies under the bonnet in the form of the 3.5 litre V6 that has been seen in many other models in both Toyota and Lexus ranges, this excellent engine provides good accelerations and torque making this big SUV easy to drive even though it weighs over 2 tons. The motor is couple with a 5 speeds sequential gearbox (Super ECT) and the power is transmitted to all 4 wheels.
As you could expect on any Toyota, passive and active safety systems are numerous (ATC, S-VSC) and make for a very secure ride.
Many owners will and probably already use their Vanguard on good flat tarmac but Toyota wanted it to capable of more than that, many typical "4x4" equipments are to be listed (shortened gearbox, 4WD lock...) and we wanted to check whether or not this big baby could get dirty as easily as it is said.
No time for secrets, our little "off-road" trip soon confirmed the qualities of the Vanguard even though we didn't have the right tyres for the kind of terrain we drove on...muddy...snowy...rocky...not a single time we felt we were losing the control of our Toyota, an excellent point.
To make it short, the Toyota Vanguard won't make you win the Dakar but it's a good family S.U.V which will never let you down.
Conclusion:
The Vanguard combines excellent driving qualities with a pretty questionnable design. Its powerful V6 engine and security systems make it a pleasant and safe car. The arrival of this model on the north-american market should highlight whether people love it or not.
Posted on 18/03/08 By G-A.G
