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Magnum

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Blog Entries posted by Magnum

  1. Magnum
    I will provide some basics of the car before I go into a detail review,
    Model Code: GRS182
    Trim: Royal Saloon G
    Engine: 3GR-FSE
    Transmission: 6AT
    Mods: 
    •    Buddy Club coilovers
    •    Monza Japan Wheels wrapped with 235/45R18 Goodyear Eagle F1 Directional tyres
    •    V*P Table
    •    Carrozzeria tweeters
    •    Carrozzeria secondary head unit (You cannot replace the head units in these cars as the AC controls and other car settings are built into the head unit)
    •    6000K low beam and 3000K fog lamps
    •    Aftermarket exhaust until the muffler (It came from Japan with a complete aftermarket exhaust but had to fix an original muffler back in as it was deemed to be too noisy to pass the roadworthy, it also had flaps with a switch to adjust the loudness which is also illegal in Australia)
    •    Every single interior and exterior light had been replaced with LED
    •    Few Junction Produce goodies
    I recently got myself a Toyota Crown GRS182 Royal Saloon G. The 182 is powered by the 3GR-FSE which churns out 256 horses and 313NM torque, the power is sent to the rear wheels via a 6 speed automatic tranny. The GRS182 was offered in two standard trims, Royal Saloon and Athlete. The Royal Saloon is the luxury comfy trim while the Athlete is the sporty version, sort of like Premio and Allion but in this case you get different suspension tuning as well. Mine being a G trim it gets few extras which the standard Royal Saloon didnt get or was offered as optional only. 

    The Crown has plenty of power and its always eager to get up and go, its very responsive even when you are driving on the standard mode. Switch into power mode and it becomes even more sharp and rev happy. If you launch this hard you’ll notice  the traction control kicking in even with 235 thread low profile tyres, of course you can turn off the traction control if you want to do some burnouts. Handling and stability are spot on with coilovers and grippy tyres, it will go through corners without a worry. It’s also well stable and sits happily at freeway speeds, you barely feel the speed even when you are doing 100km/h. It’s a big car with a big heart but it’s still fairly economical, urban driving returns around 7.5km/l while highway driving returns around 14-15km/l, however it strictly requires 98 octane fuel.
    The seats are very soft and when you sit down you sink into the seats sort of like sitting on a plushy sofa, also there’s plenty of adjustments on the driver seat for the driver to get the perfect driving position. In addition the rear passengers can recline the rear seats like in Premio/Allion but in this its done electronically with the press of a button.
    Even on coilovers and low-profile tyres the ride doesn’t feel harsh.

    The car is a complete feature fest, I’ll name a few:
    Comfort access to unlock the car
    AFS headlights
    Dual zone fully automatic climate control system
    Backup camera with front and rear sensors (You can even adjust the sensitivity of the sensors)
    Air purifier
    Rear AC and head unit controls for rear passengers
    Fridge/Cool box
    Sun blinds
    Swinging A/C
    10 speakers + centre speaker and subwoofer with an amp. Plus another pair of Carrozzeria tweeter has been added to my car. 
    10 airbags
    Front and rear electric seats (The rear seats can be tilted with the press of a button)
    3 memory settings for driver seat
    Electronically adjustable telescopic steering wheel
    Cruise control
    Wooden trim steering wheel (optional extra).
    Tyre pressure monitoring
    Speed sensitive door locking
    Crown is an import to Australia so it picks up lot of attention on the road and at car parks, I have had people ask me what kind of car is it or what brand of car is it. Among the JDM community there’s a fair bit of following for the Crown and if you need any help regarding the car there are groups on FB with fellow Crown owners to sought out your problems (Haven’t had any yet though). For parts there are places who stock import car parts, of course prices aren’t cheap as parts for an Australian delivered car. Similarly, there are mechanics also who have an understanding of import cars. However, the problem with owning a JDM vehicle in Australia is that they are very popular among thieves so full insurance is a must and only a handful of companies provide insurance to JDM vehicles.
    In terms of second hand market and resale value JDM cars are among the top, there’s a prominent fanbase for JDM cars in Australia and they tend to hold their value well. Lately JDM cars have in fact gone up in value during the pandemic.
    Theres only one common problem with the 180 series Crown, that is dashboard cracks. Toyota used a very soft material for the dashboard which cracks as it ages, this problem was there on the 120 series Mark X and few other Toyota vehicles from this period as well. Only solution for this is to use a dash mat.
     
    Some pics for you all














  2. Magnum
    It's been little more than 4 years with my Hiace and it has done around 76,000kms so I thought its time I give you guys an update on it.
    Let me start the blog with the basics, 
    Mine is a Toyota Hiace KDH206, this variant of Hiace is fitted with a 1KD-FTV turbo engine with an all wheel drive system. The AWD system in the KDH series is pretty much full time, it runs on all four wheels normally and if any of the wheels experience a slippage, the vehicle stops sending power to that specific wheel.
    There is a noticeable difference between the AWD variant(KDH206) and RWD variant(KDH201). The KDH206 is around 100kg heavier and you could feel that through the steering when you drive one. In addition, the KDH206 feels far more planted at higher speeds and around corners than the RWD variant. However the downside is that the full time AWD system drinks bit more fuel than RWD version. 
    Cost of Maintenance
    In short the Hiace is not cheap run, I get fuel economy of around 6km/l in kandy and around 9-10km/l outstation, the RWD KDH201 would return around another extra 2km more per litre. Hiace is originally fitted with 195/80R15 8ply tyres and they cost around 22-23.5K per tyre from brands like Continental or Pirelli, while Maxxis tyre could be found for around 16k.
    The Hiace requires 0W-30 oil and a regular service which needs to be carried out every 5000km costs around 10K using Toyota oil, I was using Toyota oil filter as well, but now I have switched to VIC.
    ATF oil must be changed around every 40k kms, I change air filter and cabin filter every year. 
    It requires super diesel and this is an absolute must, if you regularly pump auto diesel you will pay more in repairs than what you saved by pumping auto diesel. The most likely issues you would get from pumping auto diesel are DPF, which costs around 70-80k to replace and injectors, which would set you back around 500k for all four.
    So far I had to change only a bush which costed around 50rs, apart from that I have not had any repairs.
    Performance
    The Hiace pulls pretty well for a vehicle which weighs 2 tonnes, the 1KD-FTV with a variable nozzle turbo produces 100kw at 3400RPM and 300nm of torque at 1200-3200rpm and it is connected to a 4 speed conventional automatic gearbox. Overtaking other vehicles with Hiace is pretty easy, you just have to put your foot down, the turbo will come to life and you would be gone. It is always on the right gear, there's no unnecessary downshifts or up shifts, the gearing ratios are perfectly synced with the power band of the engine although it is only a 4 speed gearbox in a world of 6 and 7 speed gearboxes.
    The Hiace properly comes to life on hill climbs with the help of low end power and variable nozzle turbo.
    Handling is fairly good for a van, it handles better than large SUVs. The KDH series has much less body roll compared to the previous LH series, but it isn't great as handling of a car. I notice the difference in handling when I drive the Hiace after driving our Bluebird which has front and rear independent suspension.
    Comfort
    It doesn't handle large potholes and bumps as good as a car, but it does manage to soften small potholes pretty well. The diesel engine noise is evident compared to a hybrid or petrol vehicle but the noise reduces when the vehicle gets to the third gear or at around 70+ km/h speed. The A/C is epic on the Hiace, it is one of the best cooling A/C I have come across, I rarely have to set the A/C temperature below 26 degree Celsius on auto mode and that is without the dual A/C. 
    There is plenty of space inside, 7 or 8 people could travel on long journeys with their legs stretched out and not crammed. The second row seat is the best place to be in, you get the dual A/C right in front of you, it is acoustic sweet spot and minimal sunlight enters the cabin.
    Practicality
    It is quite a practical vehicle if you are using it occasionally or for long journeys as it can seat 8 comfortably yet carry plenty of luggage(you could fit around 4-5 large travelling bag placed horizontally), it has got atleast double the amount of luggage space compared to a Noah/Esquire. However it is bit of waste of money if you are using it on daily basis as fuel bills are gone be crazy and parking these are not that easy within city limits. In addition, maneuvering these around narrow roads requires some skills especially roads with tight bends.
    Second hand value and parts
    Selling a KDH isn't difficult at all, if you maintain them right there will always be people willing it to buy it from you. There are plenty of body parts available but 1KD engine parts are bit difficult to find and even if you do find, it will be expensive
    Some used parts prices are:
    Pair of tail lights: 15k for older design and 30k for new design Pair of headlight: more than 100k without the HID unit Rear door: around 40k Fog lights: around 20k What I have done with my Hiace
    The Modellista body kit came with the van from Japan itself and I added the Modellista grill later on

    Original Toyota spoiler which came painted pearl white


    I tinted the fog lamps yellow with Nightbreaker bulbs in them

    I have also replaced the rear seats which are rotatable and come with a table as well

    I have done some electronic mods as well,
    Installed a transcend DrivePro 200 

    Carrozzeria tweeters with crossover

    and JBL component speakers with crossover(thanks to @TheFlyingFox)
    https://streamable.com/ujkce
    I was planning on installing FIAMM horns, but the JDM side of my brain took over and I went with Mitsuba Alpha
    https://streamable.com/nbipn
    Note: click on the links to access the videos
    My dad had the body kit removed for a short period of time and during that time I drove it through some muddy terrain. It did well.  

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