iRage

Agree...but we have to wonder about several things 1. Yes..it is understandable that LR went with all the gadgets and gizmos to appeal to a new consumer base and also a to a group of people who just use the LRs for shopping runs but now want to do it in luxury. But they should also consider the market where people want something simple that runs and works well in hard environments and easy to keep running in these environments. As far as I know you only get the option with a simpler suspension system, but not an old fashioned 4wd system. 2. Consumerism....Manufacturers need people to "buy"; without products being bought they would slowly seize to exist. So one has to wonder if the manufacturers have an incentive to manufacturer components that can be fixed and products that have an internal life span (well...really really long). Add to this the ever reducing resources (raw materials wise). Now manufacturers need these vehicles and its components back in the crusher to be scrapped out so that what ever that can be reused can be used. 3. Automation......This applies to everything....are we as a human race going in the right direction ? Yes...the world has changed and automation of tasks of a process enables the human to engage more on the knowledge and creative aspects of the process. However, we as a species have clearly shown time and time again that we have just become dumber. The young farmer boy out in the outback farming and wanting to do it in a luxurious off-roader is understandable...I have nothing against that...but don't you think this new farm boy is reluctant to fix things because society told him it was not worth fixing things ? Just like in many parts of the world children are under the belief that they do not need to know how and why math works because calculators do things for you (Yes you do not need to do the actual task...but learning some of the principals behind math has positive side consequences of teaching and training one's brain in doing things like being logical...) 4. (sort of same as 3) I do believe that in certain things in life you need to know how things work...not knowing would be a matter of life and death. Automation all the way from the actual tasks to the decision making processes of all the elements involved is still not there yet. So until a level of total and complete automation (we are talking about at the level of actual AI here) then some things should not be automated just so that humans do not mess up.

It is a sad state that the world has lost its ability to be simple. So these manufacturers really cannot make a off-roader without using a zilliion sensors and letting a computer take care of it ? Simple does not mean we sacrifice safety...but then giving a computer controlled 4wd system to a moron who knows nothing about off-roading and thinks his car is going to keep him alive on tough trail by it self is a safety risk. Yes....things like autonomous braking, etc..are nice and useful and required and as most models have shown these features can be taken off depending on the market segment in question. However, did the drive mechanism really need such electroniification ? The reassurance of pulling on your transfer case ever and feeling that and hearing that slight clunk of a lock is very reassuring. Africa gets the old junk due to economic reasons. But when mining companies, the UN/Projects, government wants no non-sence off roaders we still buy the simple 70 series or the stripped down base versions of the Prado or LC 200 (the latter two still has a few ECUs driving them but at least the suspension, etc..are still normal) OR we simply go for the Fortuner or Pajero or Pajero Sport (especially the P. Sport). So in many ways Toyota, Nissan and MItsubishi have been some what lucky enough to have the financial means to have different products for different markets which covers all bases. As for the 70...in May of this year there were indications that Toyota will have a replacement for the 70. At the time the statement was that the power trains would change (to meet emission standards) with the same type of rugged drive train the 70 was known for whilst shortcomings in the different NCAP tests will be addressed (so I am guessing this means they will do better on fixing things like the appauling small-overlap results, moderate side and roof protection results....plus they might put in some active safety features. The old school drive train Toyota would still have under its belt because everything from the Hilux to the Fortuner and the small Hino trucks use it (albeit with an electronic switch in some). The wider front tread width and the shorter rear thread with is a result of the V8 engines....they just never bothered to change the rear.....

Looks a bit too plush and techie for me...the LR Defender, much like the LC 70 series, was supposed to be simplistic which contributed to its capability and usability (even if the thing broke down in the middle of no where you could fix it with a hammer and a rubber band ). Comparing the LR Defender to a Prado is a bit imbalanced. The Prado is supposed to be a off-road capable wagon. Not a full fledged rugged, where ever you want to go off-roader like the Defender (a better comparison for the Prado would be a Discovery ?). If you compare the Defender against the LC70 then the figres match up. LC 70: Towing : 3500kg Payload : 1200kg Wading Depth : 70cm (stock intake, with the optional factory fitted intake snorkel it goes up to 80 something) Now..payload.....be very wary about what manufacturers say about Payload. The payload is defined as the total weight of passenger, cargo and ancillaries a vehicle can safely carry. So if the manufacturer says payload is 1200....when you add the weight of all the seat heaters, stereos, and other bells and whistles, spare tires, roof rack boxes that the manufacturer themselves offer; plus adjustments for fuel weight, the actual payload you can carry reduces drastically. The LC 70 series has a payload of 1200kg....in the wagon, depending on the spec, that goes down to about 950 or a bit more....but the pickup variant, with the heavy truck bed in the back the usable payload goes down to about 900 (and that is if you get the optional aluminium truck bed)

Tell you what...get on the Toyota website...see what the tire size is for the GR Sport, GR Sport GR and GRMN....they are 15 (and 16) inch wheels that fit the stock clearances of the Vitz. Eazy Peezy...

Well....if it is a real GE with a 6MT and was actually manufactured after 2009 then it is the actual sporty version that is equal to a Swift Sport or a Vitz GR Sport (Formerly Vitz G's or Vitz RS). When the RS was first introduced in the GE series in 2007, it was just a trim level and had the samethign as every other Fit except for some sporty body parts and interior trim. It was only 2009 and onwards that it actually became actually sporty. In SL most of the RS I have seen are Hybrid versions which....and at that not manual... So it is a bit rare....but if you think that is ridiculous...I saw an advert for a normal Vitz but with a 1.3L engine and it was classified as rare....

The fact that Sri Lankans consider the Allipn/Premio 260 "Premium" just makes me want to go on a bloody rampage and makes me have no hope for SL... No..Allion/Premio is a large-sized compact car that is designed to get you from A to B economically with modest creature comfort . Toyota's entry level premium car is/was the Camry, Mark X (and perhaps the actual 2.0L Premio G range..which didn't sell well as people went for the Mark X instead).

That is because in Sri Lanka you only get the cheapo version with the 1L engine. It is sad that in SL Vitz is judged by this variant which comes with an engine that is older than the model itself. I thikn he meant...in a Vitz you feel more car than in a Wagon R.... as for presence...Toyotas and 99% of Japanese cars are not made for road presence...it goes against the Japanese way of doing things. The Vitz can stand out if you get the right one...but even then...you will not know what you are looking at unless you know what you are looking at (which is what goes with Japanese way of doing things...even the Skyline....normal people will not know what it is and think it is a normal little coupe' ...I guess the exception would be the new Supra, only because it is horrendous)

Well...if you put a larger wheel..the tire will have a lower profile (in order to keep the rolling size of the entire tire/wheel combo the same). So in some ways the profile of the tire is connected to the size of he wheel if you want to keep the same rolling size. With a lower profile tire there is less roll on the sides/walls of the tire than a tire with a higher profile. So with a larger wheel size and lower profile of the tire; there is a bit of a less sway that is put on the car/suspension at cornering, etc...so handling wise you will feel a difference. How big a difference depends on how large of a wheel size you are moving on to...from 14 to 16 (or 17) you will feel a considerable difference but then moving from 14 to 15 will be less of a difference. Yes you are right about the absorption...if the walls of the tire are small there is less of absorption from the tire. Some say low profile tires are noisy..but personally I find that partly to be a myth...there are really good low profile tires that are quiet.... For rainy and snowy times..I do prefer higher profile tires..the higher wall sizes make it easier to cut through the snow....the low profile tires sometimes makes the water and snow flow through the rim making it difficult to move and making steering a bit unpredictable

Mazda, the company who put most of their energy in to developing the ICE and claimed the HSD from Toyota was just a temporary step, is now focussing on EVs..full and Hybrid...(Toyota seems to be one of their partners...)

Yes...practice proper lane discipline (easier said than done)..follow road rules (don't get on junction boxes unless you can pass through, or stop on pedestrian crossings) and extend common decency to others without expecting any acknowledgement/appreciation/anything in return. Plan your trips so you avoid going back and forth several times a day (sometimes for the smallest of things). Use public transport, bikes or walk as much as you can. Stick to local shops/markets as much as you can.

typically warranties from the agent are around those years. I believe Toyota gives 3 ? koreans gave 5 or something. don't know what they are now.

Yes, it is a start to a solution. I was not saying they should be avoided. I was opposing the statement about wanting quick and easy solutions without investing public funds. Investment is needed. Decent private investment is going to be hard to find and short term. So public funds or public private partnerships are needed

Not entirely agreeable with this....what are these easy solutions you are talking about ? Sri Lankan needs investment in public transport infrastructure....we need smarter roads and crucially a better public transport system. These require investment of public funds or get off the ground as a PPP. A lot of people say getting people to follow road rules, etc..will fix a lot of issues and see this as an easy and less expensive solution....that is only partly true..it will fix a lot of issues but it will not be a long term solution. As the population grows, issues like at present will prop-up. In the past we did not feel the lawlessness of the roads that much because the roads were not as congested and with the low amount of resources the police had they were able to somewhat keep the roads flowing relatively better. But now as the population has grown, with car owning people along with it, the same old resource base is simply not cutting it. Ensuring that road rules are enforced requires investment of public funds. The police need proper equipment, proper training, etc...even for the smallest of things (eg....even things like checking the loudness of exhausts...the cops need equipment to do it instead of the j***a$$ methods they follow right now.). Then some of the things mentioned to fix private buses like putting cops in buses and putting complaint numbers, spot fining the buses etc...are easy and quick solutions, but then again...short term and not sustainable. I will bet a lot of money that the minute the government does that, then the bus operators are going to go on strike and hold the country hostage, YET AGAIN ! There was a time about 20 years ago that the police tried this (kept plain clothes cops in bus stands etc..to stop overloaded buses after some school kids died by getting squashed between two buses or something)....it worked for sometime...then when the cops stopped doing it the bus operators went back to their old habits. We do not have a sufficiently large police force to be doing this indefinitely. So we need to invest in expanding our police force, or a better investment would be to equip the police with technology that helps them work smarter. Again...takes public funds. Public funds towards fixing roads, railway systems, improving police, education, health, food security, etc...is never a bad idea. What is bad is that we let public funds be wasted on luxury cars and foreign trips for a bunch of absolute morons.

You need to understand what the JDM version is and what is meant by THailand version....JDM = Japanese Domestic Market. The local agents of any manufacturer will not be getting down the JDM version to SL as a brand new vehicle (it happens very very very rarely). When an agent says they bring down the JDM variant, what they mean to say is that you will be getting an export model specification which would have been assembled in Japan. With global models, such as the Old Corollas (E80,E90,E100etc..) and new models like the CR-V, RAV4, New Corolla, the difference between JDM variants and the export variants are quite minimal in build quality and what differs are the market specific features and power/drive train specifics. When Stafford says it will get the Thailand version, what they mean is they will get the EXPORT model of the CR-V which is assembled in Thailand. On the other hand you can buy a vehicle at a Japanese dealership where you would be buying a JDM variant of the CR-V which is also assembled in Thailand. You have two different cars here. The Eclipse Cross is in a smaller segment than the CR-V. Its direct competitor from Honda would be the Vezel. The CR-V's direct Mitsu competitor would be the Outlander. So your first decision is to see if you want a sub-compact cross-over or a compact crossover. Typically how it works is for the price of an average spec'd compact cross over you will be able to find a sub-compact with extra features (but then sometimes the extra features you get in the sub compact come as standard in a larger vehicle). Now...the Export model CR-V intended for the SL market might not have all the bells and whistles the JDM or ADM variants of the CR-V might have. So when you want to decide whether you want to go with the agent's SL export model or a JDM/ADM variant; check whether the bells and whilste you get is actually worth for you. Remember, with the agent you get the manufacturer's direct warranty, you will be able to maintain a proper service history and if it goes all bust, you have the manufacturer's cover. Same with the Eclipse Cross...

The New Nissan Juke We finally get to see it ! The rear is not bad but the front is...well..still an "acquired" taste.The interior layout looks very ex-Mazda-ish and way too busy So far the announced engine is a 1L Direct engine Turbo charged 3 cylinder engine with a 6MT or a 7-DCT.

Really cannot comment on the reliability because in old vehicles the reliability is dependent on how well the car was taken care of by the previous owners. I have never driven a P 406 so will not say anything about it. Performance...well..it depends on your definition of performance....overall I prefer the Civic EK series..as it has decent handling and a nice feel to it, how quick it would be will depend on the engine you get...but for the most part it is pretty good. The Mazda and Galant are somewhat the same but different. The Galant with its larger engine does move a little bit better than the Mazda(albeit not by that much as most in SL are base econo box variants). The Mazda on the other hand is little nimbler. Safety wise...well again..more or less the same and is dependant on the variant you get as some variants came with dual airbags, ABS, etc..but some did not.

The cars he wants are tagged on top...the typical models toyota passo nissan ak12 toyota vitz suzuki swift toyota starlet mazda demio perodua viva elite mitsubishi cs1 nissan sunny honda city nissan wfy11

Not a sensible question. You are looking at cars that are nearly 2 decades old. Cost of maintenance of such cars depend on how well the previous owners have taken care of it. An Alto can cost a lot more to maintain than a Corolla of the same age if the Alto has been used roughly whilst the Corolla has been taken care of like a baby. Out of the cars you have tagged...the parts are pretty much the same price if you go with decent OEM brands. As for mechanic rates....if you go to a decent mechanic the rates are fixed no matter what the car is...

The government was researching on electronic payment systems and a system where the bus would get paid a fixed amount or something for a set number of routes. The idea was that the buses will not have any incentive to overload the buses or race around competing for passengers. Also, even if the bus is empty the operator would be inclined to run the bus at night as they would still get paid. As for getting out of cars...yes a lot of people I do believe will voluntarily shift out of their cars and in to public transport if the transport system is good. It has been shown over and over again in other countries. However, lessons from other countries is that getting people out of their cars also means there are structural changes that need to be made in salary and other benefit frameworks. For example, I know quite a few companies in Sri Lanka who give car allowances to employees to buy and use a vehicle for work purposes (I suppose no vehicle allowance means no more unnecessary purchase of new vehicles as ell). Some actually give this as a rental fee...so if the employee stops bringing in the car to work, that means the employer has no incentive to give a car allowance as a rental fee or gasoline allowance and such (telling the people to use public transport is operationally cheaper and more efficient). Now the employee essentially looses out in terms of the total value of the package unless the employer is willing to offset the loss in allowances by increasing base salaries. But then that has tax implications as well (I know allowances are supposed to be declared but hardly anyone does it). But yes...to a proper public transportation system. I do believe that would help the traffic situation and also force a lot of structural changes along with it. Another crucial element is driver training. People and schools need to be re-licensed and properly assessed and all the good for nothing driving schools need to be shut down. The schools and the testing procedure need to be thoroughly regulated and monitored.

Yes...the Bezza comes with a 1L 1KR engine or a 1.3L 1NR engine. The 1KR comes in the Vitz. THe 1NR however is available only in developing country markets on vehicles like the Avanza However ! The 1KR engine between the VIz and the Bezza are different. The Bezza comes with a 1KR-VE and the VItz with a 1KR-FE. THe 1KR-FE is old...the 1KR-VE is a newer version that has been improved by Perodua i believe...it is supposed to be lighter and has less vibrations and such.

The CR-V is now manufactured in Thailand. So even Japan gets the CRV from Thailand. EDIT : The Hybrid variant was to be manufactured in Japan at the Sayama factory and the Gasoline variant was to be imported from Thailand. This was what was announced at the 2017 Tokyo motorshow. Depending on the market condition Honda might have decided (or will decide) to produce all JDM CR-Vs in Japan, just like they did with the Grace). The main difference between the Stafford imported one and the JDM imported one is that the JDM one will have a few Japan specific bells and whistles. Along with that, there might be some slight differences in the stiffness of the suspension, how the engine is tuned as well (maybe..not entirely sure). I believe with the current lineup materials used for the export model version and the JDM versions are pretty much the same. If you go with Stafford's model..you do have the benefit of getting the manufacturer's warranty directly. THe JDM variant...well you are at the mercy of a d****a** car importer.

Well...those are two different types of cars. You need to be more specific on your requirements for anyone to decide which will be the better option for you. Seems like right now your main concern is to get a car that fits a budget and at that too, to buy a Toyota that you can easily get rid of out in to the herd. So for your budget...also see whether you want a mid sized sedan or a small hatch. Considering the junk our car salesmen bring down..there really is no difference between a registered Allion and an unregistered Vitz. If you want an unregistered car the safest way to go about it is to go to a reputed and transparent local agent and buy one directly off of an auction; or better yet from a local sale in Japan. Registered Allion or Unregistered Vitz...make sure you get it inspected by a place like car###cks or the the agent and if possible both. Also, no matter which car you buy..do not blow your entire budget on the car. Save some money for mandatory pre-emptive and rectifying work you will have to do as soon as you purchase it.

Yes but no...yes DI engines can be prone to what you have indicated and using additives, etc does not necessarily help break up and clean any carbon build-up. However, DI engine'd cars have been around for a while even in SL it just have not been your average econo boxes that came with them. As long as you a. keep the car properly maintained (carry out proper scheduled maintenance and preemptive maintenance) b. use fuel that is not crappy (fuel in SL is not the best but its not all doom and gloom either as long as you go to stations hat have proper storage tanks, etc...and is reputable) ..you will be okay.

Honda will launch the new Freed and Freed+ in October. However, they are taking preorders right now

Saw this funky little thing at the 2017 Tokyo Motorshow. Now Toyota has confirmed that they will produce this. The car guys in Japan believe that it will be launched at the 2019 TMS..the concept/prototype model was a bit large but the production model is apparently a bit smaller than the CHR Any guesses to what TJ is ?