Something a bit different for you guys. Took my 250 through the paces today on a 38km drive deep in the UAE desert, the hardest I’ve pushed it so far. I was not disappointed. Drive highlights in the video below.
The 250 is sold as a Prado here in the UAE, a land of every Land Cruiser (and off-roader) conceivable - from 70s all the way through to 300s. Patrols, FJs and Wranglers dominate the offroad scene. Given we get the non-Hybrid version, my expectations were limited. I bought the Prado as my daily driver, expecting that she’d be good for the occasional light/medium offroad trip as a bonus but not more.
I was wrong.
I’ve installed 275/70R18 Cooper AT3 XLTs and a skid plate, and removed the air dam and mud flaps (before the desert inevitably breaks or swallows them), but otherwise, she’s stock. I drive at 11psi on the sand, in 4H with MTS sand mode enabled and traction disabled. 4L and diffs are reserved for self recovery.
The car drove like a dream. It’s torquey and the lower gears handle climbs with ease. The car feels surprisingly light for its weight and size, and its stock suspension comfortable and effective. Self recovery abilities proved themselves multiple times when 4L + diffs came to the rescue and saved me from bogging down in situations that would have required a pull in other cars I’ve driven before.
Downsides for me (just to not make this post too cheerleady) are the clearance, the radiator bracket weak spot (fixed through a custom fabricated steel cross member attached at the recovery points), the buzzy engine, the easily scratchable plastics, the overdone nanny tech, and the stupidly slow speed at which the stab bar reconnects. None of that takes away from my love for this car.
The 250 is sold as a Prado here in the UAE, a land of every Land Cruiser (and off-roader) conceivable - from 70s all the way through to 300s. Patrols, FJs and Wranglers dominate the offroad scene. Given we get the non-Hybrid version, my expectations were limited. I bought the Prado as my daily driver, expecting that she’d be good for the occasional light/medium offroad trip as a bonus but not more.
I was wrong.
I’ve installed 275/70R18 Cooper AT3 XLTs and a skid plate, and removed the air dam and mud flaps (before the desert inevitably breaks or swallows them), but otherwise, she’s stock. I drive at 11psi on the sand, in 4H with MTS sand mode enabled and traction disabled. 4L and diffs are reserved for self recovery.
The car drove like a dream. It’s torquey and the lower gears handle climbs with ease. The car feels surprisingly light for its weight and size, and its stock suspension comfortable and effective. Self recovery abilities proved themselves multiple times when 4L + diffs came to the rescue and saved me from bogging down in situations that would have required a pull in other cars I’ve driven before.
Downsides for me (just to not make this post too cheerleady) are the clearance, the radiator bracket weak spot (fixed through a custom fabricated steel cross member attached at the recovery points), the buzzy engine, the easily scratchable plastics, the overdone nanny tech, and the stupidly slow speed at which the stab bar reconnects. None of that takes away from my love for this car.
