Tom Lane

I would not go the Sportivo route.....

Delivery is estimated at 4-6 weeks. I think I will go for the Sportivo, just because I can :) This years model looks awesome. I don't care what others think, as I will have lots of fun driving it both on road and off-road! 

Thanks for the info villagefarang. 

 

I really like my TRD Sportivo and we have put 43000 km on it in roughly 1 ½ years.  Living 55 km outside of Chiang Rai it is a great all purpose vehicle.  Drives to town two or three times each week, road trips, take the golden retriever to the vet, haul the mountain bike by putting a couple of seats up and up to seven people if necessary.  

 

The 3 liter turbo climbs the hills with no effort and passes in a flash.  The interior looks and feels a bit more comfortable on the TRD model.  The only thing I don’t like is the feedback I get on really rough roads through the steering wheel.  Some people will give you grief for driving a Fortuner but my wife and I both enjoy driving ours.

 

Sounds like fun! Looking forward to getting ours on the road.

Did you buy your Sportivo new? What extras did you get at the time of purchase and what add ons / changes did you make later? 

I can't talk for others but I live in the country and play taxi driver for the family so need 7 seats. When it rains 4x4 is a must.

Great, thanks for the info. Any accessories you feel are a must buy? Or perhaps any other changes to what rolls off the factory line like the 29 PSI you suggested? I just want to make sure I get the best setup possible for the money I spend! 

Get started with some self study, check out the videos here. The pronunciation videos are great! https://www.youtube.com/user/ThaiStyleLanguage

Then, find yourself a teacher as there is no substitute for learning Thai with a Thai speaker. It is the best way to learn and keep motivated. It is also very important to get feedback on your pronunciation and tones from native speakers.