Toyota Sportrider Or Volvo V70 ... Opinions Please

[BSJ]

Chunkton: That is very interesting. So what were the changes that Ford made to the Volvo to make it into a substandard vehicle? Did they downgrade the safety? What did they actually do?

Generally speaking many changes have been subtle. The car in essence looks the same to the consume but things like stainless steel panels and better undercoating and quality plastic parts have made way for cheaper parts. I doubt safety has been effected as Ford would have realised the safety benefit they inherited when they bought Volvo was a big plus in marketing.

Having said that, I thought another way to look at it would be if Volvo remained 100% Volvo and sub-contracted Ford to design and build certain models it would be an even worse outcome as Ford would add new sheetmetal to a Taurus and tell us it's all new!

GM did it with a certain SAAB model.....but at least that was a decent Subaru model to start with!

[romulus]

Would you be based in the countryside or in Bangkok? The roads in some parts can kill. Holes everywhere and if you're not familiar with the roads and where the potholes are, you could easily damage your suspension while travelling fast. The other thing to watch out for is floods. They occur ever so often here...

I have a sportrider (2004) 3.0G chip-tuned so I get about 150+hp. Ride is rougher than a saloon car but definitely more comfortable than a pickup. The D4D engine doesn't shudder at high speeds and isn't very loud (comparison with pickups). It can take most anything and I've managed to squeeze up to 14 in it. The 4WD will get you out of most sticky situations and the high ground clearance will see you through most floods. I've modified my rear seats so they fold flat - it's almost pickup truck like if need be!

I get about 9km/lit in city traffic conservatively or about 8.2km/lit if I step on it. I get about 12km/lit on the highways cruising around 110km/h. If I cruise at 120-130km/h on the highways economy goes down to about 10.7km/lit.

It's big and heavy but it feels a lot lighter and more nimble than the equivalent Isuzu chassis (Mu7, adventure, etc). I've driven my friend's Fortuner to do Visa runs and my feel is that the Fortuner is more sensitive on the gas but slower on the brakes. Didn't feel much difference in terms of softness of the ride though although the interior of the Fortuner is a lot more comfortable and classy. Handling is roughly the same.

Maintenance, parts, etc. are easy to come by and almost any garage will be able to fix it (so they tell me).

Sportrider D4Ds cost about 450-550K depending on the model and specs

Fortuner VVTi used goes for about 750k+ D4D V model is about 850k used, while the D4D G (manual) goes for about 750+

MU7 is priced slightly cheaper than the Fortuner.

(all used car prices)

I've not had a Volvo so I won't comment.

Hope this helps.

[ignis]

So I've come to 2 options: a Toyota Sportrider D4D (diesel, lots of room, strong) or a Volvo V70 stationwagon (lots of room again, more comfortable, petrol engine). They would come in about the same price range, the Sportrider being about 5 years old, and the Volvo about 10. I've been driving Volvo's (850T5 and S70R) over here for 10 years now, and am quite happy with the reliability, the roadfeel, the whole package really. I've never driven a SUV like the Toyota.

Sorry I don't follow this ??

I have seen a few Toyota Sportrider D4D 2003 - 2004 price range 550 - 625,000 baht

also a few Volvo V70 stationwagon 2001 - 2002 priced 600 - 650,000 baht..

In car Tents here for the same sort of price there is a 2 year difference, not a 5 year difference...

Also you can get a 3.0 Auto TD Isuzu Vega 2002 for 400 - 450,000

Also a 2005 - 2006 3.0 Auto TD Isuzu MU-7 for 600 - 650,000 baht

In Petrol you can buy a Ford Escape or Mazda Tribute 2004 - 2006 priced 475 - 575,000 baht

Loads of 2004 Honda CRV's for under 600,000 baht

What about a LandRover Freelander 2003 - 2004 Petrol or TDi also the same sort of price?

All the above I have seen in Tent Dealers this week.....

Edited August 27, 2009 by ignis