Prado 2700 and Highlander are two completely different types of cars with different uses. Prado is an urban SUV suitable for long-distance travel, and Highlander is an urban leisure SUV, which should be called CUV more accurately.
Prado 2700 (left) and Highlander 2008 (right), let's take a look.
Let's briefly introduce these two cars first, so that consumers can have a basic understanding of these two cars first, and then talk about their personal views on how to choose these two cars.
I. Prado 2700
Prado, also known as overbearing, is a derivative series of Toyota Land Cruiser, which evolved from LC70. After three generations of LC70, LC90, LC 120. The first generation was introduced in 1984, namely LC70, and the second generation was introduced in 1996, namely LC90 and renamed Prado. In 2002, the third generation Prado was introduced, namely LC 120. At present, Prado is the mainstream model of this class of SUV in China, which occupies a fairly high possession.
Prado's cross-country ability is stronger than Highlander's, which is suitable for long-distance travel or outdoor activities.
Prado is positioned as an urban SUV, focusing on road performance and comfort, which is more suitable for long-distance travel. It can also be called a tourist SUV. Non-loaded carriage, double wishbone front suspension and four-bar independent rear suspension are adopted. Suspension adjustment is more suitable for road driving, and it is soft when off-road, which has a certain impact on passability. Nevertheless, it is more suitable for off-road than Highlander's suspension system. Prado is not a pure off-road vehicle, but it also has strong off-road capability, and the four-wheel drive system also emphasizes off-road performance. Generally speaking, running at high speed is Prado's strength, and the pursuit is the driving performance, comfort and reliability of long-distance driving on paved roads.
Compared with the 2008 Highlander, the configuration of Prado 2700 is simple. The car in the picture is only mentioned by the dealer, and there is no leather seat and luggage rack. For the sake of beauty, dealers will install leather seats and luggage racks by themselves, worth more than 9,000 yuan, and some will also add China DVD navigation system.
The imported Prado 2700 is equipped with a 2.7-liter inline four-cylinder VVT-I engine, with the maximum output power 120 kW and the maximum output torque of 246 Nm. Equipped with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox. Compared with Prado 4000, the interior of Prado 2700 is much simpler. Equipped with manual velvet seats, 8 seats, single CD and skylight. More importantly, it has no VSC (vehicle stability control device), A-TRC (traction control device), uphill and downhill auxiliary control device and TEMS electronic control suspension device, which makes its off-road performance worse than Prado 4000. Its power is not very strong, and it can't be felt when it runs effortlessly on the road. Once it exceeds 140 km or goes to the wild, it shows that the engine is not confident enough. In addition, Prado 2700 has few functions, the price is around 400 thousand, and the cost performance of the whole vehicle is not high.
Second, Highlander.
Toyota Highlander is a five-door, five-seat multi-functional sports and leisure vehicle launched by Toyota Motor Corporation on 200 1. Its market positioning is between Toyota RAV4 and Prado. It is a mid-to-high-end home SUV specially developed by Toyota Motor Corporation for the American market. Its main design ideas are ride comfort and space practicability. It is developed from Camry (car) platform and can be regarded as Camry's crossover vehicle, which is completely different from Prado developed from off-road vehicle platform.
The 2008 Highlander was launched in China and the United States in July.
Although it also has a certain off-road capability, driving on paved roads is the strength of 2008 Highlander, and its aggressive appearance cannot hide the fact that it originated from the automobile chassis platform.
At present, the 2008 model of this car has entered China, and it just went on the market with the United States in July. It will be produced in GAC Toyota and Camry in the future by means of original import.
Highlander is mainly for home use. The 2008 Highlander is obviously different from the 2007 Highlander in appearance, interior and power. It uses Toyota's new standardized Facebook and looks a bit like the enlarged new RAV4. The length, width and height are 4.79 m, 1.9 1 m and1.76 m respectively; The wheelbase is 2.79 meters and the ground clearance is 206 mm.
The appearance of 2008 Highlander is completely different from that of the previous generation Highlander (2007).
The 2008 Highlander is equipped with a new generation of 3.5L V6 engine, model 2GR-FE, which is the same as the engine used by lexus es350. The maximum output power is 270 HP and the maximum output torque is 344 Nm. Compared with the old 3.3-liter V6 engine, the maximum output power is increased by 55 horsepower. Adopt a five-speed automatic gearbox. The front and rear suspensions are McPherson type and connecting rod strut type independent suspensions respectively, and the whole vehicle system has four transmission modes: front four-wheel drive and front two-wheel drive.
Compared with the previous generation, the power and torque of the new 3.5-liter V6 engine have been greatly improved.
The passive safety configuration of Highlander in 2008 includes seven groups of airbags, including double front seat airbags, driver's knee airbags, front seat side airbags and automobile side air curtains. Active safety configuration includes anti-lock braking system, traction control system, braking force assist, braking force distribution and body stability control system. In addition, Highlander 2008 is equipped with active safety headrest and pedestrian protection system, and the newly designed hood and front bumper can reduce the injury of pedestrians when they are hit.
In 2008, Highlander 7 airbags were more comprehensive than Prado 2700 2 airbags.
Compared with the previous generation, the driving space of 2008 Highlander is more comfortable, which can accommodate two rows of five seats or three rows of seven seats.
After the introduction, the domestic price is 379,800-469,800, which is not kind, because the average price of Highlander in the United States is $24,800, which is only about $4,000 higher than the average price of RAV4 of $20,400.
Basic parameters of Prado 2700 and Highlander 2008
Third, the purchase analysis
Through the above introduction, we have a basic understanding of Prado 2700 and 2008 Highlander, and generally know the performance and use of these two cars. At present, the domestic prices of these two cars are relatively close, both of which are 400 thousand, and Prado 2700 is a little cheaper. Let's analyze who to choose for "occasional business trip without walking to work".
Full-time four-wheel drive 2008 Highlander also has certain off-road capability.
The author's suggestion is that consumers in the eastern region and those who don't often "fake off-road" had better buy 2008 Highlander, because its internal space, ride comfort, engine and handling performance are better than Prado 2700, while consumers in "fake off-road" regions occasionally buy Prado 2700, not because of its strong off-road ability, but because its non-loaded cars are more "solid" and more domestic.
You don't need to cross-country every day, "go to work instead of going for a walk occasionally." The 2008 Highlander is competent enough.
Since it is an occasional business trip to work, it shows that this consumer still mainly uses city cars. Choosing a 400,000-class car not only shows strong economic strength, but also is estimated to be in a relatively developed area with good road construction. Unless it is a mountainous area or a mining area, it is necessary to cross-country every day or often take unpaved roads, otherwise Highlander can better meet the needs of consumers who "don't walk to work and occasionally do business" than Prado 2700. Forget the Prado 2700, or you will complain that it is not well configured and powerful enough. Of course, this is compared with 2008 Highlander. If Prado 4000 is compared with 2008 Highlander, I suggest choosing Prado 4000.
Why is it better to choose 2008 Highlander for "going to work without walking and doing business occasionally"?
First look at the structure of the carriage. Prado 2700 adopts non-loaded carriage, and Highlander adopts loaded carriage. Therefore, Prado's center of gravity is high, the roll amplitude of high-speed turning is larger than that of Highlander, and the handling performance is worse than that of Highlander. Prado 2700 has trapezoidal girders, and its carriage structure is definitely stronger than Highlander's, so it is more suitable for driving on unpaved roads and off-road, but it is not as good as Highlander's load-bearing carriage when it is used for "going to work instead of occasional business trips".
Prado 2700 has obvious roll when turning at high speed, which is determined by the high center of gravity of its non-loaded carriage structure.
In addition to the high center of gravity, the non-loaded carriage makes the Prado 2700 worse than Highlander in ride comfort and space utilization. As long as you get into the car of Prado 2700, you can compare the ride comfort between Prado 2700 and Highlander. Prado 2700 adopts the standard 5+2 seat layout of Toyota off-road SUV, that is, front 2, middle 3, rear suspension and front opening 2 seats. Because the trapezoidal girder occupies a certain height of the carriage, the bottom of the whole carriage is stepped, especially the height of the rear luggage compartment is low, and the head space and leg space of the first and second rows are ok, but the third row is poor, and the head and leg space are very narrow, which can only be used by children or short people. Not only that, because of the high ground clearance, it is more troublesome for passengers to get on and off, and it is also more troublesome to get in and out of the third row of seats with the help of the welcome pedal.
The front driving space (left) of Prado 2700 is ok, but it is narrower than Highlander (right).
These troubles have been well solved in Highlander. The load-bearing carriage omits the thickness of the girder, which makes the overall height of Highlander lower than Prado 2700, while the clear height inside the carriage is higher than Prado 2700. The load-bearing carriage makes the bottom of Highlander's carriage as flat as MPV, which brings the advantages of excellent ride comfort and seat space utilization combination. Highlander's positioning is family car. In 2008, Highlander's body is bigger than the previous generation, and the combination of ride comfort and seat space is better than the previous generation.
The 2008 Highlander seat is more inclusive, and the head and leg space is stronger than Prado 2700.
In 2008, all seven Highlander seats have excellent leg and head space, and the second row seats are distributed at 4: 2: 4. The middle seat can be used as the central armrest of the seats on both sides, or it can be completely removed and placed under the central armrest of the front row, thus leaving a corridor in the center of the second row of seats for the convenience of the third row of passengers. The second row of seats can also slide forward or backward to increase the leg space of the second row of passengers or the third row of passengers. When people want to enter the third row of seats, the second row of seats can slide forward as a whole to make enough space for people to enter. In addition, two seats in the second row of seats near the car door can be folded down to increase storage space. This is also a function that Prado 2700 does not have.
Prado 2700 second row seat combination has simple function. When the third row passengers enter, they need to lift the second row and enter in a similar "crawling" posture. It is conceivable that this seems harmful for commercial purposes.
Highlander's second row of seats can slide back and forth, which is convenient and fast, and is more suitable for family and company users. The seats in the second row slide forward and fold to facilitate passengers to enter the third row.
The second row of middle seats can be completely removed and placed under the front center armrest box.
Compared with Prado 2700, the space of the third row of seats can be described as "luxury". Highlander's third row seats can be hidden under the floor when not in use, instead of hanging sideways like Prado 2700, occupying luggage compartment space.
Highlander third row seats (left) save more space than Prado 2700 (right) when not in use.
Comparison of driving space parameters between Prado 2700 and Highlander 2008
The above only compares Prado 2700 and Highlander from the aspects of carriage structure, seating space and comfort. Let's take a look at their power system, drive system and suspension system.
Power system, it is unfair to compare the 2.7-liter Prado 2700 engine with Highlander's 3.5-liter engine, which is also the most dissatisfied place for Prado 2700 consumers. The car is a good car, but it lacks power. In terms of transmission, Highlander is also dominant. Prado 2700 has a five-speed manual transmission, but in terms of automatic transmission, Highlander's five-speed automatic manual transmission is more advanced than Prado 2700' s four-speed transmission.
Prado 2700 and Highlander both use full-time four-wheel drive system, Prado 2700 is more suitable for off-road drive system, Prado 2700 and Highlander both use full-time four-wheel drive system, but Prado 2700 has more central differential locks and rear axle differential locks, which is more suitable for off-road than Highlander.
Comparison of Power System and Drive System Parameters between Prado 2700 and Highlander 2008
Comparison between Highlander front suspension (left) and Prado 2700 front suspension (right).
Comparison between Highlander rear suspension (left) and Prado 2700 rear suspension (right). It can be seen that the suspension system of the two is strong and weak.
As for the suspension system, it is difficult to compare because we have not tested Highlander. It is estimated that the Highlander suspension system developed by Camry chassis is more suitable for running on the road than Prado 2700, which is more in line with the demand of "occasional business trip to work". Of course, the durable Prado 2700.
Comparison of suspension system parameters between Prado 2700 and Highlander 2008
In terms of configuration, 2008 Highlander is superior to Prado 2700.
In terms of comfort devices and safety devices, it is not as good as Prado 2700. Highlander leads Prado 2700. Prado 2700 is so simple that it doesn't even have leather seats and DVD navigation, let alone fashionable configurations such as DHC.
Comparison of Safety Configuration and Comfort Parameters between Prado 2700 and Highlander 2008
Compared with Highlander, Prado 2700 is an outdated car with low configuration and weak power, while Highlander basically has everything, so it is more suitable than Prado 2700.
Highlander has more practical configurations than Prado, such as visual reversing and DHC system, but the more advanced and complex the system, the lower the reliability and the higher the maintenance cost. It is estimated that the reliability of Highlander is not as good as Prado, and the maintenance cost will be higher than Prado, which is the price we pay when enjoying high-tech products.
But buying Highlander is not without worries. First, Highlander has just entered China, and its applicability and reliability need to be tested by the market, while Prado 2700 has been tested by the market in China; Secondly, maintenance is a problem. Although there is no doubt about the ability of Toyota 4S store, its quantity will make Highlander face great pressure in use and maintenance for a long time to come. Also, reliability is also a problem. There are too many electronic devices on Highlander, which makes the author feel that its reliability has a certain gap with Prado 2700. The simplicity of Prado 2700 brings higher reliability than Highlander. This is why the author suggests that consumers who occasionally need "pseudo-off-road" should consider Prado 2700. Although its sense of control, comfort and even configuration are better than Prado 2700, the balance of high popularity, high reliability and easy maintenance is still biased towards Prado 2700.
At present, the price of Prado 2700 is between 390,000 and 400,000 yuan, while Highlander, which has just been listed with the United States, has four models from low to high: elite version, sports version, sports luxury version and extreme version, and the price is between 379,800 and 469,800 yuan. At present, Highlander is distributing goods in various places, and dealers increase the price by 654.38+0 million yuan to buy a car (waiting in line).