Well for some reason HUBB doesn't like Picassa for me so I deleted my post on this last week as the pictures didn't come - well they did when I previewed the thread, they did when it first went up and then they vanished... So here goes again with Photobucket.

Last week I was lucky enough to get a new 200 series Landcruiser for a bit of fun. The car belongs to WWF who we partner on various forest management issues. Now time was a bit limited, so I could only take it for a short trip on gravel roads (mixed very good, big potholes and corrugations) and an accelleration test on our nearby airfield.



Now I have to say it is a very, very impressive vehicle.







Now this one is a fairly basic one, manual gearbox as you can see and no Kinetic Suspension. I know it will probably be a while before one appears on HUBB being overlanded anywhere, but you never know! My impressions:
Pros:
- loads of power! Loads.
- Superb engine noise.
- Amazingly composed comfortable ride. Swallows even big potholes nicely.
- But also very controlled with minimal body roll and corners very well on gravel despite it's size and weight.
- Big, roomy interior (obviously)
Cons:
- Electronics... It's not the engine side that I would be scared off, but everything else - keyless start, AC controls like a spaceship, etc etc.
- 17" wheels
- Big front valance easily damaged
- Same in the rear.

But if you are in charge of WWF West Africa and get one of these as your runabout then the con's don't really matter. Of course if you are supporting such an NGO with your hard earned donations then you might be a bit hacked off that they are not buying 76 series wagons and feeling the bumps with the rest of us!
Gil