Kenyan drivers have a habit of blaming vehicles and no one else whenever accidents occur. Toyota Prados and Toyota Hiace (Box) are two of the most commonly blamed vehicles by local drivers.
The claim is that Toyota Prados are an accident in waiting. Their roll over habits are as usual as the rising and setting of the sun. Ironically, Prados are some of the most long lasting and reliable vehicles especially among the older population. So what is the disconnect?
Their cousins, Toyota Hiace (Box) are perceived to be killing boxes in the name of matatus. The claim is that they have a poor braking system and weren’t manufactured for the purpose of working as matatus.
So what is the truth and what is not? This is perhaps a question that would be best answered by a renowned and reputable motoring expert. In Kenya, one of the most renowned is JM Baraza who previously published a weekly feature on motoring in the Daily Nation.
In one of his previous editions, he addressed this matter of Toyota Prados being prone to roll over, their alleged instability and longevity. Here is what he said:
“A Prado is a good car, centre of gravity notwithstanding. Yes, it will tip over easily, but this just means you have to be more careful when driving it.
Circumstances that would lead to a roll-over accident are almost always preceded by foolish acts such as taking corners at inappropriate speeds, so there isn’t a legitimate complaint here.
The ratings
Performance is about as much as you need. If anything, it is a little bit more than you need. Prados can be scary fast for such a tall car in almost all its engine variants, except for the 2.7 litre petrol, which does struggle a bit.
The turbocharged diesel and the petrol V6 engines push this car to ridiculous speeds, which might explain its propensity to keel over every now and then. The 150 Series diesel is especially torquey and pulls like a train from low revs. It can out-accelerate many small saloon cars.
Reliability
What do you think? An off-road car built by Toyota. Need I say more?
Safety
This is where things get a little yellow for the Prado. It handles relatively well but will lose traction easily when pushed.
As stated earlier, it also corners like it is drunk when you start chaining bends together without dropping anchor a little. If one of them rams into your car, you are unlikely to fare well.
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If one rams into you, you will most probably die. If you hit a wall in it… well, 3 stars means it’s a 50:50 affair whether or not you will see tomorrow. The survival rate in rollover accidents is surprisingly high, oddly enough.”