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By
EWAN KENNEDY
26 June 2006
Toyota’s new fourth-generation Tarago is a great looking people mover
that’s as strong in the styling department as it is in the
functionality stakes. Which may be exactly what buyers are looking for.
Because many owners of large SUVs, who only ever use them as people
movers, are suffering at the hands of rising petrol costs.
Toyota is now offering them a vehicle that can
be driven with pride, is sensible in its people-moving ability,
can significantly cut fuel bills and therefore is kinder to the
environment.
The new Tarago is one of the most stunning
looking of all the new-generation people movers. It has a steeply
sloping front with the striking ‘lightning-bolt’ shaped
headlights. These are complemented by air-intake slots. The
tail-end treatment mirrors the lightening style of the front of
the vehicle. Between the front and rear Toyota's stylists have
given us an aerodynamically tapered roof to reduce fuel
consumption as well as wind buffeting at speed.
Toyota Tarago has a respectable Cd (coefficient
of drag) rating of just 0.31. This is the sort of air-cutting
ability that could only be achieved with a low-slung sedan or
sports model not that many years ago.
There may be a drawback in the aero design,
though. An engine under-shield is part of the overall package.
During our initial test drive out of Sydney, and again in our full
week’s test on the Gold Coast, the radiator fan seemed to be on
almost all the time the Tarago was stationary with the engine
idling. Obviously it was there to keep the engine at the correct
temperature. But the radiator fan isn’t the quietest of units
and all who drove, or even simply sat in one of the passenger
seats, commented on the sound.
The new-generation Tarago's cabin has
forward-hinged doors at the front and sliding doors on either side
at the rear. Having doors on both sides at the rear certainly
improves functionality and are pretty well the norm in people
movers these days.
Inside the spacious cabin there's seating for
eight. These can all be adults without a huge squeeze in the
rearmost seats. However, a more realistic load will be four adults
and four children. With one child in the centre position of the
centre seat and the other three across the bench seat in the
rearmost area.
As is usually the way, getting into the rearmost
seats can require a bit of body contorting, but as flexible as
kids are the most likely travellers in that area it’s seldom
going to be a real problem. Being able to slide the centre-row
seat backwards or forwards lets you juggle the amount of legroom
in the rear seats. Even with the centre seat in its middle
position there's still good legroom for all.
Access to the first two rows of seats is good,
with a flat-floor, walk-through facility making it easy to get
from the front seats to the rear.
Touring in a Toyota Tarago is a pleasant
experience, with large comfortable seats, well-sorted suspension
that cushions the ride and low noise levels (but see the note
about the cooling fan).
The luggage space is reasonably good even with
all seats in use. A couple of large suitcases, with accompanying
smaller items around them can be accommodated. The centre-row seat
base can be hinged up against its backrest to give a lot of extra
luggage space behind the front seats. There's also the ability to
tumble-fold the rearmost seat to greatly increase the volume of
the boot.
There's a large underfloor storage area for
additional items, particularly those valuable articles you want to
keep out of sight of prying eyes.
The topline Tarago GLX has a Pre-Crash system
that senses a crash may be imminent. It does so by sensing an
extra-fast depression of the brake pedal and/or that the vehicle
has begun to skid. It then tightens the two front safety belts to
prepare for it.
Should a crash still occur, there are no fewer
than seven airbags in the Tarago GLX. These include a knee-bag to
cushion the effect of a collision between the driver and the
underside of the dash area.
The standard-model Toyota Tarago GLi only has
two airbags. An Enhanced Safety Pack not only contains the extra
five airbags, but also an electronic vehicle stability control
system and the addition of electronic brake assist to the standard
ABS system. It’s money well spent.
Toyota has revamped the previous 2.4-litre
four-cylinder engine to give it an extra 10kW, bringing it up to
125kW. It moves the big people mover along pretty well, though you
will notice it’s working hard when there's a load on board and
you’re driving in hilly areas.
The automatic transmission is still a four-speed
unit. It is controlled by a dash-mounted lever to permit the
aforementioned walkthrough front seats. It has a sequential
function to allow some manual control to get the best from the
engine’s available torque.
Toyota Tarago has sold well in this market
segment for many years and there's every reason to believe this
new-generation model will help it continue on its winning ways.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Tarago GLi 2.4-litre four-door people mover - $48,990
Tarago GLX 2.4-litre four-door people mover - $51,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on both models
Air Conditioning: Standard on both models
Automatic Transmission: Standard on both models
CD Player: Standard on both models
Central Locking: Standard on both models
Cruise Control: Standard on both models
Driver Airbag: Standard on both models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on both models
Front Side Airbags: Standard on GLX, package option on GLi
SPECIFICATIONS (Toyota Tarago GLX 2.4-litre
people mover)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.362 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 9.8:1
Bore/Stroke: 88.5 x 96.0mm
Maximum Power: 125kW @ 6000rpm
Maximum Torque: 224Nm @ 4000rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Four-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 2.923:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4795mm
Wheelbase: 2950mm
Width: 1800mm
Height: 1750mm
Turning Circle: 11.4 metres
Kerb Mass: 1725kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 65 litres
Towing Ability: 600kg (1600kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Torsion beam, trailing arms, coil springs,
anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated Disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 11.4 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 18.2 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Petrol 91RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 9.5 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km
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Marque Publishing Company
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