What’s making my Prado, J120 Series this thirsty?

Dear Baraza,

I have benefitted from your informative articles for years and I really appreciate it. I have been driving a Toyota Prado, J120 Series. It is a 2700CC Petrol 2007 Model. It could be due to hard economic times, but the consumption has become a bother. I have done an average consumption for normal town runs (usual Thika Road traffic) and it comes to about 5km/per litre. Is this normal? Also, there is this thing I am hearing about ex-Singapore Mercedes and ex-Japan. What are the risks of acquiring an ex-Singapore? Are they all manufactured in Germany? Your response will be appreciated.

Njomo JM

Hi Njomo,

Five kilometres for the 2.7-liter Prado is not normal. However, I have experienced just such a thing in the exact same make and model of vehicle in an adventure I narrated lightly within these pages. Without digressing, let's just say the problem with the car I had was it was long overdue for service, and once the service was done, normalcy resumed.

What is normalcy? Expect 10km/l on average, or slightly more if you are something special behind the wheel, but 8-10 km per litre for town driving should be just about fair for that vehicle. Check the air filter and the spark plugs, these are notorious for inflating consumption out of the blue. A fresh swig of synthetic will be a nice touch as well...

Ex-Singapore vehicles are infamous for being very attractive and very highly specced lemons just waiting to bankrupt an unwise Kenyan who doesn't take this column seriously. The problem with ex-Singapore vehicles is they do not undergo any kind of pre-importation scrutiny, so those folks will sell you anything, and I do mean anything: where "anything" in this case is "a German car that saw no maintenance in its lifetime".

Japan is the exact opposite: they’re fastidious, meticulous and sticklers for protocol, and their inspection process is stricter than the curfew hours at a convent. They check the cars thoroughly and award them grades out of five, with five being pristine and 0 being "send this junk to the crusher immediately, it shall not be exported". You get exactly what it says on the sheet, while with a Singapore import, you are gambling with your money.

Not all Mercs are manufactured in Germany. Mercedes-AMG/Daimler/whoever owns the three-pointed star have factories all over the world that specialise in different models. Some are made in Germany, some are made in Austria, some are made in the US... Now I won't bother going through the entire line-up of Benz models and where each car is assembled because the internet can do it for you. Use it.

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Baraza, review the VW Golf Mk . 7

Dear JM Baraza,

I am a big fan of your Car Clinic column, keep up the good work. I am interested in acquiring the "new" VW Golf Mk. 7 1.4l TSI, 2014 version. Would you mind reviewing this car in terms of maintenance and robustness, especially if you have to do an occasional drive to the countryside where most roads are unpaved?

Jim

Hi Jim,

The Golf Mk. 7 is a very good car, just don't get one from Singapore for obvious reasons. Maintenance is not expensive, but it will require some care since the TSI tech it carries under the bonnet doesn't react well to laissez faire approaches to maintenance and it can bite your wallet really hard if you slack even a little. Feed it the right fuel and the right oils at the right time and you will be A1.

Robustness is relative. The vehicle is robust... by hatchback standards, but if you go pounding the backwoods in it, something it was not engineered to do, then don't be surprised when you start pouring bucket loads of cash on suspension components and reattaching broken transmission mountings. You have been warned.

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Tell me about the Toyota Passo Sette

Your work keeps on not just getting better and better as days go by. To my question, I would like you to talk about Toyota Passo Sette

Keep up,

Alfred

Hi Alfred,

Thanks for the kind word. What would you like to know about the Passo Sette? It is a Passo on Viagra and the "Sette" name is a dead giveaway to its party trick: it seats seven people because "sette" is Italian for "seven". That's what the name stands for. Besides that, there really isn't much else to shout about.

It is a rebadged Daihatsu Boon, but that is neither here nor there. It uses a variety of Toyota engines ranging from a sub-1.0 liter three cylinder to a 1.5 liter 4- cylinder which is what you should get because tiny engines are rubbish when you want to move seven bodies around with any sense of grace.

And grace it will be because while it's not exactly a Bentley Flying Spur, the Sette does look a bit sharp if a touch generic for a seven-seater, especially if you get one with a factory bodykit. The interior sucks, though...

Don't expect steep running costs. Fueling will be affordable, reliability will give you peace of mind and should you ever need to perform repairs, parts sharing and ubiquity will keep the prices reasonable.

Don't ask about resale value because that is a minefield I prefer not to navigate. Standard 2014 Passos are peddling for about Sh700,000 all in right now, but oddly enough I didn't find a Sette for sale. I rarely look for CIF costings of cars because that is another minefield, more so when I went window shopping for an E63 AMG and found one at around 47,000 USD CIF, then a week later someone showed up selling a similar one, duty paid and registered, for "only" Sh4.5 million. Perhaps it was from Singapore...

Don't expect to pay AMG money for a Passo Sette, but it should cost slightly more (10 -20 percent more) than a standard Passo. Those extra seats need to paid for, you know...

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What ails my local ex-government Mercedes W211 2005?

Dear JM,

Asante kwa udoktari Sir. I have a local ex-government Mercedes W211 2005 with a clock of 120,000kms now. When fine it has the best ride, comfortable and still a neck breaker, however, this car has been my bane for the last two years or so. The car can run very well then suddenly it will shudder, stall and show the P0101, P0120, P0104 error codes. I bought a cheap OBDII scanner which can erase the codes but they recur after a short distance. After clearing the codes on my cheap OBDII, it says "Emission-Related diagnostic information has been cleared." I have fitted a new MAF sensor twice in the period with no permanent problem resolution. I have also switched the accelerator pedal to no avail. I have even had these perpetual check engine lights erased by specialised Mercedes scanners but they keep recurring after 500kms or so. The situation is also proving to be a challenge to my mechanic of over 20 years who also did my former Benz very well. Please share your thoughts. And advice.

Your humble servant,

Dennis Danson Oketch

You are a very funny man, humble servant.

When a vehicle throws error codes at you, it is telling you that there is a problem that needs fixing. Deleting those codes is not fixing the problem, is it? If a child complains of hunger, giving them lectures on the importance of nutrition is not really fixing the problem, feed the damn child. If you have an illuminated dashboard, find the problems and fix them.

The P0101 code relates to the MAF sensor, which you say you have changed twice without resolution. You need to look further upstream for the cause of the problem. A clogged air filter or a crack in the intake will also cause this code to show.

The P0120 code relates to the throttle position sensor. You can switch the pedal as many times as you want but the error comes from the voltage in the circuit being outside the desired rang. This is an electrical issue which could be caused by loose or dirty connections, which involves a visual check before performing an electrical test. Correctly diagnosing and fixing this code is a bit involving (something about comparing voltages in circuits A and B) but eventually what you need to replace are either the connectors or the sensor itself.

P0104: this code is very similar to the P0101 and the causes/cures are the same. So check for a leak in the intake or change your filter and see if this helps.

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I need your insight on the Toyota Hilux, Nissan Hard Body, VW Amorok, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max

Hi Baraza,

Let me congratulate you for the good job you do for us motor enthusiasts. Please give me some insights on these double cabins:

Toyota Hilux, Nissan Hard Body, VW Amorok, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max in terms of:

- Off roading performance (which is the best)

- Consumption of fuel (best rated)

- Most versatile and economical for farming activities and ferrying of cargo.

- Best in ground clearance.

- Do they come in manual or automatic and which mode of transmission would you advice?

- Diesel or petrol, which is better

Yours Wanyoike S.

Hi Wanyoike,

You are the Mogotio Obsidian fellow, if I recall correctly, right? I see you are now into double cabs.

Off-roading: most of these will tackle difficult terrain with ease in the right hands and with the correct kit: low range, transfer cases, all-terrain tyres and the like. However, the Amaroks I have tested didn’t have this kit, so it may be a bit dicey if you go greenlaning as a greenhorn, but as I said, in the right hands such as mine, the Amarok will still shine. Read an in-depth account about it in Issue 1 of my publication MPA Magazine.

Fuel consumption: the Amarok is untouchable in this regard. It has a small albeit high output engine and very many gears controlled by a highly intelligent computer, meaning when unladed it takes off in second gear like a lorry. I did 900km on a single tank with the last unit I had and I gave it back without ever refuelling. I have heard claims of 1000km on one tank from other users. We had one in the Great Run 18 convoy and I never saw the guy drive into a petrol station even once.

What numbers are we talking? Numbers well north of 13km/l under normal driving, slightly less if you try and attain its 200km/h top speed and as high as 16km/l when pootling around mildly. The rest simply cannot compare.

Versatility and economics: well, versatility is even all round, more or less, though the fancy interiors of the Amarok and the Ranger may not be dirt friendly if you like to share the cabin with your produce. However, when you mention economics, we have another winner here: the D-Max. This is the true farmer’s friend in that it will do everything the rest will do but at a lower price and with some added ruggedness.

The Ranger in particular is exorbitantly and unjustifiably priced while the Amarok, yer-gets-what-yer-pays-fer premium feel aside, is costly too. The Hilux, the definitive pickup for all time, comes in third and is the closest to the D-Max in value for money, but the Isuzu is king.

Ground clearance: The Amarok stands at 210mm. The DMAX hovers slightly higher at 235mm. The Ranger sits at a similar height: 237mm. The Hilux is positively giraffe-like at 279mm. The Nissan Hardbody, outdated as it is, is a complete dwarf with a mere 206mm of space between its belly and the earth.

Transmission: most of these can be had with either manual or automatic, though in most cases the manual versions will be lower specced, so if you want goodies you may be limited to automatic only. You will also want automatic if you do any kind of hard-core off-roading or frequent load-lugging since modern autos are superior in this regard, only buy a manual if you:

1. Love to row your own gears and love the sensation of hoofing the clutch or

2. Want to save some money at the point of purchase.

If not, automatic all the way.

Fuel type: diesel. Forget about petrol. In this class of vehicle, you want torque and you want economy, so it has to be a diesel.

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