Vanguard is a fuel efficient family car
What you need to know:
For these motorists, the Vanguard is not only big enough to accommodate a family of eight, you will not have to break the bank to fuel this car
Enock Magembe
I have driven the Toyota Vanguard for two years. Although it is recommended to carry seven passengers, the middle row can accommodate four average sized passengers to make a total of eight. This makes it more of a family car for our weekend getaways.
I also love the Vanguard because it has enough legroom for the driver, co-driver and passengers, especially when travelling for long distances. However, since it is a long car, it is sometimes challenging to park in reverse mode or negotiate tight corners.
When steering, the Vanguard feels heavier regardless of whether it is loaded or not. This improves its stability, especially at high speed. When I carry luggage or passengers, the Vanguard is more stable on the road than when I do not.
David Lubega
My Vanguard runs on a 2400cc automatic transmission petrol engine that gives me mileage of approximately 10km per litre for urban drives and up to 14km per litre when driving on the highway. With increase in speed, it uses more electric power than fuel, making it fuel friendly. It runs on an all-wheel drive (AWD) with a raised ground clearance. This makes it drivable on most slippery marrum roads without worry of getting stuck in mud.
When driving in mud, even with a lot of weight, all the wheels will be powered with enough torque to push the car over a slippery surface without changing the car’s fuel consumption. For long distance driving, it is advisable to have tyres with treads to make driving on marrum roads easy and stable.
The downside of the Vanguard is that you will notice a change in performance when you use poor quality low octane fuel. Cheap things end up becoming expensive. The car will still move but the engine tends to drag, until you give it the high octane fuel it needs for optimal performance. If you have been using high octane fuel and you change to low octane fuel, the engine will struggle to adjust.
Much as high octane fuel is expensive, it helps to ensure that parts such as fuel filters serve you longer without the need replacement.
Isaac Arinaitwe
My car runs on a 3500cc engine. I have driven one that runs on a 2400cc engine but the one with a 3500cc engine has more engine power compared to the 2400cc due to its bigger engine. When driving on the highway, I will cover approximately 12km per litre of fuel but it depends on how often I accelerate, which is also dependent on the road topography.
It is recommended to carry seven passengers but the two seats at the rear can be removed either to create space for luggage when you travel upcountry or to create more room for the middle row passengers to recline their seats and sleep.
For music lovers, it has speakers well distributed per door, including the rear.
The Vanguard’s spare parts are readily available and at affordable prices. The most expensive spare parts I have had to replace were the shock absorbers three months after acquiring the car. A pair cost me Shs850,000. I also replaced tyres that cost me Shs180,000 each.
I spend Shs250,000 to carry out minor service to replace engine oil, brake pads, air cleaner, fuel and oil filters, automatic transmission fluid and engine coolant. I replace spark plugs and other parts upon recommendation by the mechanic from a general inspection of the car.
Specifications
Maximum power 170 - 280ps
Drive type AWD/FF
Engine capacity 2,362 - 3,456cc
