Its largely due to this site that I am now the proud owner of a 1991 Diesel Auto 4WD Royal Lounge Townace. I have covered just over three hundred mixed motoring miles, hardly enough to be classed as an exhaustive road test, but certainly enough to meet the casual aquaintance criteria, Several anticipated myths have now been dispelled.
1) It didn't overheat and blow up thirty seconds after handing the money over. The temparature needle stays firmly rooted just left of centre, uphill, sustained high speed dash (85MPH....obviously on private ground) and pootling (Geordie technical term) around town.
2) Despite the alleged lack of power it can be hustled along at indecently quick speeds.
3) It didn't tip over around the first roundabout and it would seem TEMS is more than just a fancy gadget, the trick now is to cause the 'hard' indicator to light up around every corner....waaaheyyy!!
4) Careful measuring and calculations using standard logarithms tables, 1.8Ghz of AMD Athlon computing power and a blunt pencil reveal a reasonable average of 28.97 MPG. Several options may lead to even more frugal running (Lighter right foot, fitting of electric fan and some performance trade off for economy via the stated pump adjustment)
5) Very comfortable driving position with excellent all round vision, suspension feels a little underdamped but then my previous motor had an almost solid suspension set up.
6) The engine is very quiet and there is a sense of almost stately progress. Journeys are now to be savoured and are no longer the unbearable bit between point A and point B........we even had a conversation yesterday!!
7) Entry and egress requires unwarranted suppleness of body when parked between other cars.
8) Numerous attempts to reshape bottom of tailgate with head when loading from the rear.
9) Washing the top of the vehicle requires, ladders, stilts or gentically modified limbs.
10) Too many gadgets to play with within easy reach of the driver........me.....!!
11) Susceptible to side winds
Still to be resolved..........why the central locking will lock up but not unlock the rest of the vehicle. Why I must navigate manually without the assistance of the NSWE indicator. How can I replace the broken curtain hooks and fixings and especially from the kids when will the Carozzeria (Pioneer) multi unit receive UK TV broadcasts.
I will re-read this when things go wrong......promise
George
- (#7459) George, 1 Mar 03
"why the central locking will lock up but not
unlock the rest of the vehicle"
it's designed like that george. i suppose it is a safety feature, ie, one turn of the key on exit ensures that everything is safely locked, one turn of the key on entry and the driver decides, via the armrest mounted button, whether he (or she)wants the other doors unlocked. anyway, welcome to the world of more interesting motoring.
" susceptible to side winds" yes, be careful going over that tyne bridge.
"waaaheyyy!!" another technical term ? some might want an explanation, unless you add "the lads"
:-)
- (#7460) John Davis, 1 Mar 03
Thanks John, I can actually see the sense in the system being designed that way and now I won't spend time chasing a non-existent fault.
According to the Scott Dobson bible 'Larn yersel Geordie' adding "the lads" would only be grammatically correct if the 'w' and the 'h' were transposed as in..... 'Haaweyy the lads' and used in conjunction with football related chants such as might have occurred yesterday when our chaps beat Chelsea.
First big trip planned next week, four adults and equipment for climbing trip into the Torridons. This should give me a better idea of the practical capabilities of the Townie.
- (#7461) George, 2 Mar 03
'ANTI HIJACK' most JApanese & American cars only unlock the driver's door from the key or remote, then you unlock the rest of the car from the door switch, both these countries have such a problem with carjacking, that the manufacturers have made it so that someone can't suddenly jump in next to you as you get in the car. Some European manufacturers have followed suit, infact VW remote locking now only opens the Driver's door on the remote, press it a second time within a couple of seconds & it opens the rest of the car. Our remote locking on our Townie unlocks the whole car now, but also locks the car when you start the engine, again a safety & anti-hijack feature. Happy motoring in your new 'beast' Regards Rob.
- (#7462) Rob Drinkwater, 2 Mar 03
Enjoy your trip, George. Tbe Torridons are lovely just now, and we are currently having the mildest (more like summer) winter in many years. Was on the beach with the kids (and the Townace - goes well on sand..) today. If you wander a little North, towards Gairloch, and see a silver 4x4 townie give us a wave.
Tom
- (#7463) Tom Lister, 2 Mar 03
Sounds like you could do marketing for TOYOTA. Sounds just like an advert. Nice to see another appreciate the Townie! I'm one and a half months new, but had a Spacecruier for 13 years previously. I know what you mean when you drive stately. I have had no problems either, just confused about buttons and stuff. Got to know it now!
- (#7464) Jo, 2 Mar 03
Quite clearly Townie ownership attracts the more sociable element of the motoring world.......another bonus to ownership.
Bet Toyota didn't consider that aspect in their advertising blurb.....do you reckon they might take me on then Jo....??? something in a junior consultative role with matching office, colour coded filing cabinets and my own cold water drinking dispenser.
Thanks for the weather tip Tom, we are heading up Wednesday evening 12-03-03 and travelling back on the Sunday. I can't recall exactly where we are staying or what the exact itnerary is...........I wasn't paying attention at that part of the briefing!!
Cheers all
George
- (#7465) George, 3 Mar 03
George. Just make sure that you have a laptop and mobile packed. I am sure that you will have no problems but, if you did, you will have much better "roadside assistance" through these columns than that which is available through the "normal" organisations.
Tom. Yes, we went through Rhu to Gairloch, in September, travelling, of course, in great style in the Masterace, and you have evoked great memories of a really lovely part of the world.
- (#7466) John Davis, 3 Mar 03
Hi again
Seeing that Tom, John and George are talking about travelling, what is the furthest distance anyone has done without problems? I am asking cos I drove to Poland and back twice in my old SpaceCruiser with no problem at all, the worst that happened was a tyre wearing on the inside. The tracking needed doing and that was done when I came home. Just wandering if my newer TownAce will get me there and back just as well as my old faithful SpaceCruiser did.
- (#7601) Jo, 6 Mar 03
There seems to be a lot of concern over the apparent delicate nature of the Townaces engine........and knowing that the Japanese are fiendishly clever engineering designers...........with the possible exception of the early Honda VF 750.......I am firmly of the opinion that the reputation has become unfairly attached due to unsympathetic maintenance schedules.
Unless you buy a motor from brand new there is no way you can ever be sure of what care has been taken of an engine during its previous life. Certainly there are reasonable indications that a motor has been regularly serviced, but I would not even accept a dealer Service History as full and final proof of careful ownership.
I have lived with Triumph Stags and Reliant Scimitars which both suffered apparent overheating problems from marginal cooling systems, yet simple precautions prevented a single breakdown over thousands of miles in boy racer mode......with the possible exception of the incident involving the Mk1 Escort, the insecure roofrack and the case full of marital aids.....which is a story for another night.
I used to regularly flush the cooling systems, check hoses, rads, thermostats and re-torque cylinder heads. Simple but time consuming and even easier to neglect.........until you considered the price of a Stags cylinder head and multiplied it by two.
This presents an immediate difficulty with the Townace as the engine is not as accessible as most and I believe that some time consuming but essential maintenance gets skimped upon. The knock on effect is that said motor develops an unfair reputation for mechanical failure. I apologise to any owner who follows the manafacturers maintenance schedule to the letter.
Now where was I....oh yes Jo... there is no earthly reason why the Townace should not get you there and back without a hitch......regular maintenance is the key..........and part of the fun.
George
- (#7602) George, 6 Mar 03
OOooooooops, I think you mis-understood me! I have complete faith in the Townie, that's why I bought one. My SpaceCruiser was so verrrrrrreeey faithful, that I wanted a bus as similar as possible, therefore, the Townie had to be it. I have always looked after my Cruiser (well the garage did) and I will do the same again (have to anyway for the Warranty to be good). I even wash it weekly and dust the dash. It's cleaner and sparklier than the house I live in!!!! Any noise or worry and I'll be on here with more questions.
Can't help wanting to know the story of your marital aids though! Interesting! The most interesting thing that I lost was a canoe on the motorway, while towing! I must be boring!
- (#7603) Jo, 6 Mar 03
Hello George, as prospective owners of a Masterace with TV, I wonder if you got it tuned to UK? Is it tricky? Also how tricky is it to get a CD put in as well as radio/cassette?
- (#8449) Bill & Shari Maryon, 11 May 03 9:59
Bill & Shari,
I know you are new to the Board but you should have started a new thread. I understand you need a converter for the TV see Ace Answers for more detail. Putting in a CD is easy, Toyota even supply a bracket that holds the wotnot tray under the radio, a little adapting and it's there. As you have the TV you should also have the Amp thing, again have a look at Ace Answers.
Why not pop over to Brean this weekend and have a chat someone must have the TV option.....
Clive
- (#8450) Clive, 12 May 03 1:30