Toyota Prado with the characteristics of leather durability, in the hardcore off-road vehicle market occupies a more important position, after the domestic shutdown, the market share was quickly seized by other brands, but it is not easy to find a model that is completely benchmarked against it. Nowadays, the domestic hardcore off-road vehicle market is a lively scene, Honda and Nissan two car companies have also begun to covet this big cake, Honda Passport and Nissan Pathfinder two cars are expected to enter the country, can they replace the position of Toyota Prado? Let's take a look at their strength.
Honda Passport
Honda Motor currently produces and sells models in China, mainly family and sports cars, and has not touched the segment of hardcore off-road. But in the North American market, Honda motor launched a medium-sized SUV called Passport, which has a tougher visual appearance, while the TrailSport version emphasizes off-road performance more. The size of the net is not large, the style is relatively simple, with the figure 7-shaped daytime running lights on both sides, there is actually a sense of Subaru Forester's vision. The front bar and side skirt are equipped with black scratch strips to enhance the hardcore atmosphere.
The interior part, like most hardcore off-road vehicles, uses a more traditional design language, the central control screen is relatively small, retaining a large number of physical buttons, this design is conducive to the driver to blindly exercise during driving. The push-button electronic gear shift mechanism seems to be a bit incompatible with the hard-core style of the whole vehicle, but it also creates more storage space for the central passage area, and the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
The car's length, width and height are 4839mm/1996mm/1818mm, and the wheelbase is 2819mm, which is slightly inferior to the Toyota Prado in terms of body size, but Honda has more experience in the use of space in the car, so the gap in the riding experience will not be large. The trunk space is excellent to meet the needs of off-road equipment.
In terms of power, the car is equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, the maximum power reaches 280 horsepower, the maximum torque is 355 Nm, and it is already at a relatively excellent level among the self-priming engines of the same displacement. More importantly, the car is equipped with an i-VTM4 torque vectoring four-wheel drive system, which can distribute up to 70% of the power to the rear wheels, improving off-road performance, and the transmission is a 9AT gearbox. If such a power configuration can be introduced into the country in its original form, it is more competitive, what do you think?
Nissan Pathfinder
Nissan's positioning in China mainly covers the household market, although Tuda and Tule two models claim to be the standard Toyota Prado and Land Cruiser respectively, but after the introduction of domestic power has been greatly reduced, competitiveness is slightly insufficient. In addition, the sales performance of the medium-sized SUV Loulan was not satisfactory, and Nissan urgently needed to introduce a new flagship model to support the brand image. From the relevant sources, Pathfinder, which is currently sold in the North American market, is expected to play this role.
The car and the Previously Listed Infiniti QX60 are built on the same platform and positioned in a medium and large SUV, which is closer to the positioning of Honda Passport and Toyota Prado. At the New York Auto Show, which opened on April 13, Nissan also unveiled a Rock Creek version of Pathfinder, with a comprehensive enhancement to off-road performance.
The front part of the grille has been blackened, and a three-stage small opening is set up above, highlighting the hardcore atmosphere, and the thick front bumper below has a strong sense of visual impact. On the side, the anti-off-ring wheels are equipped with AT tires, which is very helpful for improving off-road performance, and the straight waistline design is also in line with its own hardcore positioning.
In the interior part, the medium-sized central control touch screen is equipped with a wealth of physical buttons and knobs, which not only ensures practicality, but also reflects a relatively good sense of technology. The water cup holder adopts a one-sided layout to avoid the water cup from affecting the operation, which is a small detail that is more careful. The knob to switch driving modes is located behind the electronic handbrake, which is more reasonable in layout and convenient to operate.
In terms of space, the car is more than five meters long, the wheelbase is 2901mm, the body is still relatively large, the car adopts a seven-seat layout of 2+2+3, and the space in the third row can also meet the ordinary size of adults. After the third row of seats is receded, the storage space is still relatively sufficient.
In terms of power, the car is also equipped with a 3.5-liter displacement V6 engine, and the Rock Creek version has also enhanced it, with a maximum power increase of 295 hp (284 hp conventional), a maximum torque of 366 Nm (351 Nm conventionally), a 9AT transmission, and a four-wheel drive system. As a member of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, this model specially tuned for off-road performance would be perfect if it could be combined with Mitsubishi's super-select four-wheel drive technology.
Previously, Pathfinder's patent map in China has been officially announced by the State Intellectual Property Office, so the production by Dongfeng Nissan has basically been determined, and it is expected to be listed for sale this year. However, with reference to the current domestic emission policy, the engine may be changed to a 2.0T engine, will such a change have an impact on sales? It remains to be tested by the market. What is your opinion on the introduction of the above two new models into domestic production and sales? Do they have a chance to replace the Toyota Prado? Welcome to leave a message in the comments, let's discuss it together. (Text/Taming wind)