Toyota Tarago 2002 Review

During the week, he'd pile his van full of stuff related to the liquid art of plumbing and on weekends, replace the work gear with soft, pudgy offspring.

It may have needed the addition of another row of seats, and the ride and handling may petrify other road users, but all agreed it was a workable compromise.

Because of its 4750mm length and boxed perimeter, it will accept anything long, tall, squat or awkward that the wife may find in someone's garage on Sunday morning.

The Tarago is no small fry, sitting on a long 2900mm wheelbase and standing 1770mm high  almost as high as wide and with as much onroad affront as a doberman with a truck licence.

There are three rows of seats and, critically important for school holidays, sufficient luggage room to meet the demands of the occupants.

The versatility comes from the Tarago's sliding second and third- row seats. The middle row  in the GLi model tested its 60/40 split folding seat  moves fore and aft over 485mm, while the rearmost bench seat travels over 825mm courtesy of runners on the floor.

The Tarago GLi is the least expensive of the three-model lineup at $51,300. That's not cheap in monetary terms and unfortunately, you have some difficulty in justifying that high-jump figure.

There's no CD player; the rear seat row doesn't split and fold; the upholstery and trim is sensible yet uninspiring; and despite the Tarago's obvious market in travelling away for holidays, there's no cruise control.

Sweeping right-hand bends will make the driver shuffle in the seat because the thick A-pillars (the post that holds up the roof alongside the windscreen) block a lot of visibility. But that's part of the roll-over protection.

At first I hated the foot-operated park brake, yet over time found it workable and even respected that it kept the Tarago's flat floor clean.

But that said, the Tarago rewards by being adept at squirming its way through the weeny bitumen threads that trace WA's south-west coast. The engine is a mere 2.4 litres, yet is a leisurely touring mill that was pushed hard over 2200km and never put one cylinder wrong.

Even the economy was a pleasant 9.3-litres per 100km/h, made all the better by $1.03 a litre fuel prices around Denmark.

The high seating position reaps rewards by towering over other vehicles, yet it's not high enough to make entry and egress a problem for less agile drivers.

I enjoyed the centrally mounted instrument panel for its clarity and ease of use; found heaps of personal rubbish to store in the many cubby holes and pockets within the dash and found the umbrella-lever shape of the dash-mounted auto gearlever a snap to use.

Dual airconditioning, central locking, armrests for the two front occupants, AM/FM radio/cassette, electric front windows and mirrors, and very sensible and cleanly styled ergonomics made this a very good drive. Bit expensive, though.