G'day from Sydney

[Tom Kecil]

Hi all. I arranged two quotes for a blue GXL manual the first day the dealers could quote. It finally arrives tomorrow (I guess the manuals were all on the slow boat from Thailand).

The dealer's telling me that Toyota doesn't have a part number for the roof racks yet, so I'm looking at February for them. Does that stack up with you guys or is this dealer just a muppet? (He didn't mention it until today, and he's taken 8 days to bolt on the tow pack...). Anyway, looking forward to getting behind the wheel.

[Kiat]

Hi Tom, I'm hearingj the same too.

[deeman111]

Yep i went in to my local dealer today, he couldnt even find a part number. yet the website shows them. I havent found any aftermarket ones either, only for GX model, no GXL or Crusade

[Kiat]

Not sure if Rhino racks fit

[deeman111]

A few companies have pad-clamp style that clamp over the doors, sold as a GX compatable, but will work with GXL/Crusade, but for myself i want to put a full length cage on the roof, so i need something further back for even support.
Toyota websites in Thailand have the roof racks with a price. They also have a lot more smaller detail accessories than whats available here

[Tom Kecil]

I had Toyota roof racks included in my quote so I'm not sure how they were able to give me a price when they don't even have a part number, but I'd paid for them before they told me. I've sent a note to Toyota's head office via their website asking how they can promote them and quote on them but not have any, but not surprisingly I haven't heard back.

Rola has moved quickly and have two styles available already. As with Deeman I will need them to support a full cage.

[Shaun]

Welcome to Forum Tom!

Hope you are getting some good info so far.

Hey guys, yeah the only Rhino Racks I could find were just the basic ones for the GX here: http://www.rhinorack.com.au/products...of-rack_ja8326

I have been away on work and I haven't had a chance to speak to the Rhino Rack boys properly yet but I will give it another go tomorrow. I do know TJM, Ironman and ARB are looking at releasing the stuff but its pretty hard to get dates out of them.

[Tom Kecil]

Good news re the roof racks: Toyota found the part number late last week, delivered the racks and installed them today, so in a week it's gone from "see you in February" to having them on my roof.

Although, this is only an interim solution as it's just the two bars, not three, so I'll have to sort out a third, with a different height (as the rails are slightly curved) down the track.

[deeman111]

Nice! Out of curiosity what did you pay for the racks? I got a quote of $470 for a pair!

[Shaun]

Hey Tom,

Vehicle looks really good!

Rhino rack are saying that they will release their rail system for the heavier duty fully enclosed roof racks by "mid to late January should all go well"

He wasn't sure if that was only the GX model or for all models, but I will follow up with an email tonight so he can speak to engineering.

[Tom Kecil]

Nice! Out of curiosity what did you pay for the racks? I got a quote of $470 for a pair!

Hi Deeman,

They were included in my original vehicle quote as $380 (including GST). I thought that sounded about right for Toyota racks and I knew I'd need the racks for Christmas / New Year, so I went ahead.

Hey Tom,

Rhino rack are saying that they will release their rail system for the heavier duty fully enclosed roof racks by "mid to late January should all go well"

He wasn't sure if that was only the GX model or for all models, but I will follow up with an email tonight so he can speak to engineering.

Cheers Shaun; I'll keep an eye out for the Rhino option as my third (and slightly stronger :-) ) bar. They usually have a spacer option so you can get the height you need. There's already a few options out there for the GX as existing fittings work, but the GXL and Crusade need the right mount to properly hold the rail.


As for the car itself, I've been on the road for a bit over a week so far and I can't fault it. I towed a box trailer full of soil and turf rolls on the weekend and kept checking the mirror to see if it was still there as I couldn't feel it. It'll be interesting to see how it goes with 2-3T behind it but I'm confident it'll eat it up.

For anyone considering the manual, I thought the "Intelligent Manual Transmission (IMT)" sounded like a bit of a gimmick, but it's actually a nice feature - when you downshift it matches the revs to the lower gear as you release the clutch so the effect is completely smooth deceleration instead of the usual jerk through each gear as the engine effectively takes on some of the braking. As long as you're not in a big hurry to stop, you still get the manual's advantage of less braking, but it's a nicer ride.