Four captain's chairs and plenty of creature comforts enough to keep everyone happy on a road trip.
The Toyota Quantum VX 9-seater is the perfect car for a family trip to the Kruger National Park. Picture: Trever Stevens
If you are going to take a trip from Johannesburg to the Kruger National Park with the extended family – wife, mother, two nephews, son, daughter and daughter’s friend – you will need space… plenty of space.
And because you will spend lot of time in the vehicle, you will need comfort, especially for the five restless teens – aged 15 to 19.
Step up the Toyota Quantum VX 9-seater. The dated Japanese carmaker’s most premium people carrier carries its age very well.
Our eight days in “bushveld heaven” were made even more special thanks to the Toyota van that delivered on all accounts for a holiday that doesn’t come around often and will be remembered for years to come.
‘Limousine-like’ comfort
The interior of the Toyota Quantum VX is magnificent, with “an almost limousine-like degree of cabin comfort and refinement for up to eight passengers (nine-seater) with large captain’s chairs, independent rear-climate control and multiple USB ports to keep devices fully charged.
The interior layout feature a rear cabin with four reclining captain’s chairs (with armrests and foldout “ottoman” leg rests) in the second and third row, complemented by a three-seat 60/40-split bench in the rear. The luxurious interior also features quilted-leather upholstery and power-adjustment for the backrest and “ottoman” leg-rest. Elegant wood trim and soft blue lighting create a “premium atmosphere”.
Let’s make this clear, this van is more suited to executive VIP shuttles, luxury group family travel, and tourism. If you are taking plenty of food, luggage and other comforts on board – either on your way there and back or in the park itself – then you need extra space and probably a trailer. Due to the comfort inside the van, there’s not a lot of wiggle room between or under the chairs, nor in the cargo space in the rear.
Toyota Quantum Vx fit for a king
My family and I like to take most of what we need for a holiday, so we don’t spend unnecessary time at the shops when you could be relaxing or discovering new places. But that’s no problem, chuck it all in the trailer, which you’ll hardly feel pulling on the road.
The trip to Kruger took longer than usual due to plenty of roadworks, but you didn’t feel it due to the interior’s comfort.
The front section oozes space and the seats throughout are fit for a king.
On the way back, we could feel all the power of the Toyota Quantum VX 9-seater, especially after we learnt it may be better to give Schoemanskloof a miss after several “stop and gos” were encountered on the way there. Returning, we took the Elands Valley section of the N4, passing through Waterval Boven and Waterfall Onder in a bid to cut out unnecessary waiting times.
The road is mostly single lane, but when you do get a chance to pass trucks uphill, it’s not for very long, so you need power.
Smooth diesel power
The Toyota Quantum VX certainly gives this and more, providing plenty of confidence and assurance there is more than enough power if needed from the four-cylinder 2.8GD-6 turbodiesel engine, with outputs of 115kW @ 3600rpm and 420Nm (1600 – 2200rpm). This torquey powerplant sends the twist to the rear wheels via six-speed automatic transmission.
The van had very few negatives, but not being able to open the windows other than the driver and passenger windows made game viewing tricky at times for the passengers at the back when trying to spot an elusive leopard or look down into a hyena’s den. However, the independent rear-climate control ensured everyone was comfortable, even without the windows open.
The van oozes comfort and luxury, so any trip spotting animals in the future will be hard to match. The Toyota Quantum VX 9-seater is a beaut.
