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The steering is dialled for ease of use rather than feedback. You won't have any problems turning the wheel even when parking, as it's feathery light. Unfortunately, that also means it's lifeless: you won't feel anything through it, whether you're running over smooth roads or boulders. Hmmm…maybe the boulders are the reasons why it was tuned that way. As the steering is on the slow side, turning the car requires additional alertness from the driver. Surprisingly the vehicle corners quite flatly, and doesn't tilt heavily in bends like we expected it to. The dashboard is so vintage 80s, and matches those rectangular walkie-talkies so well. Oddly, the clock and stereo are mounted very low on the dash, perhaps so as not to distract the boys from watching the boss. Watching the gauges though will be quite easy, as they're large and well-placed. In addition to the usual indicators, oil-pressure and volt meters are provided. It wouldn't be good to run out of either while still in Saddam's backyard. As family or barkada transport, the Patrol fares quite well. The seats are not spectacularly comfortable, but legroom is adequate for whole-day journeys. The vehicle's bubble-top design greatly benefits headroom. Getting in and out is difficult only for the ones in the third row, as you'd have to step over the second row's seatback after folding it. However, for all occupants, a large step is needed to climb up to the Patrol's seats. One thing we noticed on our test car is that the headlamps are totally inadequate, even on high beam. A good dose of lens cleaning, or aftermarket bulbs or fog lights are the best solution to this. With the price of a new Land Cruiser, Range Rover or Mercedes M-class being sky-high, the Patrol could be a good alternative. Despite the obvious need for more refinement, it works quite well here and now. You wouldn't want to bump into one of these, particularly if there are men with loaded weapons inside, but to command one from the driver's seat is just fine. Lucky "Kevin Costner"s! |
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