A Toyota Probox with a modified engine has sparked debate online on the safety and speed of the wagon vehicles.
In the video trending on social media pages, the vehicle was spotted with a 1KD Diesel Engine. The engine has a 2982 cc, a variable geometry turbocharger and an intercooler. It is mostly used in Toyota Hilux and Toyota Prados.
The engine encompasses 16 valves and a double overhead camshaft (DOHC) design. It uses Toyota's D-4D Common Rail fuel injection technology operating at ultra-high pressures that feed the injectors on all four cylinders.
This controls fuel quantity, valve timing, and boost pressure at different engine parameters leading to full utilization of power during acceleration. The engine, unveiled in the year 2000 produces 188 horsepower (hp) - the power an engine churns out).
A normal Toyota Probox has a 1.5 Litre engine with generates only 109 hp and was unveiled in 2002. The engine, 1,499 cc uses petrol and its fuel system is a multi-point indirect injection.
This means that the 1KD engine is superior to the original Probox engine. A Probox is also an automatic all-wheel drive (AWD) car, power is directed to all four wheels.
The debate online centred on the probox cars being converted to manual and also having the engines changed to maximise on speed, acceleration, fuel consumption and lightweight.
"Always wondered how a probox overtakes me while I am driving a 260 hp Crown to the limit on Thika Road," one La Violencia wondered.
"That's a diesel Probox. They have a breather. The best ones are those converted to manuals," Bin Adam added. Breathers have valves and equalize the pressure inside the crankcase.
Others noted that some probox cars are customised to use 1 ND -FE and 1.5 1NZ engines. Some even have customised suspension and modified brakes.
In 2018, police banned probox cars from being used as PSVs after they were linked to several accidents. They noted that the vehicles flouted traffic laws by overspeeding, overloading and were driven recklessly.
On March 1, a Probox car was recorded racing against a Subaru along the Thika Super Highway. Three weeks, the Probox was reported to have rolled into a ditch in Nyeri County.
On Monday, March 29, two people died at a campaign rally in Bonchari after a Toyota Probox rammed into a vehicle that was part of UDA candidate Teresa Oyioka's convoy.
However, cars are still a favourite in Kenya and are mainly used to ferry goods in remote areas. President Uhuru Kenyatta was once spotted riding in a Probox car in June 2020 during a secret inspection of government projects.
