{"id":11687,"date":"2020-03-02T08:59:33","date_gmt":"2020-03-01T22:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.www.bus4x4.mn\/?p=11687"},"modified":"2025-01-31T15:54:23","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T05:54:23","slug":"pod-bus-vs-coaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/blog\/2020\/03\/02\/pod-bus-vs-coaster\/","title":{"rendered":"Pod Bus vs Bus 4&#215;4 Conversion of Coaster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Outback and off-road tour operators are a finicky bunch. Whether they operate in the Snowy Mountains, the Kimberleys, Kakadu, Fraser Island, the Red Centre, Cape York, the Savannah Way or the Flinders Ranges, most of them are in constant search of the perfect tour vehicle that can drive both on-road and off-road.<\/p>\n<p>The interaction between the driver and customers is big part of the tourism experience. For lack of choices as well as other reasons, many tour operators still use the good old pod type \u2018mine bus\u2019 which is basically a truck with a bolt on seating pod. This pod truck-bus has served tour operators over the years, but you have to admit that this outdated hand me down is far from perfect as a tour bus.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone wp-image-16198\" src=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Truck-Bus-X-Mark.png\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Truck-Bus-X-Mark.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"472\" height=\"354\" title=\"\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27472%27%20height%3D%27354%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20472%20354%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27472%27%20height%3D%27354%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Truck-Bus-X-Mark-200x150.png 200w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Truck-Bus-X-Mark-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Truck-Bus-X-Mark-400x300.png 400w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Truck-Bus-X-Mark-600x450.png 600w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Truck-Bus-X-Mark-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Truck-Bus-X-Mark-800x600.png 800w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Truck-Bus-X-Mark.png 900w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 472px) 100vw, 472px\" \/>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone wp-image-16199\" src=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Coaster-Y-Mark-Final.png\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Coaster-Y-Mark-Final.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"475\" height=\"356\" title=\"\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27475%27%20height%3D%27356%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20475%20356%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27475%27%20height%3D%27356%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Coaster-Y-Mark-Final-200x150.png 200w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Coaster-Y-Mark-Final-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Coaster-Y-Mark-Final-400x300.png 400w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Coaster-Y-Mark-Final-600x450.png 600w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Coaster-Y-Mark-Final-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Coaster-Y-Mark-Final-800x600.png 800w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Coaster-Y-Mark-Final.png 900w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 475px) 100vw, 475px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The main deficiencies of this vehicle are its limited off-road performance (not good in mud or soft sand), poor field of vision and driver access for passengers. All pod buses are trucks; therefore, their ride is far from comfortable.<\/p>\n<p>We compare the pod bus against the Bus 4&#215;4\u2019s popular conversion of Toyota Coaster. The Coaster Conversion and pod truck-bus are both in that 15-20 seat, light rigid territory and hence in the consideration set of many tour operators.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone wp-image-16200\" src=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-X-Mark.png\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-X-Mark.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"475\" height=\"356\" title=\"\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27475%27%20height%3D%27356%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20475%20356%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27475%27%20height%3D%27356%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-X-Mark-200x150.png 200w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-X-Mark-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-X-Mark-400x300.png 400w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-X-Mark-600x450.png 600w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-X-Mark-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-X-Mark-800x600.png 800w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-X-Mark.png 900w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 475px) 100vw, 475px\" \/>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone wp-image-16202\" src=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-Y-Mark.png\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-Y-Mark.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"474\" height=\"356\" title=\"\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27474%27%20height%3D%27356%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20474%20356%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27474%27%20height%3D%27356%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-Y-Mark-200x150.png 200w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-Y-Mark-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-Y-Mark-400x300.png 400w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-Y-Mark-600x450.png 600w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-Y-Mark-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-Y-Mark-800x600.png 800w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Cabin-Y-Mark.png 900w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 474px) 100vw, 474px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-full wp-image-16203\" src=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-1.38.00\u202fPM.png\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-1.38.00\u202fPM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2208\" height=\"888\" title=\"\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272208%27%20height%3D%27888%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202208%20888%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272208%27%20height%3D%27888%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-1.38.00\u202fPM-200x80.png 200w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-1.38.00\u202fPM-300x121.png 300w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-1.38.00\u202fPM-400x161.png 400w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-1.38.00\u202fPM-600x241.png 600w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-1.38.00\u202fPM-768x309.png 768w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-1.38.00\u202fPM-800x322.png 800w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-1.38.00\u202fPM-1024x412.png 1024w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-1.38.00\u202fPM-1200x483.png 1200w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-1.38.00\u202fPM-1536x618.png 1536w, https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Screenshot-2025-01-31-at-1.38.00\u202fPM.png 2208w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 2208px) 100vw, 2208px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Bus 4&#215;4 Conversion of Coaster comes with additional off-road accessories like super single wheels and tyres which perform better in sand and mud with a greater ease of changing tyres.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignnone size-medium wp-image-9613\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27940%27%20height%3D%27450%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20940%20450%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27940%27%20height%3D%27450%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Bus-4x4-AWD-Conversion-of-Coaster-Blog-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"940\" height=\"450\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>Our Verdict<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>The Bus 4&#215;4 Conversion of Coaster outperforms its truck-bus competitors in off-road capability, comfort and fuel economy. It is also lighter, takes a fraction of the time to build and comes in automatic. The patented Bus 4&#215;4 4WD Conversion Kit consists of majority Toyota components meaning reliability and parts availability.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>In short, buying the Bus 4&#215;4 Conversion of Coaster over a generic \u2018box of seats\u2019 is a no brainer.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rehashed and rewritten from an old article by Matt Grooby.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Outback and off-road tour operators are a finicky bunch. Whether  [&#8230;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":16197,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[26,27,28,29,37,30,31,32,33,34,38,39],"class_list":["post-11687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-4x4-people-movers","tag-4x4-bus-sale","tag-4x4-buses","tag-4x4-conversions","tag-4x4-mine-buses","tag-bus-4x4","tag-bus-4x4-awd-conversion-of-coaster","tag-bus-4x4-awd-conversion-of-hiace","tag-bus-4x4-iveco-daily-4wd-bus","tag-bus-4x4-mine-buses","tag-bus-4x4-tour-specifications","tag-tour-vehicle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nz.bus4x4.com.au\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}