Thread: 110 Hard Top vs Station Wagon

We've had both the hard top (with 3 seats & no cubby box) & the station wagon. The station wagon is more flexible and the load space more accessible (with or without the middle seats) with the extra set of doors. The hard top interior space is an easier shape to use (full length wheel arches), easy to set up a bed and you can install lockers that are externally accessible in front of the rear wheels.

I think if I wanted only an expedition or extended touring vehicle I'd go with the hard top, otherwise for touring and everyday flexibility - the station wagon.

The Toyo troop carrier third door conversation is approx $7,000 drive in drive out. Priced for the mining companies no doubt.

I have a 50ltr fridge and i mount it behind the driver's seat in the s/w. I have a false floor to level off the rear seat foot well to the rear tub. The gap between the false floor and the foot well is good for tent poles, pipes, ropes etc. Leaving the single rear seat as a rarely used jump seat and there is ample room between the fridge and jump seat for stuff ie recovery gear bag, nibbles provisions, jackets etc etc etc. With a false floor between the wheel boxes under which i throw tool box, fold up chairs, table etc etc, there is a massive void in the rear for other stuff.

I have a cargo barrier too.

I like Allan's idea of a shelf near the roof for shoving light stuff to be kept out of the way of water ingress. Maybe a modification for the upcoming cape trip. Somewhere to stash the camera equip and clothes for those water crossings.

I will return to my original thought, a 130 single extra-cab with a tray back slide on camper. Room for everything. Not sure you can get a single cab 130, maybe special order. Now i'm off to the Newsagent to buy a lotto ticket to pay for my dream.

As an alternative (slightly blasphemous) a Mitsu Canter 4x4 tray back with the slider on camper. Big, great ground clearance and plenty of room on the back. RFS sell them from time to time. There is a petrol one for sale at present. The RFS are swapping out petrol for diesel.

MLD

Well thanks for all the ideas everyone, keep 'em coming. Plenty to think about.

Like MLD, this plan of ours might require a lotto win, especially if they are going to stop making Defenders in 18 months, that's not long enough to save up I'm just realising...

I love my hardtop. That is all.

Originally Posted by MLD

I like Allan's idea of a shelf near the roof for shoving light stuff to be kept out of the way of water ingress. Maybe a modification for the upcoming cape trip. Somewhere to stash the camera equip and clothes for those water crossings.MLD

We've used one of those bungee cord nets up against the roof for sleeping bags etc. It weighs next to nothing and does the job well.

I have never had a hardtop, I have s/w and have found the second set of doors very good with the way I laid things out. The fridge at 80 ltrs sit behind the front seats and is accessible from either back door, I have a couple of square tubes to provide the false floor benefits.

I have a cargo barrier immediately behind the front seats, I didn't want anything coming forward in case of an accident including fridge contents. With the cargo barrier behind the the front seats I feel it provides the best support to the roof above the occupants seats in case of a roll over.

You can't go wrong with either when out touring but what you can do with the vehicle the rest of the time will be affected by your choice.

There's no doubt that you get less flexibility day to day with the hardtop compared to the station wagon, but the way I like to see it is it's pretty similar to having a ute with canopy.
As far as setting the whole rig up for two people to tour around you can probably set it up really well and have it all tessellated in together in whatever order you desire. Some accessories can be hard to find or strap on just because they're not very common. My TF rockslides for example required me to put in an extra beam, as the third mounting point for them that's normally in SW wasn't on my hard top.
Also the side panel toolboxes that I would LOVE to have seem to be pretty bloody expensive (770 bucks a pop!!) if anyone knows of them any cheaper hook me up please!

For two people it's awesome. And if you really want turn it into a troopy and carry the whole clan around. Damn passengers anyway I say I love my hardtop. There's more than enough space in it for anything and everything you want to put in there.

I was having this discussion the other day with someone while looking at army 110s on an auction site. I said the flat floor behind the front seats gives much more room than the long boxes in the back, and access is much better. I had two 2A hardtops and a wagon, and now have a Defender wagon, and on the 2A the wagon body would crack the firewall more than the hardtop as it was not as rigid. On the Defender this doesn't seem an issue.

Jeff