Prado 4cyl TD or Forester

[Roverray]

Friend on a package has option between 4cyl Turbo Prado or the Forester. Mainly highway on tar but some dirt work.
What are your thoughts?
Would like a Discovery but not possible been told.

[CraigE]

For versatility I would say Prado, but he should try and force some choice. Can not see why they would only give you that choice.

[Roverray]

Some tie up with part ownership of dealer franchise I think.

[mittadisco]

subaru forester - I have 2 and love them. Have a friend who does large miles around crookwell - also has 2 for his veterinary practice.

[Barra1]

subaru forester - I have 2 and love them. Have a friend who does large miles around crookwell - also has 2 for his veterinary practice.

Have to agree with you - the wife bought one six months ago. It is a fantastic car - around town and on the highway - I cannot praise it enough. It is everything a car should be - don't know what it would be like off-road - not particularly good I imagine but that is what my "Fender is for.;)

[mittadisco]

Have to agree with you - the wife bought one six months ago. It is a fantastic car - around town and on the highway - I cannot praise it enough. It is everything a car should be - don't know what it would be like off-road - not particularly good I imagine but that is what my "Fender is for.;)

you'd be surprised - height yes is a limitation but I've used mine in all sorts of situations across paddocks and in the bush. As far as the required use by question asker - the rubie is such a pleasure to drive. (Having said that I must admit new Prado is also very suitable).

[hiline]

for a tourer or run about i'd go the Subaru ......

much more user friendly around town ;)

plus they look better :D

[101RRS]

Not a Forrester, but a friend of mine had an Outback which he said was bloody awful - ok on the tar but not good elsewhere and had major reliablity problems and oil use. He sold it with 25,000km and bought a D3 TDV6 SE and has never looked back. A landy success story :)

However I think he would still prefer the Subaru to a Prado - The diesels are (apparently) real dogs.

[DeeJay]

My sister has a Prado, its OK.
My brother in law had a Forester and a couple of years ago and I got roped in to going for a drive as instructer with his daughter out of Launceston thru the hills. She was doing 100 kph on bitumen road and I said "gravel road ahead" as there was a sign. She kinda said "Doh" so I thought this was a well traversed road by her and she slowed up to about 85k. Well the road not only went to gravel but became a twisty mountainous treacherous road in an instant. We hit a hard left followed by a really hard right waaay too fast, added to that she was centred on the loose stuff. I immediately took a firm grip on whatever was bolted down as she braked hard mid corner. I might have shouted out "NO" but I really did'nt think anything would have helped at that point- been there done that a few times in different vehicles anyway, as far as I was concerned we were going bush.
To my absolute and continuing incedulity this little car tracked regardless of all the wrong driver input.
I will always remember that one, probably more so than the times I have parted company with terra firma.:)
It will hold better value to boot- but one will never replace my County..:cool:

[mittadisco]

I do lots of work on gravel roads with my ruby and that description is typical - BUT - I've nearly been through a fence or two in one car I had which had ABS and it just wouldn't stop. These cars love dirt roads! I had the misfortune twice of driving Prados on the dirt - they scared the living daylights out of me.

[djam1]

Go the Forester Subaru make very good cars.
I use both for work an would prefer a Forester neither are real 4x4s but are fine for what a lot of people do.

[Roverray]

How about in a prang situation how do they compare?
I have pulled a Prado of the front bumper of a ACCO that it met in the bottom of a gravel creek Xing after 30 metres of braking down the bank and the ACCO was stopped. The prado was a total but cabin was undamaged and driver (woman) was not injured.

PS edit The ACCO had a cracked wind screen and bent bumper, and if she had not locked it up she could have gone around him.