New 4wd - not LR. What to get?

**Marshall** · 22nd December 2010, 02:23 PM

My previous truck was a 3ltr Patrol. I found it to be a great vehicle! Quick and tough, plenty of room, plenty of mods. The ex govt ones generally come already set up with tinted windows, dual bats and quite a few have a bar and winch as well.
Of course there will be pro's and cons for all trucks... but go and buy a copy of 4 wheel action or any of those sorts of mags, and you will see that there has allways been a rivalry over the best 4x4 between Patrols and Land Cruisers... this is not for nothing, they are both fantastic, more mods to be had than almost any other truck, easy to drive and the wife loved it too!
Out back, you see a LOT of both patrols and cruisers, one could then assume, (assumption being the mother of all **** ups!) that when your truck breaks down, someone is more likely to know what to do to get you back on the road... I think this is important.
But at the end of the day, Patrol or Pajero, I am sure they will both be a great rig, enjoy it, and don't forget to wave to all Defenders

**Tank** · 22nd December 2010, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by TuffRR

Perhaps an unusual place to ask a buying question for a 4wd that is not Land Rover, but when you see some of the ignorant, brand loyal crap on other sites this is perhaps not such a bad place to ask. At least responses should be mostly objective.

I'm looking to buy around May next year when lease on current work vehicle runs out. Limited in manufacturer options (Vic Govt) vehicle, so options are pretty much Ford, Holden, Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, Mitsubishi - no Land Rover! Also must be under Luxury tax threshold. Preference is an automatic diesel.

Current short list is Pajero GLX, Patrol ST, Triton GLX-R with canopy, or new Ford Ranger (subject to details when released).

Pajero is favoured currently, with only downsize being space for touring - although nothing a roofrack couldn't fix. The idea of a Patrol is appealing, but they really are starting to show their age. The new Ranger sounds good on paper but until they're on the market i'm not convinced. Also, for comfort and safety the Pajero may still be a better option than a dual cab? Not sure on that one.

Vehicle will do 35,000kms+ each year with city commuting everyday. Will do a couple of big trips each year ie Simpson, Fraser, etc and frequent weekend trips to Vic High Country.

Have not considered Toyota based on poor value, questionable reliability and uninspiring driving dynamics.

Interested in peoples opinions on the above vehicles and also the dual cab vs. wagon debate particularly in light of the newer DC vehicles coming onto the market.

Isuzu D-Max/Holden Colarado, Auto dual cab with canopy, Regards Frank.

**pop058** · 22nd December 2010, 04:42 PM

Ranger goes to 3.2lt next year.

2011 2.7lt TDV6 Territory ???. Spoke to blue oval dealer today and they cannot (will not ?) put a due date on them yet. Salesman was hoping around March.

**JBM770** · 22nd December 2010, 04:42 PM

If you got a really cheap car like a Getz just to get to work and back you would have more in your pocket for a LR upgrade or maintenance and customisation of your existing ride.

James

**Fish78** · 28th December 2010, 02:16 AM

Originally Posted by TuffRR

I'm curious why people seem to think that the Pajero will be worse than say a D1 off road? Pajero has pretty good traction control and for $600 can option up with a factory rear difflock, whereas D1 is all open. Wheel travel is worse in a Pajero but i think better traction makes up for this. Only real difference would be ground clearance and i think in real life situations it would be pretty marginal.

Pajero's are IFS, (independent front suspension), they way Mitsubishi have it set up, is a weakness for offroad ability, it has poor front wheel travel and less traction than competitive solid axle vehicles.

The Pajero is great on road, always has been, but its fairly ordinary off of it, Disco's and Defers with open diffs are the same, fine for easy to medium stuff, but left far behind by anything with solid axles and or a LSD/locker.

There are other areas that are less than ideal as well, but the IFS on them is the killer.

LRs are great when they work, i happen to think the D4 has the best off road ability of any LR, the problem is, its a gamble how long they will last.

It really depends on what you want from the vehicle, Patrol's and Cruisers are the best all round, by reason of their offroad ability, resale, reliability etc, BUT, they are very big, heavy and thirsty and may be overkill for your needs.

Saying all that, me personally, im in line for a job that offers a novated lease, with the option of all inclusive, i pay a flat fee per month for 2-3yrs and they pay for all maintenance, fuel, tyres etc.

If that happens im favouring a RR sport, second hand, it has enough ability offroad to satisfy me and plenty of power, luxury and safety.

**VladTepes** · 28th December 2010, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by pop058

2011 2.7lt TDV6 Territory ???. Spoke to blue oval dealer today and they cannot (will not ?) put a due date on them yet. Salesman was hoping around March.

Did they mention a price ?

**ozscott** · 28th December 2010, 05:14 PM

Originally Posted by Fish78

Pajero's are IFS, (independent front suspension), they way Mitsubishi have it set up, is a weakness for offroad ability, it has poor front wheel travel and less traction than competitive solid axle vehicles.

The Pajero is great on road, always has been, but its fairly ordinary off of it, Disco's and Defers with open diffs are the same, fine for easy to medium stuff, but left far behind by anything with solid axles and or a LSD/locker.

There are other areas that are less than ideal as well, but the IFS on them is the killer.

LRs are great when they work, i happen to think the D4 has the best off road ability of any LR, the problem is, its a gamble how long they will last.

It really depends on what you want from the vehicle, Patrol's and Cruisers are the best all round, by reason of their offroad ability, resale, reliability etc, BUT, they are very big, heavy and thirsty and may be overkill for your needs.

Saying all that, me personally, im in line for a job that offers a novated lease, with the option of all inclusive, i pay a flat fee per month for 2-3yrs and they pay for all maintenance, fuel, tyres etc.

If that happens im favouring a RR sport, second hand, it has enough ability offroad to satisfy me and plenty of power, luxury and safety.

The D2 with 31 inch tyres (as light on as that), live axles and traction control coupled with centre diff lock is better than for just medium off road. The traction control if well used is well on its way to being close to lockers and in some situations where you want to turn hard mid climb better than lockers. The same applies for 110 and 90 defenders that have both CDL and traction control but higher clearance and bigger tyre availability makes them better again... As for D1 its very supple long travel suspension, gearing and torque makes light work of most off road areas compared to a similar year Pajero.

Cheers

**juddy** · 28th December 2010, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by TuffRR

Many, many reasons.
1) Not on Vicfleet list - therefore difficult (but not impossible) to get through work.
2) Must be under LCT threshold. I don't think any auto diesel LR does this (excl. FL2 which would not be a good tourer for my needs).
3) Couldn't live with a Defender for many reasons - uncomfortable in commute, poor safety for family, no auto, etc.

No Auto..... God gave man left arm to change gear.....

**incisor** · 28th December 2010, 05:46 PM

Originally Posted by TuffRR

Both are off the factory floor.

had a few mates go that way and had your mindset.

generally speaking, to say they now have a different opinion is a bit of an understatement.

**TuffRR** · 29th December 2010, 10:35 AM

Interestingly i was at the local library today going through recent Overlander magazines and found an article which demonstrated my point. They were comparing a 100 series cruiser to a newer NT pajero on the basis of old technology vs new. The outcome would not be any different if the 100 was a D1. Essentially, in offroad situations and despite the large wheel travel advantage the 100 series had, the new Pajero with traction control was more capable off road.

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