Which is the best 4x4 for on road use?

Quazzie

I'm considering buying a 4x4 simply because I've always wanted one. I've shortened my list of contenders down to three. All will be between '00 & '02.

1st - Mitsubishi L200 Crewcab 2.5 Diesel - This is a choice because I like the shape and like the versatility the back offers.

2nd - Mitubishi Pajero Sport 2.5 Diesel - I love this 4x4 as it is big and can take care of nearly everything I will ever need it for.

3rd - Nissan Patrol GR 3.0 Diesel - I absolutely love how big and bulky this 4x4 is and although its bigger than I need the shear size and appearance of it is enough to make me want it.

The reason why I want these to be judged on on-road use is because I hope to take this foreign with me late next year when I plan to drive around Europe for a few months and I need to know that the 4x4 is reliable, spacious, economic as well as being able to carry all the essentials that come with such a trip. Although it will see some off-road the majority of the driving will be on road.


Anybody got any advice or tips on my three choices?

peasant

The L200 is pretty diabolical (especially when not heavily loaded) and the Pajero sport isn't much better because it's basically the same vehicle underneath. Both have a very cramped cab, the turning circle of a bus and are very tail happy to the point of being dangerous in the wet.

Never driven a Patrol, so can't comment

05D

Toyota Land Cruiser is the best 4 x 4 going

Quazzie

05D wrote: »

Toyota Land Cruiser is the best 4 x 4 going

Comparitive prices for year and spec rule the land cruiser out as an option for me, unfortunately

vibe666

the L200 Sport (and regular Pajero) are pretty thirsty.

I have a 96 2.8L LWB Pajero and it doesn't even do 20mpg. I've been told that with careful driving you might get over 25mpg with the 2.5L models but they're pretty gutless which is why I bit the bullet and went for the 2.8.

Mine's the MK2 version anyway, but I'm pretty sure they made them up to 2001 so that's probably what you'd be looking for considering your budget range.

that aside tho it's the best car I ever had, I absolutely love it but as was said, in 2wd mode they can be a little tail happy on wet/greasy roads. I don't imagine a pickup verison which would be lighter in the rear end would be any better.

also, the good news is there's plenty you can do to them to improve fuel economy and they are great fun to work on.

and if you know someone who could work on it cheaply and be prepared to replace the fuel pump seal when it goes (just the once, but they do go sooner or later), you can run it on just about anything even remotely fuel related, from waste vegetable oil to biodiesel or anything in between.

snowman707

Quazzie2002 wrote: »

Comparitive prices for year and spec rule the land cruiser out as an option for me, unfortunately

in that case I'd recommend the patrol ,

L-M

Would you not consider anything Land Rover or Toyota? Plenty to chose from
Have you any kind of budget in mind? I'm sure there is something to suit every budget.

Anything i know on the above mention has been said already, althought i haven't seen much of the Patrol either.

vibe666

Quazzie2002 wrote: »

Comparitive prices for year and spec rule the land cruiser out as an option for me, unfortunately

what's your actual budget and we'll see what we can dig up for you.

Ferris

The Patrol is a really nice jeep, a friend has one and she can't fault it. Its certainly the most car like to be in bar an X5-type suv. My friend uses it to tow horses and its a great tow car for that.

Quazzie

Its somewhere between €5k - €10k. Preferrably to the lower bracket but might stratch to the high end for the right one.

P.S I won't actually be buying this till probably Feb 2009 So I'm kind of factoring this into my pricing

CJhaughey

5-10k will get you a nice Toyota landcruiser 90 series.
I wouldn't go near the L200 personally , and seeing that your criteria is

A. Reliable TLC
B. Spacious Patrol probably has a slight edge here over TLC
C. Economical TLC will be better as it is slightly lighter than the bulky Patrol D4D will be a more refined powerplant than the 6 cyl Di Nissan.

Slig

I test drove a load of jeeps before I settled on the replacement for my Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. Isuzu troopers, Nissan Navaras, Toyota LAndcruisers, Mitsubishi Pajeros, LR Discos, Nissan Patrol even a couple of santa fes and a hilux. I also had around the same budget
Bigger jeeps are great for power but the likes of the patrol and even the trooper feel bulky and aqward, also didnt do corners so well. Landcruisers, basically you can go back 2 years or up an extra 100K miles over any other jeep to get one the same price, there is no denying they are good but I personally couldnt justify buying one.
The Nissan Navara was lovely to drive, had a great turning radius and wasent too heavy on fuel but ground clearance was low and the cabin was very basic.
Discos were lovely to drive but there were so many buttons and knobs and they were all over the place and not always where youd expect them to be, other than that I heard reliability and bad economy were an issue.
Santa fes were underpowered but nice to drive, comfortable and cheap.
I would have bought the pajero if it wasent so expensive, lovely interior, reliable and look great.
At the end it was a toss up between a suzuki vitara and a terrano and I went with the terrano. Its grand, 32mpg where the pajero sport was giving me 16, very comfortable to drive fast, holds the road and the back doesnt go sideways half as easy as the mitsi did. the cabin is big and the interior is grand but I Wont be buying a nissan again.

vibe666

nicely done Slig, plenty of info to go on there.

Redtop

Revisiting this thread again ..... anyone have any update on the Nissan Patrol or Pathfinder as a good family 4x4 ? I know Landcruiser is probably more reliable but frankly, I do not like how it looks and found the rear 2 seats very cramped. Pajero was nice to drive but she drinks juice. Discovery 3 has had great reviews, especially from the UK, but I wonder if they are just biased. Defender looks the business but is dog slow and will probably let me down on reliability. Looking for more feedback. By the way, I notice dealers are dropping prices considerably due to slow 4x4 sales.

the bolt

vibe666 wrote: »

what's your actual budget and we'll see what we can dig up for you.

what about an older toyota surf,sorry i ever sold mine.

Slig

I like the new Navara or pathfinder but as I now own a Terrano I would not reccomend the Nissan build quality. I have heard good and bad things of the Disco series 3, thirsty but nice to drive.

I completely agree about the landcruiser. They are plain & boring and way too expensive compared to others of the same year. I have to say the most comfortable one I drove was the 3.2L Pajero, very fast but again thirsty.

I'm getting 32 Mpg out of a LWB terrano and its comfortable to drive fast on the road but its noisy, shakey, has serious turbo lag and although it has never let me down the interior is very shoddy. Uncomfortable seats, cheap materials and the dash dials keeps breaking and sticking.

pagangardener

you have just picked 3 of the worst 4x4 a person could ever wish to own sorry try toyota land cruiser or ford ranger isuzu dmax toyota hilux

Mena

Don't think he cares anymore.

pagangardener

probably not but it might be of interest to some one else in going through the same predicament

vibe666

pagangardener wrote: »

you have just picked 3 of the worst 4x4 a person could ever wish to own.

he didn't just pick anything, this is a dead thread from 2009.

101sean

Indeed, welcome to boards.ie pagangardner but re-opening zombie threads unless it's very pertinent to something you're asking is frowned on.

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