Mini jeeps

annieobrien8

My family are thinking of getting a smallish used car but because we live on a small country road we're considering a mini jeep instead, something like the Pajero Junior. We want a 4/5 door though. Does anyone know of a mini jeep that has 4/5 doors?

Also, has anyone an opinion on the safety of a Pajero Junior type vehicle? NCAP never tested them :mad:


Thanks

.Longshanks.

I thought you might have been on about one of these

annieobrien8

Oh my God, a Mini Jeep :eek: I never thought I'd see the day! Bet it's expensive!

Well we want a small jeep!

Absurdum

Fiat Panda 4x4, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Nissan Qashqai 4x4....

Tipsy Mac

You would be better off buying a couple of huskies and a sled, those "mini jeeps" are a waste of time, they are rubbish on and off road.

bazz26

Daihatsu Terios is probably the only 4dr mini SUV but the first model wasn't that brilliant.

Pajero Junior was never offically sold in Europe afaik so maybe that is why it wasn't tested. Pajero Pinin may have 4 doors afaik. Suzuki Jimny is only available as a 3 door too.

Owen

There was a thread in the last fortnight in the 4x4 forum about the Pajero Junior - people who had it said it was crazy expensive on petrol because of the tiny 1.1 driving it.

Tipsy Mac

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

You would be better off buying a couple of huskies and a sled, those "mini jeeps" are a waste of time, they are rubbish on and off road.

In fairness the panda 4x4 is not bad atall.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=63362056

vw4life

Suzuki Vitara,its not very mini but a mate has one and he takes it off road alot,hunting,very capable vehicle and very reliable too

BrianD3

Also, has anyone an opinion on the safety of a Pajero Junior type vehicle? NCAP never tested them

NCAP tested the Pajero Pinin which I think is the same vehicle. It didn't do very well in the frontal impact
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/mitsubishi_pajero_pinin_2003/152.aspx

Edit: wikipedia says the Pinin is a newer model than the Junior. In that case, the Junior can reasonably be expected to be less safe than the Pinin.

CharlieCroker

Do you actually need a jeep or is it just because you live in the country?
A jeep is gonna be more expensive to run regarding tyres, fuel economy and on petrol if you buy a petrol one.

Would an estate or normal hatchback not be up for the job?

Whats the budget?

Seweryn

annieobrien8 wrote: »

My family are thinking of getting a smallish used car but because we live on a small country road we're considering a mini jeep instead, something like the Pajero Junior. We want a 4/5 door though. Does anyone know of a mini jeep that has 4/5 doors?
Thanks

I would get the Subaru Legacy Estate Boxer Diesel. Lovely, reliable, economical car and would do the offroad job just fine (for what you need).

maidhc

So long as there is some form of hard surface on the road you don't need a 4x4, end of story.

Get something like an Avensis or Mondeo Estate. Cheap, spacious, safe and economical.

annieobrien8

Thanks for the responses, just looking at the Terios to see the dimensions of it.

It's not as some form of odd status symbol that we are contemplating a mini jeep, it's because the sides of the road are collapsing so we need something with high ground clearance, which most small cars don't seem to have. We have a Laguna at the moment and if we don't crawl over parts of the road the bottom of the car hits the road! Not a pleasant experience. So any cars with high ground clearance are acceptable too! Hoping to stay under 1.4 for tax and insurance purposes.

Pity about the poor fuel economy in the smaller jeeps

annieobrien8

Oh and we don't need it to be 4 wheel drive. Budget of up to about €4k.

CharlieCroker

Not a car that i'd EVER normally recommend but your criteria is fairly tight so it is one option.
Ford Fusion:
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Ford/Fusion/CENTENAR/200929194657619/advert?channel=CARS



my personal choice (if i was forced into this type of car) would be this, the Honda HR-V.
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Honda/HR-V/HR--V-LW/200947195945783/advert?channel=CARS

annieobrien8

Thanks everyone. So far the Terios or the Fusion are in the lead! The HRVs are a bit on the expensive side. Does anyone know if the Terios and Fusion are as small as this website would lead me to believe?

http://www.carsplusplus.com/specs2002/ford_fusion.php

http://www.carsplusplus.com/specs2002/daihatsu_terios.php

Compared with for example a VW Polo
http://www.carsplusplus.com/specs2004/volkswagen_polo_12.php

NCAP published a report for a Terios in 2008 which says that it applies to all Terios but the body is definitely a little different to an older one, anyone care to guess if the older models have the same rating?? Love the Fusion for having 4 star safety!

CharlieCroker

tbh, if there was ANY other option to the terios, i would take it. they are fairly small, very narrow so your shoulder to shoulder to your passenger, bouncy, unrefined and so on. the high seating position, low tax and reliability are the only things going for it really.
You'll die a little bit inside everytime you have to drive it.

The fusion is based on the Fiesta so not massive but not bad either. Parts should be easy to get if needed and be a bit easier to sell on too. Make sure you get a Fusion 2 or higher spec as the base model didnt have electrics, central locking, Air-Con or CD player.

I'd strongly advise looking at the HR-V, obviously that price is the asking price, he'll take less for it, and there's plenty more out there. Its a 1.6 so won't cost much more than the terios or Fusion.

annieobrien8

Jeez, that's quite a review of the Terios! Considering it's probably not very safe and apparently pretty small on the inside we'll forget about those.

Even on donedeal the HRVs are quite expensive! The Fusion sounds like it would be more comfortable and at least it's only 1.4. It seems to have decent ground clearance too, at least according to the internet. Not bad prices either.

Lots of thinking to do!

kodute

You could try the honda CR-V? I know almost nothing about them other than I know a guy with an auto one.

They are not strictly a mini jeep, but more of a SUV crossover. Its got ground clearance anyway.

annieobrien8

The CRV is pretty big, almost the same size as the Laguna, so I'd say that's out!

Kildareeman

dont ever buy a small womans jeep.I had a pajero jnr and a terios they were both very hard on petrol doing just onder 30 mpg.The jnr was the best jeep to drive.they are just over rated wheelbarrows.

Kintarō Hattori

Kildareeman wrote: »

dont ever buy a small womans jeep.I had a pajero jnr and a terios they were both very hard on petrol doing just onder 30 mpg.The jnr was the best jeep to drive.they are just over rated wheelbarrows.

You're 4 months late my friend. I would assume at this stage that the OP has bought a suitable vehicle.

Eoin

Kildareeman - give it a rest; this is the second thread you've bumped for no real reason.

annieobrien8

Advice is always welcome! There were so many negatives against the small jeeps that I ended up getting a Fiesta! My father bought a Honda CRV so we'll just use that if there are floods again!