Damien replied:

Hi Michael, Turbo-Diesel would definately be the way to go. Another vehicle worth a look at would be the Jackaroo. I have been towing my parents 21 foot Roma van around Victoria & it weighs in at over 2 Tonne.
The Jackaroo has heaps of torque & does the job effortlessly & is much cheaper than an equivalently equipped Prado.
Any of these vehicles would probably do the job nicely, i guess it just comes down to personal preference & value for money.

Wayne replied:

For five people I would suggest the Nissan Patrol. The extra space would be the only real advantage, However, the jackaroo is best value for money and the prado is nice to drive and looks better. It's all about what compromise suits you best.

Nigel replied:

Go for a Turbo Diesel or at least putt along in a standard Diesel, but don't go for petrol no matter what the salesman says unless you own shares in a oil company. Towing a Van in a petrol 4WD is expensive.

Ross Young replied:

Wayne
We have possibly gone down the same path recently. We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children), planning to leave in a few months for a long trip. We bought our first 4WD about 8 months ago (a pajero, petrol, '96, 3litre)... good car but we have just sold it as we realised that there was just not enough space inside it for us when we started to look at the gear we were taking, even with a lightly loaded roofrack. I know that there will be people saying "take less gear" but it just adds up to weight and volume and the Pajero was just not going to cope. I suggest you look at this aspect of the equation carefully. We are now looking for a standard DX landcruiser. Regards Ross

Michael replied:

Many thanks to your replies folks. We did end settling with the Patrol Turbo Diesel. Many thanks for your replies.