OUTBACK TEST FOR NEW 4WD'S

I have to agree, I am a Landrover fan and for a shockie to fail like that is not acceptable - however to its credit it was able to complete its journey and travel all the way back to Sydney.

But then what was the Rangie doing in that test anyway - it is in a different class of vehicle and the Landrover equivalent would have been the Discovery 4.

Garry

Don't forget that not all of us drive like journalists trying to break things ;-)

To travel at 100-110kph, and get down to the low teens is pretty good in my book for a vehicle and motor of that size!...Of course its going to burn fuel if its dragging weight, or cruising at 130kph,....But then your diesel v8s aren't that far behind when worked hard.


Cheers Axle.

True just with the cost of fuel getting higher you wonder where people will hit the figure of fuel consumption and cost of fuel will put a end to there dream of traveling to some amazing parts of this wonderful land

we see a lot of tourists here in Broken Hill but they say there are less coming through town and they say in research fuel prices are one factor

the average retired or working person has a limit to what they can spend .

We shouldn't complain about fuel prices: is still cheaper travelling around Oz than most of western countries.
Everybody has a limit on what they can spend. :-)

one local guy who is due to retire soon and want to do the big lap around the country said 20 years ago they sat down with there accountant and tried to work out what cost will be for fuel food and such and they sort of worked out things

but on his last visit they worked on what they have will not last as long as what they had expected so they are putting a little extra away both him and his wife have worked all there life and brought up the kids and they have got this dream and he said that is what gets him up each morning to go to a job that is becoming harder and more stressful each day as many of his mate who have worked with him for many year are slowly put back with each round of cuts

yes i know fuel prices are higher is some places and it will not get any better

If you are happy to pay that much for a vehicle I don't think fuel costs is a big issue

How is this Herlad Sun test able to leave us with a fair comparison? The Landcruiser loaded up, a bloody great roof rack packed and then they complain the arse drags sometimes, that it was thirsty at high speed on the black top and isn't the most stable vehicle of the four.

The fact that the Range Rover's shockers packed up is no surprise. These vehicles with air suspension certainly are smooth but they also don't give the driver a sense of how rough the road is on the vehicle so they tend to hammer them. If you where in a coil sprung vehicle you'd be getting a fairly clear idea and drive to the conditions.

When I read these reports I just shake my head and wonder why they bother! Then I wonder why the hell I bothered to read it. I certainly would purchase a vehicle based on that comparison. I couldn't afford it anyway.

I do know one thing though. I will not be buying a Nissan Patrol petrol engined vehicle. I reckon Nissan has lost the plot in Australia, or they just don't care about the Australian market. Am I alone in this?

WBS

Sorry, should read.....
When I read these reports I just shake my head and wonder why they bother! Then I wonder why the hell I bothered to read it. I certainly WOULDN'T purchase a vehicle based on that comparison. I couldn't afford it anyway. ....

WBS

The 200 was carrying all the fuel for all vehicles, ( at least 5 Jerries, none of which were used by the 200), all the water, and supplies on a full roof rack, for the whole trip, then they compare the fuel consumption with the other empty vehicles. Even then, the Nissan's fuel use was still a lot higher and 30l/100kmph across the Simpson!!!

Doh!

WBS.... the new Patrol was never intended to be a world vehicle and was designed for their biggest market only where petrol rules.

The article did make me laugh when they made comment about the 200 series being unstable on the blacktop and dragging it's bum, maybe if they set it up properly with better suspension and tyres it would've made the world of difference.

Back in June we did a trip from Adelaide to Alice and across the Madigan back to Alice and then Adelaide, the Landcruiser weighed in at just under 4100Kg with a roof rack on loaded up.... one thing we did notice was how stable it was at high speed on and off road.

This is the type of article you get when the people writing it has very little REAL off bitumen travelling experience.

The normal Simpson is not a hard track and most refer it to a super highway....... there are many more a lot harder and demanding on drive and machine.

But then again they were probably concerned more about the distance between Latte and cake stops more than anything.

I don't know why they even mentioned about tyre punctures and kept a running tally..... punctures come down to two things 1) paying attention to where you drive and 2) a lot of luck.....