New Vehicle

Izuzu D Max

Do you do much 4WDing , tow . I have a new Dmax , would I recommend one that depends on what you want to do with it .

Drive them all. The most car like is the vw. But like the Rangers they are much bigger than a 200 series cruiser these days. The newest navara has a coil rear end and rides well by all accounts.

Or a Pajero. Good all rounder.

Ford Ranger - smoothest, quietness car I've ever owned or driven

You would like the fuel economy of a diesel Wrangler compared to what you have now. Dual cab utes aren't small cars with great turning circles. The Wrangler beats all of them off road. You already own a Jeep so you aren't as easily phased by the negative comments of people who have never actually owned one.....

This may seem silly wilco318, but have you considered the Suburu Forester? It is really a car with an arthritic-friendly soft suspension, CVT, 8.1litres per 100km, 2.5 petrol or diesel motor, 1550kgs weight.

There are very few Suburu dealers outside of the cities, which makes it a disadvantage.

However, it has a decent traction control on its 'all wheel drive', plus 220mm clearance so it should get through some sand and mud though you wouldn't want to bash it around like you would with a Pajero or Prado. The basic model is about $34,000 Drive Away.

Hi Wilco

Before you go down the “which one” route perhaps it is a worthwhile exercise to think about what you want the new vehicle to do in terms of your use. This might help narrow the field of the vehicles worth looking at.

Where does the balance of use lie, is it mostly off-road or on-road, perhaps 50/50%? Will you be towing, and how often?

There are plenty of alternatives once you get beyond those questions, and then it comes down to reliability that meets your use requirements, value for money type discussion…

Good luck with the search!

Cheers, Baz – The Landy

Drive a 550 navara.
the engine is superb..
awesome on fuel, towing or not
heaps of power..
just runs away on steep declines..
but there is a fix online somewhere..
a wire and a switch.
mate loves his.
no issues as yet.
a bloke I nearly bought a car project off had a bt50 with 90k on the clock.
just out of warranty. .
His fighting them to cough up to replace the motor.
car sales do really good reviews on dualcabs

If you thinking double cabs I think you can't go wrong with a Ranger, DMax, Hilux, or if can stand the looks a BT50, After that it will come down to how you plan to use it and the creature comforts you want. If you are simply after a city tractor for the family and have the bucks an Amorok is very car like. I tested all the above 3 years ago and choose the ranger 3.2 xl auto. At the time it came down to family safety and engine power. 3 years on... It has been reliable with 60k on the clock, but not without having some annoying hickups along the way. A bracket on top of the transmission came lose and I went from a rolling round about start and this god awful BANG turns out the bugger would randomly shift out of drive into neutral and back again under power. Sounded like I forgot a bowling ball in tray. The gas saving feature of not fully charging the battery caused two callouts before dealer disabled the feature. It was a sure footed very comfortable ride. I have traded it in on an XLT 4x4. I again tested the competition as I am not brand loyal and found surprisingly the ford very well priced and the standard diff locks was the deal breaker. Looking to keep this one until I drive it into the ground. Take care.

The new ford Everest just showed up on my feed last night. While not too cheap ( it would appear they are matching Prado for basic spec and price which might not be so great), they do appear to have some pretty flash gizmos - lockers, active noise cancelling technology (can it be aimed at the passenger seat I wonder?), watts link rear end, lane control, speed adaptive cruise, 3 t tow etc etc. The engine and gearbox are lifted from the ranger so surprises there.

Just go Toyota You won't be sorry!!!

I thank everybody for there, time, opinions and thoughts. Time for me to read and take in what's been said and for a couple of test drives. Once again thank you.