Which 4WD? Advice please.

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Well we drive a Troopy and do not tow. It will go anywhere and has been to most.
But if towing a camper you do not really need a vehicle the size of a Troopy although any of the Landcruiser 70 series are both very capable and serviceable.

But I have observed many Prado's outback in some pretty serious locations and have never had a Prado owner express a bad word about them. Some of them double as the "town car" at home. Comfortable, capable and reliable. If I wanted to tow, a Prado would be my choice.

A few questions need to be answered before purchasing any 4wd and camper.
Vehicle fuel capacity. They vary a lot
Do you like to or want to carry extra fuel cans and if yes how and where.
Camper ball weight. Also varies a lot.
Camper GTM and ATM. Varies alot
Camper payload. Varies alot
Vehicle payload. Varies a lot.
Vehicle GVM. Varies a lot.
You may want to do a bit of kg math and L/100 math prior to selecting any 4wd and off road camper.
Im bias to any 4.2 TD diesel Landcruisers with the 4.2 TD Patrol coming in 2nd. The others don't even get a look in.

Hi Kingstontas, I have owned a Mitsubishi, Nissan Patrol/Ford Maverick, Landcruiser 100 Series, 76 Series, and now a 200 Series. As a truely Off Road Vehicle, the 70 Series (76, 79, Troopy), is the most capable straight off the showroom floor. However, from what you describe, you are looking for a comfortable touring tow vehicle that has off road capability. Something a little different from the 70 Series which is more "truck" like than the rest.

Nissan Patrol Y61 only comes in a Petrol V8, so this knocks this out of your list. Pajero's, while comfortable & capable, lack the longevity and spares availability in the bush.

IMHO, you can't go past Landcruiser for reliability, longevity, resale value, and in the worst case, availability of spares. The LC Prado sounds like will do what you require, it is more "car" like than the 70 Series. However, for my money, I would buy a 200 Series Landcruiser, better resale, more load carrying & towing weight. You may find that you want to upgrade from a camper trailer to a caravan, and the Prado will limit the size of van you can buy.

Either way, as for accessorising, I would definitely look at a long range fuel tank, Winch compatible Bull bar, (if choosing a winch, then 12,000 lbs, but this can be added at a latter date), good set of driving lights, & UHF Radio. I would also consider an after market suspension system. Whilst all of these accessories are not actually necessary if you stick to the bitumen, they will certainly enhance the vehicles ability to handle rough outback roads including the ones you have mentioned. The long range fuel tank enables you to take advantage of big city fuel prices while touring.

There will be many who will disagree with me, but this is MHO.

Macca.

Most 4WD's are pretty capable off road some may be better than others but suspension and type of tyres make a big difference to any vehicle also the driver

You will get a lot of different bias views I've owned Toyota's, Nissans a Triton and Disco so if you both liked the way the Pajero drove and it's comfort level, it's large enough and has the power your after I would say why not get one. They have been around since the early 1980's so they must be doing something right.

Hi

Somebody said you see a lot of Prados out in the bush. I may be biased because I have one but I think the reason for that is they are well suited for the job with a good combination of reasonable comfort, off road ability and space for carrying gear.

How big is your camper? The Prado is no rocket ship and while it can tow big weights according to specs, it may make slow progress.

A factor many don't consider is will this be an everyday car for when you are not travelling? I know a guy with a kitted out 70 series dual cab that is great out in the bush but he says it is a real pain in everyday use.

Good luck with the search.

Assuming you are buying 2nd hand, a well maintained vehicle would be my first selection criteria followed by the actual intended use. A highly capable off road vehicle is hardly likely to be a enjoyable daily drive in a city. Consider where and how you will be driving for 98% of the time
Spare part availability isn't as big an issue, not many places are more than 24 hours (courier or air freight) away from a capital city. The mechanic's experience in the particular vehicle is more crucial than whether you have to wait a day for a part, so Toyotas obvioulsy win there
Whilst over the past 15 years and 600 000km I've been very happy with the 3 Pajeros I've owned from new (yeah I'm obviously deaf) , if I was looking 2nd hand, I would be just as happy in a well maintained Prado over a Pajero with an ordinary service history

There's compromise in everything, LC & Patrols are easily the most bush capable, but also most cumbersome and thrirsty around town. Pajeros are coming to the end of their life, so they are much cheaper, but then their resale value when you sell will be well down (Prado will hold better)
Don't get too hung up on which specific vehicle to go hunting for unless you have a specific use (eg Prado has the longest driving range)
Mark

We have a povo pak D-Max un modded except a front bar and winch. Done everything we have wanted to do and has far exceeded our initial expectations . You can pick one up brand new for $40,000. All those trips you have named can be done in a car.

You can go just about any way. You have a massive range of more than powerful 4WD dual cab utes to choose from.

Prados are pretty capable and there is a long list of older models now to choose from. The Y61 Patrol is a good vehicle, more refined inside than a 70 series, yes the motors did used to explode, but that bug is pretty much sorted out now & if you purchase one of the newer ones post 2010 you should be pretty OK.

Toyotas you pay a bit more for the badge, I would have bought a 'cruiser on my last purchase, but couldn't afford the badge and went with the Y61 which I am very happy with.

If you're not going to do any extreme stuff and just look up & down byways then there's a good chance you'll never end up in any remore location, so I wouldn't worry about parts for anything unless you buy a Lada, Proton, Mercedes etc.

Hi Kingstontas. Our search for a vehicle is an interesting challenge. We usually have a bent for a model or type which simplifies the search. I wouldn't be too convinced that all common 4 x 4's have plenty of parts available in the bush. It is not uncommon to have to wait for a fairly common part to be flown in. Often the dealer wont even order the part ahead until he has seen the vehicle and got the vehicle specs off the plate prior to ordering. Such is the complexity of parts these days.

I am glad to see the debate got down to utes. When I travel what I see is more than 50% of tow rigs are dual cab utes with a canopy. Price is an important consideration. Most cost around $50k plus a few extras. But I have a mate who bought a 200 series and spent $10k on it with drawers, suspension, fridge wiring 2nd battery etc. Over $100k. I am often amused to see these rigs with a van doing maybe 85Kph to save $10 or $20 per day on fuel. When you consider they have $200 grand plus tied up, what is $10 to $20 saved on fuel while upsetting 80% of the rest on the road.
One other consideration with dual cabs is, measure your garage before going to a dealer. Then measure a dual cab with a bull bar, lights and tow hitch. They are long buggers. May not fit inside some garages.