Hi all,
Apologies for the long read,
I'm faced with a dilemma and not sure which direction to go.
I currently drive a 100series landcruiser V8 which is set up for touring and outside of the fuel consumption of the old girl it's been a fantastic car. Recently was looking at some numbers and around payload capacity and Gvm and discovered when I hook up the van put the family in the car and fridge in the back then I'm right on the limit of GVM.
My van has a ATM of 2500kg
Towing capacity 3500kg
The vehicles payload is the one thats getting me so my options are Gvm upgrade which is around the 5k mark and would resolve the payload issue but then with the price of fuel and high fuel consumption number is making me think is it time to pull the pin and walk away and buy a dual cab ute that has a greater payload.
We are planning a trip in January travelling from
Melbourne to
Cairns with the van comparing consumption numbers with friends I'll be paying $1800-$2000 more just in fuel.
I can easily sit here and look at all the pros and cons for keeping
mine or upgradingto a newer car, leaf sprung
rear, better for carrying the weight, turbo diesel better fuel economy, better etc, but then the left side of my brain says then cruiser is fully set up for touring, long range tank, dual batteries, upgraded
suspension comfortable on long trips.
I have driven plenty of duel cab utes in the past for work but not towed my van with one, recently I read an article that claimed the ideal towing vehicle should be heavier then the caravan and said most people feel uncomfortable towing with dual cabs and thet are like death traps which is a bold statement now it's got me thinking the landcruiser is heavier and has a larger footprint then a dual cab utes ie,
Ranger, Bt50 D'max and does sit on the road very
well.
Please all if anyone is able to given me some real world input and experiences owning either landcruisers or dual cabs and the honesty feel when driving/ towing.
Thanks Matt.