4wd for my daughter

...not to mention an air intake that is more than 1 cm off the ground. I would suggest steering away from Rav4, CRV, X-Trail, Tribute/Escape and the likes. As Bruce said SHOULD HAVE LOW RANGE you've only got to need it once (if you need a reminder of that there is a pub near/on Fraser with photos of what beach driving can do, even when you do have low range...not a pretty sight by all accounts)

Of course I have to say it, you could also consider a s/h 2000+ Kia Sportage if youneed a little more room in the rear, the $ change will give you 2 first class tickets overseas + spending money.

XL-7 not really too good for beach work, too low with a very long wheelbase.

hey jimbo
were in the market for a new fourby and are looking at the terracan (not the highlander) how is it 4wdriving ability and also have you needed any dealings with hyundais warranty at all i was told thats its great no crappy exceptions and theyre quick to respond to claims. other than that it looks a good vehicle and suits our needs exactly.

I was gonna say the same thing but Green Man was on the ball.

I was in a similar situation last year looking at a new 4wd for $30 to $40k for the arrival of the baby. I got a challenger for several reasons:

1- could not fit the baby seat in the old ford courier extra cab ute.
2- comparing with vehicles in the same categoy (suzuky L7, Ford Explorer, Jeep Cherockee, Toyota Prado,...) it looked to me like the best deal when considering 4wd capacity for money.
3- the specs looked pretty good for the type of 4wdriving I do (beach/sand in soft area sometimes and rock/hill): low range, V6 engine, LSD at teh rear, good clearance and departure/attack angles.
4- Leg room at the back is good. Some of the competitors were pretty poor on that point and when looking at the 7 seater Suzuky L7, the second and 3rd row of seats are not offering much room. Unless you need 7 seats I don't see the point of getting squashed in the back and lose some space in the cargo area. Try to put your prom in there and then do a bit of shopping and you will quickly regret you had 7 seats.
5- The wife liked it and she would not have let me buy a 4by that would not have got good looks for her. Lucky I had come to the conclusion the Challenger was the best option for us for the budget we had!

I haven't regretted that choice (apart from the fact that I couldn't afford the Patrol I was dreaming about) and have taken it to the beach several times without any trouble even in the soft where I would have struggled before witht the Courier. On the road it handles very well and I am quite happy with the fuel consumption.
The only drawback is that this vehicle is not very well known, probably because it doesn't get much advertised by Mitsubishi (don't know why because it deserves it) and as such there is fewer choices for aftermarket accessories, but it is the same for some of the cars mentioned in that post and from what you're looking at doing with it it should be OK.

Hope that helps and good luck with your selection.

Sly.

And with the 2.7 V6 from the XL-7.

A foot note to my earlier posting.

A mate of mine use to test drive for one of the 4X4 mags and about 4 or 5 years ago, he and 9 other drivers took 5 soft roaders away for a weekend. They managed to break the Forester but what they did would have broken any of the other 4x4s if put in the same situation.

ALL 10 DRIVERS voted the Forester as the best on and off road vehicle and most preferred the interior of the Forester.

Funny thing though, when the article came out, the drivers opinions had been ignored and the vehicle with the most adds was voted number one out of the 5.

Before anyone says anything, the article was 4 or 5 years ago so thing may have changed.
Cheers

I must agree with Extreme RAVer that the Rav is very capable on sand and a lot of other surfaces as well. And as others will testify, it is quite demoralising trying to make it up a dune while some clown in a Rav4 does cicles around you.
And thanks for not posting the pics of you towing me out too.

LOL....next time I'm putting on a short skirt, stockings and high heels