Opinion on Terracan

Hi Dave

Try this forum which specialises in Terracans

www.terracan.australia4wd.com

They cover a lot of ground...The vehicles strengths, weaknesses and solutions.

The biggest issues seem to be around the suspension...many owners upgrade the suspension and the tyres.

The diesel is said to be the pick of the bunch.

Generally they are a very loyal lot so you'd expect some bias, but interestingly cope with the vehicles few foibles in an up-front open way. (Remember all vehicles are compromises and no matter what you buy you'll soon start thinking...mmm...could do with a bigger this or a smaller that.)

I have a Terracan CDRi Highlander Auto and I'm very happy with it. Previously owned a Jeep Cherokee and Pajero.

Off-road it goes very well but like most I've sorted the suspension to my liking, i.e. Lifted it a little...and changed the tyres. It also depends on what you do off-road...sand, tracks, mud, rock hopping etc or just long distance unsealed fast roads.

The biggest pluses is the price, warranty, the diesel engine...and believe it or nor not the build quality.

Cheers
Brad

Dave,

Like Brad said, check out the Terracan forum. It should keep you occupied for a while.

Mine's nearly two years old. I've had the suspension lifted, fitted Cooper S/T's and it is very competent off road for what it is ( and that is NOT a soft roader). It will keep up with a Standard GU in all but really tough terrain. Unless you're a hard core offroader it should suit your needs.

Rear diffs have been a problem that is happily fixed under warranty. Lately a lot of automatics have been suffering an annoying driveline clunk which Hyundai are saying is normal. This is a matter that I am pursuing with them.

Cheers,

Jim.

David31,
Depends on what you are going to tow and where you are going to tow it. We have a Terracan CRDI auto, and have been to Fraser Island towing a camper trailer(weighed in around a ton), and it towed it very well. (we camped at ocean lake, up past Waddy Point)
I have had a fair bit of trouble with the susp on our's, it had a double bounce which seemed to come from the front end. All sorted now.
The engine is great, handles pretty well on the black top as a daily driver,the ABS brakes work really well, either on or off road. Overall not a bad vehicle for the price, though only time will tell if there will be reliability issues. A five year warranty helps though.

Greg S

Hi David, like Jimbo and Brad have said take a look at the Terracan Forum at australia4wd.com. It's an excellent site and whilst we may be passionate about our vehicle of choice it isn't in my mind biased. I say this as many posts will discuss the short comings, perceived short comings as well as its great towing capabilities.

Like Jim I love getting down and dirty with the car and have modified it similarly to Jim, with the exception that I've also fitted a snorkel and being in WA I will be getting a long range tank also fitted.
Off road I've never found the vehicle lacking although a bit of extra ground clearance wouldn't go astray.

Whether I would have gone diesel if I could have at the time of purchase (nearly 18mths ago) is debatable.

The rear diff problem from what I've read appears to be affecting the Highlander models. I've got the base V6 auto and I'm not experiencing any problems.
A great many of the forum members tow vans and CT's, we tow a horse float. There has been a couple of recent threads dealing with the towing capacity of the vehicle.

Good luck with your choice of vehicle. It's a lot of money that your about to outlay so a bit of research is wise.

Cheers

Dunc.