4WD for the larger family

Hi
We went down this path a few years ago.
At the time we had 4 kids(now we have 5) and need the space. We went for the patrol at the time because of the way the rear seats folded up to the side (split in the middle). At the time we took one of the rear seats out completly making room for the pram.Ours is auto 4.5 petrol on gas which suits us as we dont do a lot of off road stuff at present.Now that we have 5 kids, one in capsule ,1 in booster seat and 3 others it still fits us comfortably. However we need to take a roof rack or trailer if going away anywhere even overnight.
As for camping we travelled to canberra and back ffrom perth with a camper trailer and tent for the 3 older kids.At that time there were only 4 kids, havent travelled with the baby yet.This worked for us as we couldnt afford anything that would sleep everyone,plus we could put the kids a little bit away from us.Mind you we only camped in caravan parks.
This is what works for us
Hope this helps
Evan

Suggest u buy latest 4WD Monthly, they have just done a comprehensive test onf a number of 4wd's including prado, 100 series pathfinder patrol 4.2 jeep and discovery

I would be very surprised if you couldn't get a GXL 4.2 diesel landcruiser for that money.

Hi OneDirt

The 100 series has more internal volumne than the others and is a good choice of car.

Don't forget the standard series 100 series. If you have 6 passengers , these had actually 3 seats across the front , and so you don't need a third row.

Been camping with people using this car and the huge rear volumne meant they could go away without a trailer.

This vehicle came with both petrol and diesel engines , took a petrol version one for a test drive in 2002 and as the standard series was part time 4wd it had all
atributes of the patrol I ended up getting.

P.S. I believe some 80 series have same features

Robin Miller

Not to sure about the Patrol but I have a LC100 and the rear fold down seats are low to the floor. This means once your children who will be sitting in the back reach 8-10 it starts to become uncomfortable on longer trips as their knees are up around their ears.
My son is 9 and after a couple of hours he is feeling uncomfortable and he asks to stop for 5min so he can stretch his legs.

Mate

Faced similar decision 5 years ago... blended family, six kids... and a preference for old-style part-time 4WD, vinyl floor etc. I ended up with a second-hand 100 series "poverty pack" 4.2 diesel 12months old. Dealer had replaced splitties with GXL wheels, plus tinted windows, side steps, etc. I had the extra row of seats fitted plus roof-rack and CD player. Ended up with a 9 seater that has met our needs beautifully. When we are all travelling, I use a canvas bag on the roof-rack - takes all our soft stuff - bags, sleeping bags, pillows, etc. And with 8 of us, that amounts to a heap of stuff! Also tow a trailer - early days a box-trailer, now a CT. Vehicle now has 200k on it - still drives like new - c/w the AU Falcon wagon my wife drives around town - has a 175k on it and feels like has done 300k!

5 years ago, we could have said "With 6 kids it's all too hard". But it's been great - lots of memorable trips. Kids are getting older now and not all come with us when we travel, but whenever I float the idea of a more economical vehicle, I get shouted down - they all love the cruiser! And so do I.

Regards

Spliney

one4dirt

You will not go wrong with a 100 series TD auto.

If you are considering others do not go for any without a lap sash seatbelt and head restraint for ALL passengers (put on your checklist) and be aware that where the second row of seats has a 50/50 split it is very uncomfortable for in the centre seat. For example, my kids very rapidly developed what they called a 'numb bum' from the centre sea in a Pajero (also has the 50/50 split seat).

Suggest you consider a 2nd hand campert trailer with a rack on top if possible.

I think the goal is to get out there often and that means there has to be some effic9iency and comfort. Also, the kids will need a couple of bikes and a trike to sharte as well as boogie boards etc.

So wth that in mind I would accept a higher mileage cheaper Cruiser so I could afford a used camper with plenty of canvas space. This would provide a lot of free covered standing space to manage the kids and some privacy for you. When you add up the cost of tents and other camping gear a camper can be competitive in price.

One thing for sure ,the llittle ones wont stay little for long.
Maybe get a big 4wd, either cruiser or patrol,and get a roof rack.

I bought a Ti 4.5 Patrol.

We have 4 teenage kids and found the climate control with rear air was pretty much a requirement when travelling.

I found that single aircon when using the rear seats just didn't cut it.

We tow a CT when going camping.

I recently went the Gas route and very happy with my choice.

$40 will get you a NEW Terracan T/D. Seven seats, capable off road with Ironman suspension ($850) and a five year warranty.

Not much spare space when you have the rear seats in use.

Check out www.terracan.australia4wd.com

Jim.

We went for a Prado! We have two, two year olds in car seats, a four year old in a booster and an eight year old. The eight year old is still comfy in the back re leg room.

We usually have one back seat folded up or even remove it, to give me room for shopping etc.. It's still pretty handy to have the extra seating though for kids friends etc.

Prado's are supposed to be pretty good economy wise too.....nice CD player...what else do you need?

Thanks for all the reply's.

For the members with the large 4wd's, how user friendly are they for manoeuvring around town, ie Shopping centres, Schools etc..... I have just been looking at the dimensions and our current commodore vx wagon is longer than both cruiser & patrol but 100mm narrower. So I guess it wouldn't be too bad.

A camper trailer is on the cards when I get tired of putting the tent up. I was lucky as I bought a Sportiva Odeyssy 8 6mx3m double dome tent when there was only three of us so there's plenty room there.

The Terracan is good value and capable with a lift but it is the smallest of them all.

I guess either way we will probably play musical seats. As the eldest gets too big for the third row she can swap with the second eldest (when out of booster) and that would see us out for another 3-4 years.

Also if I have one of the third row splits removed can I safely secure a small loads next to the child in other seat.

Again Thanks
Chris

Hi
Don't let towing a trailer cramp your style! We always have our trailer when camping, even overnight, and have yet to find a track I can get the Cruiser up but not the trailer (we're not counting Big Red - you unhitch the trailer to play!!)
Of course the trailer is not the standard Budget Box for carting mulch - we have done a few mods to it along the way.
Have fun 4by shopping - I'd go for the TD Patrol or Cruiser. We couldn't afford our 80 series Cruiser when we bought it, but haven't regretted the initial pain one little bit.
Cheers
John

Hi one4dirt,

Given the number of family members, size will be everything for you so I reckon you would be better off with a Patrol of Landcruiser. While you could squeeze into a Prado/Pathie/Pajero, you would wish for the extra space every time you were loaded up.

Given your budget, you would be unlikely to find a 100 series turbo-diesel but could get a non-turbo diesel or a 4.5 petrol. The diesel is a good vehicle, but a slug, especially in auto, while the petrol has the power, but at a cost at the bowser.

The other alternative is the Patrol 3.0TD (no 4.2TD as not auto) or 4.5/4.8 petrol. The 3.0TD has the power (marginally faster than a 100 series 4.5 petrol!) while getting better than 12l/100kms, while the petrols have the same/greater thirst than the 100 series. While I would avoid any series II 3.0TD, the series III are proving to be a reliable motor and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

Having owned an 80 series 4.2 diesel and a GU 3.0TD, I would choose the 3.0TD hands down every time. While the 4.2 diesel is in its element in slow, low range, steep rocky trails, in virtually all other areas (beach driving, fire trails... almost everything but idle speeds in first gear - which an auto will mask) the 3.0TD does it better. And when on the road, the advantage of the 3.0TD is magnified - it drives as good, if not better, than a petrol without the fuel cost. The only disadvantge is that the GU has a poor turning circle, but you get used to that. Also, you have 20 litres less fuel (125 vs 145 L) but the better economy evens that out.

While any of these vehicle will be very suitable, IMHO the series III GU 3.0TD is the best value for money for your circumstances. I have had both (well the 80 series anyway - equivalent to the 100) and thats the way I have found it.

Cheers

Captain

Here’s another option for you to consider, Toyota Troopcarrier 4.2L Diesel. (not sure if get an auto though) This is the way I went when faced with the same situation.

Advantages
7 seater when rear to bench seats removed.
Plenty of luggage space. Roof rack only require for a 2 week central Australia trip, haven’t needed trailer as yet.
No carpet, just sweep out rubbish.
Good off road ability as standard, will do medium level with no modifications.
Seats made for adults, so plenty of separation between kids and legs are vertical.

Disadvantages
Kids sit longitudinally and face the centre of the car.
Big and heavy to drive around town.
Lacks power but will travel at 100km on highway.

Same situation - 4 kids, oldest is 7y.o, youngest is 2months old. The Prado
Petrol 4.0L V6 is excellent car very good if you going to use it as a
daily driver as well. Gives you very good $ economy on LPG as well.
Of cause if I would be buying now, probably would go for 100 Series due
to extra space. While I don't have any space problems at the moment once kids
grow up a bit the Prado will be a bit squashy for them all.

Hi One4dirt,
Have been through same process about a year ago. Previously had a 3.4Lt prado which was fantastic car and did the job for the 6 of us just fine for around town and the odd trip away with the 2 older children and DAD. We wanted to travel a little more as we go trail bike riding in the winter and surfing allot and beach camping in the summer.

Our 4 kids are 11 & 10 then 4 & 2. The idea was to build a camper trailer to suit us all. One that could utilise the trailer in the winter to put the bikes on or double as a large box trailer, then put the canvas tent on when we all want to go away.
I realised as the family was growing and my interest in getting away was starting to bite like a mid life crisis should, after some research, it became apparent that a Turbo diesel would become a far better vehicle for the size we required and the towing capacity along with the fuel economy in mind.

Working to a budget we looked at the Patrol and the Landcruiser for under $30,000. Now it was tempting to go to the 100 series, but I always preferred the shape of the 80 series and all research suggested they were more capable off road with the better front end.
It took me months of searching and we finally came across a fantastic almost original condition 80 series Turbo diesel Sahara 95 model with 230,000kms on the clock. This may sound old to some people and that's fair enough as my Prado was actually newer than the cruiser, however the following facts made it an easy choice. The car was originally purchased for over $100,000 and has a service record stamped by Toyota every 5000kms, it had full leather trim, dual air conditioning climate control, (which is great for the kids in the back on the hot days), the front console has a fridge that will hold a dozen cans of drink, which I thought we would never use as I thought it was a bit of a gimmick ( we use it to keep a constant supply of cool water for all of us), but it has been one of the best luxuries of the car, we scored a 3/4 size alloy roof rack with it and apart from many other factory upgrade inclusions I won't bore you with, it came with factory diff locks front and back (oh Joy). Now this truck is an auto and once my wife got used to the way a turbo diesel engine works and the slightly bigger frame of the cruiser, she is happy to trundle around town with the four kids and take half the soccer team to the games!

All this happiness for $28,000 and I get to steel it on the weekends and go play. It tows our big trailer like a train and we couldn't be happier now we have thrown in one of those cheap dvd players for our 2 year old who can become a demon after travelling only 1 hour.

So from one large family to another, I would say go for the bigger vehicle, (you can always take less but you can't make your smaller car bigger) The 8 seats with the split fold 2nd row and removable if required 3rd row are great and extremely practical, the diesel ( go for the factory turbo if possible) will tow all day every day and a roof rack with a waterproof bag will keep the car spacious enough even when the car is full of kids.
Nothing wrong with the Patrol, Just that we preferred and 8 seater and I was not keen on 3 litre and the 4.2 were out of our budget.
Hope this info has helped you with your decision. Might see the 12 of us on the road one day!!

Thanks again for the informative reply's.

Had a bit of a look around in the yards over the weekend.
The Patrol seem to have a bit more leg room in the third row than the cruiser. The $ value is good. I think the ST model would be sufficient as the ST-L's adds leather and I'm not one for it. The DX is quite plain.

I will have to set aside a Sat to take the missus out to test drive and size them up.

I think I've narrowed it down too;

120 Prado 4.0 or 3.0.
GU III Patrol 3.0
100 Land Cruiser T/D (Found most with high k's and over 40k)

I have to set some funds aside to get a off road capable 7x4 and all the necessasary accessories. (Hopefully I can find a rig with $$$ already spent.)

I would definitley join a club to get some training and tag along some weekends away.

I am hanging to get the tent up after a break. I have been reading the trek sections on the Flinders and that would be my first port of call, looks fantastic. (I am in SA)

Can't wait.