Diesel Patrol or Petrol Prado?

I think you've answered your own question Snowey. If you were doing a lot of outback travel, I'd say go the 4.2 Patrol but if it's highway travel and an occassional dirt road a couple of times a year, perhaps the Prado might be more suited to your purpose.

Hi Snowy

You would probably know from other posts I've made that the petrol Prado can be a great car in many ways, but it is less stable than the Patrol and you need to take this into account when considering modifications.

It is much smoother and quieter and faster than the 4.2 GU.
They are pretty different cars really, the Prado's being a lot weaker underneath.

I have friends with both cars and they are all happy but there is quite a difference in their usage patterns with the Prados tending to take a lot more care and be hesitant when it gets rough.

I guess I see the Petrol Patrols as being a great combination of the best in each of those two cars.

A good exercise would be to run thru a life cycle cost exercise
based on your parameters and see how they stack up.
Their really isn't much in either choice cost wise, previous exercises
I have gone thru would show the 4.2 diesel as the most expensive followed by a petrol Patrol with Prado as least cost thru
the first 6 or so years of each cars life.

We currently run a V6 120 Prado and average around 20000km off bitumen each year. This includes all of South Australia's tracks as well as central Australia. The car weighs in at 2940kg when fully loaded for a two week Simpson for example. It is also used as a daily driver in town. In the last three years it has averaged 15.7l per 100 km around town and touring and hits about 20l per 100k in the Simpson if it is really soft going. We get from Oodnadatta to Birdsville on internal tanks.

The car is fitted with TJM XGS shocks and springs and poly airbags in the rear as well. Whilst I note the comment regardng Prado's being softer I do disagree. How well any vehicle deals with off-road terrain has a lot to do with driver education as much as the vehicle setup.

If you travel the Flinders tracks and tour that area then you will not have a problem with a V6 120 series at all. I would not recommend the earlier motor as it is thirstier than the 4l and only fitted with the four speed auto whereas the 120 V6 has the excellent five speed auto

But if you are regularly towing and running fully loaded then I do suggest the 4.2 TD if you can get a decent one as they are like rocking horse teeth. A chip and some engine mods make then a great machine and as they have live axles and a great rear diff then they certainly can articulate better thany anything that does not have that suspsension setup.

Either way you will have a great vehicle

Regards

RobA