Well , kind of!
For a number of months the minister of finance and I have trolled the interwebby for our new 4by after deciding that I am too broken to drive the 2 pre 2000 'Cruisers we own over long distances any more.
I am not looking for the standard fuel economy or reliability answers , but more about the drivability of a few of the vehicles that we believe may be suitable.
Firstly the UZJ100 v8 petrol 'Cruiser , also the NT Pajero , and the new Mazda BT50 are our choices SO FAR.
As we tow our 2000kg [fully loaded] Jayco Work n Play up the west coast every winter , and plan to do the
Perth to
Darwin to
Perth run next winter , we are unsure as to the 'drivability' of the smaller diesel engines vs the V8, even though fuel economies are far superior.
Do the 4 cylinder engines drive ok into stronger headwinds or up 'n' down hills and long uphill gradients, or do they tend to work quite hard?
Also , after say 8 hours in the saddle , how does the aged '100 series seating hold up , and also the newer models per say? As I have 2 more organs in my stomach than I had 2 years ago , I find that the old 60 series and my '75 are no longer even close to adequate , and cause me great discomfort within an hour.
It is often written that You should really
test a 4wd before purchasing , but most dealers are not keen in us towing our 'van to
Karratha to
test it out :) , nor driving it for 5 hours!
So , I am genuinely very interested in opinions of comfort , drivability , and general power of the batch of 4bys on offer.
I will consider Hyndais , KIA , whatever models that owners here have/ do use. Fuel economy is important , but no good if the little 4bys struggle if needed to pass or drive in hilly terrains.
All posts re any vehicles will be carefully and greatfully considered , as we will only be able to
test drive most of them to a certain degree before we will be able to purchase to real life descriptions are invaluable!
* Note , our budget is up to $50k.
Mucho appreciation :)