simpson desert in an x trail

How does an X Trail compare with a Toyota Kluger, any idea ? We were behind one for a while in the Simpson this year heading west on the french line and it made it easily.
DE

I presume it is an Xtrail with traction control and uses that to give the signals to the drive wheels.
Yes this does allow these types of vehicles to travel to places where you wouldn't normally expect them to go, but they are not a 4wd in the true sense of the word.
If relying on the electronics to provide the degree of forward movement then there is no reserve, as 4wd is just not there.
If the electronics fail, eg a wheel speed sensor fails then you don't really have anything and the ability will suddenly disappear, leaving you in the Simpson Desert and awaiting recovery. Any brake troubles will also find you in the same situation as the system relies on brakes to decide which wheel gets the drive.

A Kluger will be using the same technology to get there too.
Yes it might do it, but as mentioned there is no reserve of capacity.
Just to achieve the above performance these vehicles use the system to the maximum and wear rates on some of the gear is accelerated because they are working nearly all the time just to get through/across the terrain.
If I saw a Kluger come out of the Simpson I would recommend the driver go and buy a Tattslotto ticket, cos their luck is in.

I have never driven an X Trail so have no idea of its capability, are you going to do this with someone who can assist you when it gets tough?
We have travelled across the Simpson Desert and did it relatively easily, we were in 4x4 vehicles not soft roaders.
Be a bit much if you expect passing travellers to get you through.
You want to be really sure that you are able to do this as recoveries out there are not cheap, and expecting people on holidays of their own to assist you beyond the reasonable is a big ask.

i once read that a holden kingswood,4wd action from memory...
drove the simpson, and went up big read.

he saw these real 4wders, get a massive runup and gave it everything, and couldnt get up big red.
they literaly had no idea.

this guy dropped his pressures in the kingswood, got over it the first go he attempted it without the massive run up, and not thrashing the engine.

why is it everyone is soo one eyed about soft roaders.

i drove stockton beach MANY times, these rav, xtrail, vitara or jimny and all the rest...
yes some are better than others..
my best mates old girl has an old vitara, now its retired to farm use, its brilliant in the hills.
be a great 4wd, dont remember if its got a transfer case or not.

yup we all want solid diffs, proper transfer case and decent sized engines.

WHAT THE HELL GO FOR IT.
as always pre trip inspection.
cooling system check a must.
all terrain tyres prefered.

and a MUST PROPER RATED RECOVERY POINTS to front/rear of vehicle. THIS ONE IS CRITICAL FOR SAFETY.

they have some things going for them.
power to weight ratios...... most are v6 engines.
and are lighter for their body weight mass compared to a proper full time 4wd.. equals more punch for in the sand.
Therefore going to do it easier.

yes long term not the ideal vehicle for this stuff, bet who would have the coin just to trade in and get a proper 4wd. and then the other stuff with it.
this possibly is a stepping stone to see what the offroad lifestyle is.
as ive spent serious coin, 20g just on improving my old bus.


lastly i have heard xtrails are hard on clutches when towing soo id want this checked out.. but no trailer mentioned.
although sand would be hard enough on the clutch i tell you!!

its sad soo many people are not open to new ideas.

John to get an Xtrail accross I'd look at trying to lift the car a little with either high profile tyres or taller springs so you're not dragging your belly the entire way. Keep the weight down by taking bush walking tents/cooking gear etc & join in with a convoy for backup.
Not sure of the spec level of yours but there will be a few issues to address like a full sized spare, fuel capacity, decent recovery points & protection of under body parts.
Another good area to test the Xtrail is the Vic/SA border track & Big Desert Park. Quite a few tracks with parallel dunes of similar difficulty to the Simpson but with easy optons if the car isn't up to it.
No there is no easy way accross any longer. The Rig Rd has been closed for several years now & the clay cap has deteriorated or been covered in sand but don't let that deter you as over the years I've seen Mini Mokes, VW's, Subaru's & even some tractors cross the Simpson. Suitably prepared its' acheivable.
Cheers Craig............

A lady in our club took her xtrail to Poeppel Corner out of Birdsville with no issues. It had a small lift, all terrains and a group of support cars. Some in the club with Subaru Foresters have also made the crossing, once again with a lift, decent tyres and support. I have a proper 4wd and a soft roader. It's more satisfying getting the soft roader to places it shouldn't get to. If you don't have much experience then you probably will be a pain in the butt and hold people up by getting stuck all over the place. If you know how to handle the car and conditions you will have very little trouble. I suggest you get some decent experience so you really know the limits of yourself and the car then get out and enjoy it. Cheers.

If you do go then I hope you have some mates to help you.

We are going soon and we certainly would not be happy coming across a stuck, ill prepared "soft" roader, without support needing help and get my holiday ruined having to pull him out. I have had to put this trip off so many times because of illness and big crowds I certainly would be peeved. Don't worry I would help. At the least, I would even call for recovery for you.

Go for it, if you will, but do not go alone. Travel with some reliable and experienced mates.

To someone further up this thread. Don't recall who it was;
I had a HK Kingswood and they did not come out of Holden as 4WD!!!

Whe I went across a few years back there was this Rav-4 that made it across and well done to them, but ........ he was travelling in a group that included 2 well equipped 70 series and a Patrol. Didn't get round to asking him in the Birdsville Hotel how may times his mates snigged him out or over ...

A few years back I took a group across the French Line which included a stock standard Kia Sportage. Like the Xtrail, it only had a 60 litre petrol tank, so he carried an extra 3 jerry cans and from memory used about 105 litres from Oodnadatta to Birdsville. I carried a lot of his other heavy extras such as 60 litres of water and his second spare tyre in an attempt to reduce the strain on the Kia. We towed him over 3 dunes after he he stuck through lack of clearance - vehicle sitting high and dry on its belly - couldn't back down the dune. The vehicle had heaps of grunt and we aired down the tyres to about 15 psi (any less and he would have had almost no clearance!)

Problemss? He split a sidewall when it hit a tree root on the edge of the track (only tyre I've ever seen destroyed in the Southern Simpson desert). He had the engine warning light come on half way across for no apparent reason (sat phone calls to dealer in Adelaide suggested just keep driving - no cause was found) and the vacuum operated 4wd mechanism failed, locking it in 4wd - had to disable it in Birdsville so he could drive home in 2wd.

But we had a good time, and I'd do it again if a very good friend wanted to take their small 4wd.

I've owned two Xtrails, but have to admit my sense of adventure is not great enough for me to want to do this myself - much happier with my Landcruiser which is made for the job.

On my last crossing we came across a similar Kia (Sorento?) stuck about three quarters of the way up a big dune on the French Line. Driver was with the wife and two kids and was carrying a load of fuel and water to make the trip. He was running road pressures in his tyres and he still didn't have the clearance because of the load he was carrying. In short, he was poorly prepared for a trip like this and his mate in a Prado was no help. We got him up to the top by clearing everyone out of the car including him, lowering tyre pressures to about 18 psi, backing down (much to his horror) and then gunning it to the top. At the top you could feel the Kia bellying out.

We met him again later in the Stuart Van Park in the Alice, his Kia parked out of the way. Seems he'd put a very small hole in his tank and ran out of fuel about 30 kms short of Mt Dare. His mates Prado was a different fuel.

Having seen this I would be wary of taking an Xtrail across the Simpson. I'm not saying it can't be done but when you realise that a recovery will cost you around 10 grand well......it's only money I suppose.

So, two major cons to think about - Clearance and fuel capacity. No low range (is that right?) is also a disadvantage IMO

Having been the owner of a softroader I would have no real issues with one in the Simpson - they perform better in sandy conditions than most heavy duty 4wds. As far as ground clearance goes most people compare clearance with their highly modified and lifted heavy duty 4wds - many softroaders have the same clearance as some dual cabs - here the new Dmax comes to mind however bigger 4wds generally do have more clearance. As mentioned the main issue of softroaders is the ability to load them up with all the required gear.

On the X trail specifically, certainly the earlier ones had a problem operating in sand - continuous use causes the 4wd system to get hot and to protect itself it drops out of 4wd and goes back to 2wd until it cools down. This could be a bit of a worry so I would be checking to see if that issue applies to a 2008 model and I would be getting out onto the sand somewhere to test it all out.

Cheers

Garry

I think the answer to this question is simply that anything is possible with resourcefulness and planning.

In principal I can’t see any reason why the vehicle can’t make it. But how well you do it, and whether you make it, will come down to how well you and the vehicle are prepared, along with your own level of experience.

But it isn’t always about the vehicle, think about safety, the ‘what if’ scenario. Whilst many people travel the Simpson it is still a very remote place where help is not on tap in the event of an accident or illness. Should something like that beset you, you want to make sure you have a vehicle fit for purpose so you can get to help as soon as possible. These are important considerations that should not be overlooked, as remote as the likelihood of an illness or accident happening.

Good luck with it....