Over at 4WD4X4Reviews.com they've just added a new review of Nissan's venerable Pathfinder 4x4, a truck that started out as a truck but evolved into more of a car:
While the Nissan Pathfinder and Terrano is certainly a rock solid four wheel drive automobile, it's not as much of a truck--or real world 4x4--as the ads might suggest.
4WD4X4 Reviews has just launched their all new 4WD truck, van, SUV, and mini truck review and comparison website at:
www.4WD4X4Reviews.com
If you're interested in reviews of new, used, and classic four wheel drive vehicles that take real world ownership into account, and are written by people who actually own, drive, and wheel 4x4s on a daily basis, check out 4WD4X4Reviews.
4WDTraveller.com partnered with 4WD4X4Reviews last month, so we'll be co-developing a lot of great reviews and comparisons in the coming months. Stay tuned!
In Part I, we looked at five key considerations for choosing a 4WD overland expedition vehicle. These included where you plan to travel, what type of terrain you expect to explore, how much you plan to carry, how far you intend to go, and how wet you expect (your vehicle) to get. Here in Part II, we focus on the strengths and weaknesses of some of the top four wheel drive overland travel vehicle choices.
Like any, this review is somewhat subjective and the highest ranked vehicle might not be the best choice for your specific requirements. All vehicles have strengths and weaknesses...but some are clearly more suited to the overland task than others.
So here are our picks--based on real world, multi-continent experience and plenty of trail-side research. As always, we welcome your thoughts so be sure to let us know what you think by adding a comment below.
Toyota Landcruiser 70-Series (non-Prado/Bundera)
Strengths: capability, design, durability, reliability, size, manoeuvrability
Weaknesses: none
Overland Rating: 9.6/10
Perhaps the greatest, most capable and well designed four wheel drive vehicle ever assembled, Toyota's 70-Series Landcruiser is what every other company wishes it had built. The old saying "Buy a Land Rover and get anywhere you want to go, buy a Landcruiser and come back" was probably inspired by the 70-Series. To suggest a 4WD vehicle has no weaknesses may seen biased, but it is not. Like any car the 70-Series Landcruiser is not perfect, but the few flaws it may have can't be considered weaknesses, as most of them came in the form of the Prado/Bundera, a lightweight version of the heavy duty 70. This is a nearly perfect purpose-built vehicle that is an all around excellent choice for overland 4WD travel. Unmatched.
Toyota Landcruiser - 80 Series
Strengths: durability, reliability, power, capability, comfort
Weaknesses: price, electronics
Overland Rating: 8.9/10
Oft regarded as a pinnacle achievement, the Toyota Landcruiser 80 Series is simply one of the best off road vehicles ever built. Its suitability for overland travel is somewhat hampered however by its 'modernity' and electronics, as well as its image as a more expensive, luxury SUV. Yet it is capable of going practically anywhere and coming back in one piece--without rattles and squeaks. The Landcruiser 80-series isn't an inexpensive choice for those on a shoestring budget, but is more of a premium overland vehicle choice for those who value comfort as highly as capability and reliability. Spot on.
Nissan Patrol / Safari
Strengths: capability, durability, reliability
Weaknesses: comfort, parts availability
Overland Rating: 8.6/10
Known throughout most of the world as Nissan's answer to Landcruiser, the Nissan Patrol / Safari is an incredibly well designed and bullet proof four wheel drive vehicle perfectly at home in the roughest terrain the planet has to offer. Though not as popular a choice for overland travel as the Toyota Landcruiser or Land Rover Defender, the Nissan Patrol / Safari is still an excellent overland vehicle choice. The legendary reliability and off-road prowess is offset slightly by the lack of worldwide availability of parts and support--although that is changing. Underrated.
Land Rover Defender
Strengths: simplicity, size, popularity, capability, manoeuvrability
Weaknesses: comfort, reliability, durability
Overland Rating: 8.1/10
A worldwide 4wd icon seen in the pages of National Geographic more often than elephant dung, the Land Rover Defender may be the second most popular choice for overland 4wd travel--but this doesn't mean it's the best. While capable and legendary, the Land Rover Defender doesn't come close to the reliability and build quality of the best Japanese or German 4x4s. But what they lack in those areas they make up for in sheer appeal, image, off-road capability, well thought out design, and relative simplicity. A worthy overland choice for those who want to look the part--and don't mind occasionally looking for parts. Lovable.
Mercedes Benz Geländewagen (G Wagon)
Strengths: capability, durability, reliability, manoeuvrability
Weaknesses: comfort, price, parts availability
Overland Rating: 7.7/10
A fantastic four wheel drive vehicle that comes ever so close to besting the Toyotas (owners will no doubt swear it does) the Mercedes Geländewagen wagon is about as stout and purpose-built as a four wheel drive gets. Long lived and very capable off road, the G Wagon is a less popular choice for overland travel because of a lack of interior space, a high price, and hard to get parts in many countries. The use of the G Wagon by various militaries is increasing its profile somewhat, but it has a long way to go to become a popular overland travel choice. German.
Land Rover Discovery
Strengths: comfort, capability, cargo, parts availability
Weaknesses: reliability, durability, electronics
Overland Rating: 7.6/10
Another icon of overland vehicle travel, the Land Rover Discovery is, nonetheless, not a particularly good choice. Almost any Japanese base 4x4 would make a far more cost effective and reliable travel partner. Camel Trophy imagery aside, the Discovery isn't all it's cracked up to be. Its promising design is hampered by far below average reliability and build quality, putting it more in league with the best of Russia rather than the best of Japan or Germany. With enough money is can be made in to a spectacular and very comfortable overland travel vehicle, but unless you bleed British red-white-and-blue, that money would be better spent elsewhere. Fluffy.
As you probably know, it takes a lot of work to run a 4WD blog and keep the content even close to fresh. And one area we've been lagging behind lately is our 4WD vehicle reviews, which haven't been updated for some time.
So to hopefully rectify this, we've partnered with 4WD Reviews to create an all new 4WD review website based on real world experience with 4WD vehicles, not sales and marketing hyperbole. That's what makes these reviews unique: they're based on real world experience and ownership, and are written to be objective and honest.
4WD vehicle reviews that were previously on this site have now moved to 4WD Reviews, and they'll be adding many more as their site gets up to speed.
Stop by 4WD Truck and 4x4 SUV Reviews, see what's there, and watch for more reviews to show up shortly.
For a few years now I've been considering the purchase of a used Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) import 4x4 (as I've written about previously). Overall, JDM 4x4 vehicles imported from Japan are in much better condition, have lower miles, and more features and accessories than many domestic models.
However, imported JDM 4x4's tend to be very expensive compared to the same, domestically available models. The reasoning behind this obvious: the JDM 4x4s are in excellent condition, and they are often models that are in high demand worldwide. But...are they really worth it?
To find out, I've put together a comparison of a JDM 4x4 and a domestically equivalent 4x4, both of which are for sale in my city right now. The two vehicles in question are a 1993 Isuzu Bighorn turbo diesel, and a 1993 Isuzu Trooper V6 (gas), the domestically available equivalent.
1993 Isuzu Bighorn turbo diesel - $9900
As with most JDM 4x4s, this Isuzu Bighorn is pristine: fully loaded, only 84,000 kms, and fully compliant for North American roads. It is a beautiful right-hand drive truck, and I owned one much like it when I lived in Japan. With an 83 litre tank, it currently costs about $108 (C$) to fill, and should get about 750kms on the highway.
1993 Isuzu Trooper V6 (gas)
This Isuzu Trooper is a North American model equipped with a rock-solid but thirsty V6 engine typical of the era. According to the ad it needs almost nothing, is ready to go, and has just under 200,000kms on the clock (nothing for this engine really). I also owned the exact same model. At current prices it costs $97.94 (C$) to fill, and you can expect to squeeze about 600 highway kms from a tankful.
Crunching the numbers and assuming someone drives 20,000kms per year, the JDM Isuzu Bighorn will cost $2880 per year to fuel up, and the domestic Trooper will cost $3264 per year--$384 more than the more efficient diesel-powered Bighorn, even with diesel 15% more expensive than gasoline.
But the JDM Isuzu Bighorn diesel costs $6400 more than the North American Isuzu Trooper to purchase. To actually benefit from the fuel cost savings and make up the price difference, you would have to drive the JDM Isuzu Bighorn for almost 17 years. And that's ignoring any parts and repair costs that could be much higher with a JDM 4x4.
When it comes to buying the 4x4 of your dreams, numbers often have little to do with the choice--except perhaps horsepower, torque, and ground clearance numbers. But before you buy, it pays to know what you're buying into. JDM 4x4s can be fantastic vehicles and the price premium is worth it to many people.
But don't discount the domestically available versions simply because they lack the bells and whistles, have more miles and more rust. We're talking about 4WD trucks and 4x4s after all.
Once again the results of another 4WDTraveller poll are in. "What (as in what vehicle) makes the best 4x4 Expedition Vehicle?" was the question, and here's how you answered:
Toyota Landcruiser 52%
Nissan Patrol/Safari 20%
Mitsubish Pajero 12%
Landrover Discovery 8%
Landrover Defender 4%
Mitsubishi Delica 4%
Ford Expedition 0%
Toyota HiLux/4Runner 0%
The only surprise is that the Nissan Patrol/Safari placed higher than both Landrover's combined, but then that's what you get with unscientific polls (surprises).
Apologies to the Isuzu fans out there: I forgot to include the venerable Isuzu Bighorn/Trooper on the list. Although it's a great 4WD vehicle, it probably wouldn't have placed high on this list however, as it's not really an expedition choice.
In our next poll (online now in the right column as usual) we ask a simple question: "Diesel or gas: Which is best 4WD choice given current fuel prices?" Cast your vote and let the 4WD world know where you stand on the important issues of the day...
As worldwide sales of just about everything plummets, SUVs have been leading the free fall for a couple years now. In response, AutoblogGreen reports that Toyota will be discontinuing the beloved (to fans) FJ Cruiser as sales have been dropping sharply.
Built by Hino Motors in Japan and based on the lightweight Prado platform, the FJ Cruiser was initially a very successful model. Unique styling, borrowed heritiage, and a solid off-road chassis and drivetrain made it a popular choice for off road enthusiasts and urban wannabes alike (most buyers were female).
In addition to poor sales, Toyota's fleet fuel economy requirements are another reason for the eventual discontinuation of the FJ Cruiser. It's a thirsty SUV for its size, and Toyota plans to focus production capacity on more fuel efficient models and hybrids.
But we at 4WDTraveller have a simple solution that will satisfy both FJ Cruiser fans and Toyota's fuel efficiency goals: throw a highly efficient Isuzu diesel engine in the FJ Cruiser!! Toyota owns about 5% of Isuzu and Isuzu is Toyota's diesel engine supplier going forward.
Why not save a beloved model and bring an efficient clean diesel powered SUV to the North American market?
If you've read a few posts on 4WD Traveller, you probably know we're fans of diesel engines for 4WD use. In general they're tough, reliable, torquey, relatively simple (the older ones at least), not much affected by water, fuel efficient, and oh so nice to drive.
Although they have their drawbacks--such as less horsepower, higher emissions, more noise, more expensive repairs if things go wrong--in general they are almost perfectly suited to off-road 4WD use.
On road however, that's another story. Gasoline engines are smooth and quiet, and deliver far better on road performance and acceleration. Horsepower numbers are higher, torque lower, and fuel economy considerably poorer with gasoline engines, and they have those nasty spark plugs and electrical components that don't like getting wet.
If you're looking to buy a 4WD truck or SUV, which engine is right for you? It depends on how you plan to use your vehicle. If you're into rapid transit on highways, gasoline might be best. If you tend to drive slower on backroads, diesel might be for you. If you spend most of your time on road, gasoline should be fine, but if you spend the majority of time off road, diesel will be better suited in the long run.
Although the choice of engine is a personal one, there are a few realities that make the choice easier: fuel economy, the price of fuel in your area, and the availability of spares will often dictate your engine choice, regardless of what you might like to drive. Whatever engine you choose, make sure it's the right choice for your 4WD lifestyle and the type of off-road use you vehicle is likely to get--you'll be much happier in the long run making the right choice before you buy.
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