A real 4x4 - to X or not

[Jerez]

If you're looking for a hardcore 4 wheeler then a local brand like a Toyota land cruiser is the answer- used all over Africa and in the UAE as well. Solid and proven. If you want luxury with the occasional snowfall dilemma, then the school run wagons your answer - they are different cars for different purposes. Had an e70, decent fuel range for that type of vehicle.petrol rather than diesel unless u have very deep pockets. First models of the ML had bad reviews so stay away.latest ML focuses on good economy.discovery 3 is a great all rounder, 7 seats and more internal space than the Range Rover Sport.

 

[Carbon]

What is your definition of off-road? What do you want to do with the car?

The X5 has many limitations off-road, but can handle dirt roads and the odd grass patch easily. But wheel travel, ground clearance and attack/departure angles are road-car-like.

Disco? Which one? Disco 3 does fine on- and off-road, but air suspensions are a very well known problem, and don't even try to use "afrika-diesel" (diesel mixed with anything to make it cheaper, mostly paraffin), you will kill your injectors on minutes. So north Namibia/Angola/Zambia/Tanzania/North Mozambique is out.
(We had to help a Disco at Purros that drank Africa-diesel.)

Who the hell said Jeep??? There is a reason why they depreciate quicker than underwear! Talk to any mech at a Jeep dealership and they will tell you what are common problems(Gearbox, diff, etc.) Not cheap to fix.

Prado's do well on and off-road, they are reliable and many parts available.
Fortuner's have the same qualities, but a bit more crude inside(not a bad thing off-road), also likes acrobatics... Newer diesels don't like africa-diesel, but might get way with it in the Fortuner, but just take note.

Pajero is a unsung hero IMO, it has very good on-road manners for such a capable off-roader. The DID diesel is near bullet-proof, I have seen untouched engines with 430K km and still going strong. Most say the engine is good for 350K at least. It will also take bad fuels without problem.
One thing to note, the Pajero has independent rear axles, so loading the car lowers the ground clearance and departure angle a lot, esp if you tow a caravan. I would recommend Old man Emu HD springs to lift the car a bit(+- 5cm) and decrease rear sag. I have personally driven with one over Van Zyl's Pass(google for images of the place) without much fuss.

So, what do you want to do with the car?

 

[OppositeLockMT]

There is only one true 4X4 - Toyota Land Cruiser.:thumbs:

Something about them that doesn't appeal to me, too much switch gear is borrowed from much lesser models - as a flagship it should have more unique components IMO.

 

[maximus]

Landcruiser? or the Nissan Patrol?

 

[Peertjies]

Look at the old mitsibushi pajero's or the toyota prado's.
I've heard good thing bout those.

 

[James-ci]

It totally depends on what you looking at doing.
If it is for the occasional just off the tar trip (gravel road, some grasslands) then you do not have to go all out with a big offroad 4x4 type vehicle. Than a X5 will most likely do the job. If you want to go do some tracks or overlanding, than you will have to look into something else. Than when you have made that choice, you will have to ask yourself the question do you want to do it in style and comfort (Disco, Land cruiser etc) or dont you mind doing it in a little less (Fortuner etc). For me my Fortuner is a very nice place to be, both on and off-road. I have the 2011 model, wich is not as loose on it's feet as the first models.It's also a much nicer place to be than in a Hilux. It has brought me everywhere safe and in comfort. I have done 7 off-road days with Land Rover, all times in Disco and Range Rovers, it's a different class than the Fortuner, and does have awesome off-road abilities, will def reach places the standard Fortuner won't. But one will expect that for double the money. So yes, it all depends on your liking.


photo sharing

 

[frikkieh]

@Cyclone101 - I want to do some hard core 4x4 bush driving with my friends and possibly a little bit of overlanding. Definately camping.

Thing is that Fortuners are the most stolen 4x4 on the road.
And is pretty much bakkie like. But with that comes with some of robustness I suppose.
I have been looking at the old SWB Pajeros. But the Mitsubishi dealerships are not as well distributed as Toyota's.

They are freakin expensive for the mileage.
My FIL had a Cold Rodeo 2.8. When I did the rear drum brakes, I could not find from Midas, Federal M, or PartMan.
Scrap yards wanted to sell me the entire rear axle, complete with a diff for 6k.
I ended up buying from the agents for R4500 for both. Toyota's = R1819 for both.
To me that is a concern when going Mitsubishi.

I am still investigating the Old Jeep theory

Thanks for all the replies folks :ty:

 

[SP33DYV]

The Jeeps are known to have drivetrain issues.
Just get a series 70 Land Cruiser.

 

[SPIDER]

watch the race to dakar enuf said BMW ftwraise:

 

[Lawsome]

Discovery 4.. In motorplan. Had a disco 3 and out of motorplan spennded like 30k and it still gave k@k.
Really good cars on and off the road

 

[328-iM]

I have a 2006 Colt Rodeo 2.8 tdi doublecab an no probs sofar an very well on the offroad.....:joy:

 

[Bazza]

I have a 3.0 D4D doublecab and it goes where no landy has ever been. I Do a lot of off-roading and landy is definitely not the way to go, they are heavy and have a turning circle of an ox-wagon, anything tight and landy's are doing 3 point turns.

The nissan patrol is weak, had one in Mozambique 2 weeks ago and I was disappointed to say the least. Had to take off the battery terminals twice to reset the ECU to get the car out of limp-mode, that car can't take the punishment. To be fair I did drive it like a rental but still, a hilux or lancruiser would have handled it better any day!!

A fortuner is great but struggles with ground clearance as well as the prado. The FJ is a load of s#@t and probably the worse car to come out of Toyota's factory. The landcruiser is the boss, especially the pick-up and the 3.0 D4D with it's low down torque is a machine!! There's nothing that will stop these. And by the way, they use the landcruisers as the recovery vehicles in the Camel Trophy. The cherokee is also unbelievable off-road, especially in dunes. In my opinion, Landcruiser, Hilux, Cherokee or Fortuner or Prado but take the Fortuner and Prado to Safari Centre and get at least the light duty front suspension, lifts the car by 60mm which sorts out your off-road issues and makes it a little harder upfront which helps with handling on the road. And always diesel, has the best torque. DONE!!

 

[Clownshoe]

As its been asked before... what do you want to use it for? Most 4x4 buyers have no idea of what 4x4ing is about and what vehicles and equipment are required. Often see people who bought a softroader and very disappointed when it doesn't have the ground clearance. Or people with monster trucks and all they do is gravel roads in the Kruger.

 

[frikkieh]

As its been asked before... what do you want to use it for? Most 4x4 buyers have no idea of what 4x4ing is about and what vehicles and equipment are required. Often see people who bought a softroader and very disappointed when it doesn't have the ground clearance. Or people with monster trucks and all they do is gravel roads in the Kruger.

Hi Clownshoe, see post #27. Tried to answer that question there. I was thinking an X5 would be suitable.
Many 4x4 forums tells me :nonono: So I need to see what the BMWFanatics say. The general concensus thus far is :nonono:
I have been on the beach and up the Sani pass with my old Nissan on my own without issues.
Looks like bigger wheels and suspension upgrade is a must to improve ground clearance. My friends also recommend rock sliders.

 

[Clownshoe]

As its been asked before... what do you want to use it for? Most 4x4 buyers have no idea of what 4x4ing is about and what vehicles and equipment are required. Often see people who bought a softroader and very disappointed when it doesn't have the ground clearance. Or people with monster trucks and all they do is gravel roads in the Kruger.

Hi Clownshoe, see post #27. Tried to answer that question there. I was thinking an X5 would be suitable.
Many 4x4 forums tells me :nonono: So I need to see what the BMWFanatics say. The general concensus thus far is :nonono:
I have been on the beach and up the Sani pass with my old Nissan on my own without issues.
Looks like bigger wheels and suspension upgrade is a must to improve ground clearance. My friends also recommend rock sliders.

Sorry mate, did not see that line. OK. I own and X5 and a Jeep XJ. I bought the Jeep as a general work horse off my dad and it ended up with a 4 inch lift bumpers and roof rack. We have done the Richtersvelt with it and some pretty hectic trails and plenty of dune stuff. The XJs are extremely capable vehicle. Especially with a bit of a lift and the petrol straight 6 is practically bullet proof. A bit thirsty though. Forget the rocksliders... I have done the Hex Trail (only 5 rated trail in the Cape and did not get a scratch on them... I have to find a very specific obstacle that brings them into play. High clearance bumpers to improve exit and approach is more important. Trust me an XJ with a +2.5inch lift is all you need. Emphasis should be on flex rather than absolute lift, keep those wheels on the ground.


The X5 is OK on gravel roads. It is also useful in abit of sand... like getting to a camping spot at an outdoor festival without getting bogged. Otherwise I wouldn't take it offroad to anything more than a rutted track. I did a high speed gravel road near Darling, nothing quite like a 4 wheel drift in a big SUV... on the rutts she does rattle a bit.

Depending on your budget I would say the XJ or an older Prado would suit your needs. I am not a Mitsubishi fan... stay away from Jeep diesels (unless I sell mine), landrover defenders are for sadomasochistics, Landcruiser pick-ups are for people that want a car that they can drive offroad forever and want a backbone that is ground to powder (and they are crap offroad unless they have all the drive-train toys), 105 series LC is the ultimate offroad toy but you will pay and then pay to keep it fueled, stay away from petrol LC, they are designed around oil sheikhs!!! I grudgingly admit that new generation electronic offroad aids are very good, but the Wrangler is still the daddy.