Saturday, Mar 23, 2019 at 13:30
Arizawa - Buy something light in weight and cheap. Light weight means it doesn't bog as readily as a big heavy 4WD and a light weight 4WD is easier to pull out of a bog.
I think you've already outlined the vehicles you're looking at - and you're talking SUV's, not true 4WD's.
The Subaru's are quite a satisfactory vehicle, but they are not cheap - to either buy or repair.
No current model Subaru has dual range 4WD, they are all AWD SUV's.
You need to buy an older model manual gearbox Subaru, to get a dual-range transmission Subaru.
The Tucson is very popular, cheap to purchase and run, and appears to have high customer satisfaction.
My stepson has one, he's very pleased with it, he bought it new last year and has done 25,000 trouble-free kms with it. It drives very
well.
However, no model of Tucson has a dual-range transmission, the high range models are AWD, not a true 4WD.
The Tucson is an SUV, not a genuine off-road vehicle.
The Jeeps are expensive as regards maintenance and parts, and their reliability is a bit hit-and-miss. You can get a good one, or get a real lemon.
Many people are wary of the Jeep Compass being built in India. I'm more wary of Jeeps reputation for poor QC.
You need to buy the Jeep Compass Trailhawk to get dual range transmission and true 4WD. It does have a good electric traction assist system.
The market is currently dominated by SUV's that are not designed for beach driving - even though the snappy advertising always shows them racing along beaches.
To get a true 4WD with good off-road capabilities, you need to look at the larger vehicles that are much more $$$'s to buy than the vehicles you specified.
Cheers, Ron.
AnswerID:
624580
Follow Up By: Zippo - Saturday, Mar 23, 2019 at 14:04
Saturday, Mar 23, 2019 at 14:04
Ron's comment: "Buy something light in weight and cheap. Light weight means it doesn't bog as readily as a big heavy 4WD and a light weight 4WD is easier to pull out of a bog." is good advice, and leads back to the Suzuki Jimny (as a beach vehicle) that was mentioned earlier by DingoBlue. Not a spacious vehicle but very popular with beach fishers.
On the subject of Subarus and dual-range gearboxes, the 5MT and 6MT transmissions did have dual range BUT the low range is really more of a "ratio splitter" i.e. 2L fits between 1H and 2H etc. I know as I have one. If anyone really wants I'll dig up the ratios. They are useful as a FULL-TIME AWD (unlike some other Asian so-called AWDs that are AWD "on request").
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Follow Up By: OzzieCruiser - Saturday, Mar 23, 2019 at 14:11
Saturday, Mar 23, 2019 at 14:11
Just to clarify a 4wd is a SUV but not all SUVs are 4wds in our Aussie sense of a nice all terrain go almost anywhere type vehicle. A SUV just has to have "offroad features" such as raised ground clearance and as a minimum AWD.
It is a shame this awful American term of SUV has taken a grip and taken over from more traditional aussie terms.
In my vocabulary, SUV does not exist but there are 4wds (the type Ron is talking about) and Softroaders or Cross Over vehicles (what Ron is calling SUVs) to identify those those without full 4wd credentials.
I agree with Ron, while some softroaders are OK on sand due to their light weight, they are not good in getting off beaches and a traditional 4wd with dual range - so starting at something like a Jimny and working up in size (SWB Prado/Pajero are good if you want smaller) is the only real option for everyday use and beach use.
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Follow Up By: Michael H9 - Saturday, Mar 23, 2019 at 17:02
Saturday, Mar 23, 2019 at 17:02
The new Jimny is very good but you have to wait until the end of this year for delivery. Two of my son's friends have one on order and I went on the
test drives because I'm a sticky beak. They were far better than I expected.
FollowupID:
898096
Follow Up By: Arizawa - Saturday, Mar 23, 2019 at 20:23
Saturday, Mar 23, 2019 at 20:23
Thanks for the great
feedback guys and after doing some more investigation i've come to the same conclusion.
I've managed to pickup a new 2019 Mitsubishi Triton GLS auto at a great price. Whilst not the best double cab on the market, the price and 7 year/150,000km warranty steered me away from the market leaders such as a
Ranger or Hilux. It came in at $39,000.00 and included two free
services, and $1,000.00 of accessories which helped cover bin lining and a canopy.
Looking forward to a few trips out to fraser island soon!
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898098
Follow Up By: Ron N - Sunday, Mar 24, 2019 at 00:21
Sunday, Mar 24, 2019 at 00:21
Nothing wrong with the old Mitsubishi's, they've been around for a long time - and after having hired quite a number of vehicles in recent years - and having been given Mitsubishi's (ASX and Eclipse Cross) when I picked up the hire vehicles - instead of my preferred Toyota's - I must say I was quite impressed by the Mitsi's.
A mate has just dredged up an old Triton ute to rebuild for a work hack (I think it's late 90's), it's done 500,000 kms as a courier ute, and it's still good for a rebuild!
Not a lot of people know that Mitsubishi actually own a majority shareholding in Isuzu, and Isuzu is listed as one of Mitsubishi's subsidiary companies.
Mitsubishi Corp - Isuzu division
The Mitsubishi Corporation is enormous, it employs 60,000 people and is the largest trading corporation in Japan.
Cheers, Ron.
FollowupID:
898103