Off Road ability of second tier Utes

Most "Off Road" vehicles are only as good as the driver.

You can have the biggest and best 4WD and still get into trouble.

What sort of off-roading are you thinking of?

My Uncle travelled all over Aust long before there was bitumen in most places (60-70s) always in a 2wd Holden and then Mazda 626. Never had a problem!

Any current vehicle you mentioned would do 99% of Aust both comfortably and safely. Would it compete in a Warn Winch challenge or Paris to Dakar... nope...but is that what you are asking of it?

I would go out on a limb that 100% of our TOURING 4WDs are over-capable for 99% of what we ask them to do. Its the 1% of comp or challenge tracks that you need the 'capable' 4wd and not necessary for touring Aust.

My 99 TD Rodeo will get me to any PLACE in aust that I could visit...but if you wish to take it to the top of Mt Kosiosko...nope.

Define you requirements truthfully/realistically and you will be surprised at what vehicle you require.

All the best
Matt.

A mate has a Mazda Bravo Freestyle cab 02 model i think, and other mate has standard 02 model Troopie, and myself a 75 series Trayback. We all run the same tyres, and all follow the same tracks and routes but we are forever pulling him (Bravo) out of places that we easily get through. We have all grown up 4wding and we all are probably more experienced then most 4wd instructors. But his car is far more comfortable then ours and better in the thick trees, sand and such. Because his car is rather underpowered and has IFS he struggles in many places, but its still taken us too many places that you probably wouldnt attempt when on holidays. It all depends on what you want out of your car, where you want to go and how much you want to spend on it to allow it to do more things.

Only my opinion but I'd put a Hilux in front of a Prado anyday.


Come to think of it I have a few times with a snatch between them.

Hi Kwk56pt

The prado is good in terms of off road traction and not far short of your Patrols and Cruisers.

This is because while its down at the front end it has good wheel travel on its rear end and this is where almost all of the vehicles with rear leaf springs fail - from your utes thru to troppies and latest 76 series etc.

This is the main issue you have to deal with in these cars.

Second is strength etc and this is harder to comment on.

A mate of mine was very happy with following us around last year and bashed his way thru most places the patrol drove thru.

On latest trip he was unable to come as he was replacing his Navara's suspension which was already ARB after market.

I have been considering this decision at present as we wish to upgrade now the kids are not travelling with us much in the future,and i have been driving a prado v6 for 9years now and before that a dual cab triton v6 for 8yrs.Wewill most likely stick with the a new prado but in diesel form but in a base model grade with an option pack 2. I have been comparing prado to hi lux
Prado 180lt fuel tank, most utes 70-80ltrs
prado dics brakes all round and larger hi lux rear drums
prado coil rears,coil over front ute leaf rear/ coil over
prado more safety features available egside airbags traction aid etc
prado 5sp auto hi lux4 sp
prado need cargo barrier few hundred $ hi lux canopy few thous$
prado different seating position that suits me .
pricing for the prado gx or standard similar as hillux sr5 or sr models
I have found that our prado is more comfy for long distance ouback travel , as a new model would be as offroad capable if not better than a hi lux [as state in another post this always depends on driver]
the utes certainly can be better for carrying a load but like most 4wds we always want to upgrade the suspension to suit our needs
just my thoughts but hope this helps
Russ

The Yanks invented the 4WD with Willys Jeep and the Japs perfected it with the Toyota 70 series. If you want a serious 4WD you can’t go past the 70 series.
If you tour around the top of WA you will see that all the big iron ore miners have been using Toyota 70 series utes and Troopys as their choice of work vehicles for many years. They don’t use the cheaper 4WDs as they can’t take the punishment on their mine sites.

The company I work for recently bought quite a few (Over 80) light utes including most makes & models (single/dual cab, manual/auto) although all are diesel. We get drive most & speak to others & although some people have a brand favorite, the best I reckon at the moment for all round handling, econemy, power, driver position, towing & load carrying ability would have to be the Triton. (& that's coming from a 27 year Toyota driver)
If load carrying while touring is your main requirement then I'd say a tray back Triton with a few upgrades would serve you well but for an all round offroader come daily driver a 120 series diesel Playdoe would be my pick. Just as capable but far more comfortable.
Cheers Craig..................

Hello kwk56pt,
I have a modified 2006 Hilux SR5 Dual Cab ute which has been to the tip of Cape York, to many great places in Central Australia including Boggy Hole and two crossings of the Simpson Desert, in the company of larger Nissans and Toyotas. I have never had to be rescued, but I have twice pulled heavier vehicles out of sticky situations. The Hilux beat them all to the top of Big Red!

Where do you plan to go offroad? It's my experience that when modified, the utes do well in moderately-difficult terrain. They will go to most places the large fourbies can go, but they are found wanting in difficult terrain unless they have diff locks fitted. A search of the Forum Archive will give you some valuable information regarding the Prado and its reliabilty when fitted with diff locks. I drive slower than most of my mates when fully laden and travelling over severely corrrrrrruagated roads as I find the ute less stable than a larger, heavier fourby at speed.

I have seen very few Prados in the places I've been, but numerous large fourbies and lots of diesel utes, most of them Toyotas. Most of the Prados, Pajeros and Pathfinders I've seen have been driving around town or towing caravans on sealed roads ! This says quite a lot about the popular choice of vehicle for offroad work.

How much space, comfort and abilty do you require? The modern Hilux, and other of its kind, are quite comfortable for long distance touring, moreso with a load. The leaf springs of the ute give it a robust and simple rear suspension. Most utes I've seen offroad have been fitted with a modifed (raised) suspension and AT tyres

The coils of the Prado give it a softer ride. The additional travel of the Prados rear suspension is only of value if you plan to use it to its full capabilities. '

Dust ingress into the tub of most utes is a problem. Most of what I carry is in plastic containers or tubs. I've managed to seal around the tailgate with foam rubber. Owners of canvas-covered tray-top utes tell me they don't have much of a dust problem. A Prado shouldn't have a problem with dust ingress.

Either vehicle should be fine for carrying capacity; you simply adjust your expectations accordingly. Most Prados I've seen offroad have well-loaded a roof rack !

I went through the same investigation as you and ended up with the ute because I would have damaged the interior of the Prado by using it as a market vehicle, as I do on most weekends. The seats take about ten minutes to remove from or reinstall in the ute.

Hope some of this helps.
Cheers,
Netnut





I

Hi there kwk, I have had both BUT earlier models. Currently have 97 Prado Grande, while it is car like to drive and very comfortable to drive it has no where near the cargo space my hilux had with a canopy on it. Been petrol the prado is thirstier then the diesel. My next vehicle will definately be another diesel but turbo. Im currently tossing up between the same model I have but in turbo diesel or a D4D hilux base model duel cab. Im leaning towards the duel cab due to cargo area and for us now having a little one means more luggage. We also use to have a 170L water tank permanantly in the rear of the lux. Not to sure on the comment above about the hilux been more capable off road. We have used ours off road numerous times and the current model hilux has the same front end as the prados. The prados have coil rear end which gives a lot better flex then rear leaf spring hilux but once again depends on your needs eg utes will take a greater load as we found with the old lux. Torshion front ends arnt as good BUT like has been said above depends on your usage. I always reply with the same comment, if you want to go rock hopping as well as touring buy a patrol or 80 series cruiser.Any of the vehicles you have mentioned above will do everything you want it to do in the way of touring. Go the utes if you want greater cargo area and load carrying.........WHG

One of my employees has a mate who ventures down into the mud of the otways in a ford courier, apparently he gets along fine

Good evening

coming home from work tonight on the freeway south in Perth I passed a 2WD Hilux flat top towing a troopy with what looked like a nylon strap. troopy looked like a real outback vehicle too, dual spares on back and hi-lift jack as well and NSW rego. No sign of an EO sticker ha ha

dunno whether that helps with the original question but you have to ask what the hell was going on there?

cheers

Rocco

I guess it goes without saying but any of them will need decent tyres and a bit of lift before taking them off road

this bog stocker failed to proceed on sthis section myself and a rangy got straight up