What vehicle should i choose

[globeotter]

Hi! everyone,

my name is Marius, i am from Northern Germany and new to this Community.

So far my Volvo XC70 has been a very reliable travel companion and has taken me to a lot of beautiful places. However, I’m now thinking about switching to something a bit more capable off-road.

Within my budget I’m mainly looking at a Mitsubishi Pajero, Mitsubishi L200, Toyota Land Cruiser, or Toyota Hilux.

My idea would either be a pickup (L200 or Hilux) with a cabin or pop-up camper, or a Pajero / Land Cruiser with a simple interior setup and maybe a rooftop tent.

From what I’ve researched so far, the Pajero seems to offer a really good mix of comfort, off-road capability, toughness, and reasonable fuel consumption. At the moment I’m particularly looking at the Pajero 3.2 DI-D from around 2010 onwards. Found one for 19k from 2017 with around 150k km.

Does anyone here have long-term experience with these vehicles?
How do they compare in terms of reliability, off-road capability, and overall ownership?
Any other suggestions?

I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts or experiences.

Thanks!

 

[XC70_OVERLANDER]

Hi! everyone,

my name is Marius, i am from Northern Germany and new to this Community. @XC70_OVERLANDER brought me here

So far my Volvo XC70 has been a very reliable travel companion and has taken me to a lot of beautiful places. However, I’m now thinking about switching to something a bit more capable off-road.

Within my budget I’m mainly looking at a Mitsubishi Pajero, Mitsubishi L200, Toyota Land Cruiser, or Toyota Hilux.

My idea would either be a pickup (L200 or Hilux) with a cabin or pop-up camper, or a Pajero / Land Cruiser with a simple interior setup and maybe a rooftop tent.

From what I’ve researched so far, the Pajero seems to offer a really good mix of comfort, off-road capability, toughness, and reasonable fuel consumption. At the moment I’m particularly looking at the Pajero 3.2 DI-D from around 2010 onwards. Found one for 19k from 2017 with around 150k km.

Does anyone here have long-term experience with these vehicles?
How do they compare in terms of reliability, off-road capability, and overall ownership?
Any other suggestions?

I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts or experiences.

Thanks!

So sad to hear you moving on. But it makes sense. I am sure the OB members are the best source to find a new reliable and capable adventure rig.

I always loved the Hilux. Very durable. Many modifications.

 

[El-Dracho]

Hi Marius,

I think you’ve already described the Pajero, or Shogun, as it’s called in some regions, very well. All of its model lines are known for a certain ruggedness and solid off-road and on-road performance. If you’re looking into different options of such a setup, I would also check out the Toyota Prado (J9 or J12) and, of course, consider a Patrol. I’m not a big fan of pickup trucks because, in my opinion, the ones we usually have here in Europe are all just compromises and not full-fledged pickup trucks. Sure, most of them can carry a ton, but is that sustainable, on long trips covering thousands of kilometers of rough terrain, with a cabin that often shifts the center of gravity in a really unfavorable way? I doubt it, and many real life experiences point in exactly that direction. Besides, you also want good off-road capabilities you said, which is where I see pickups having a disadvantage over the other vehicles mentioned.

Hope that helps you a bit.

Bjoern