José Rui Faustino de Sousa > wrote:

> So what do you nice guys advice? What would be the option that would be
> the best compromise between my requirements and good off road ability.

Like most buyers you start off by saying you don't want much then set
out a list of requirements that are close to impossible to find in one
vehicle.

If you want to seat five in comfort than SWB vehicles are all going to
be a compromise in either ability to carry luggage or legroom. On longer
trips there's usually a requirement to take at least one bag for each
passenger plus some extra supplies such as water / food. You will also
find that good, strong, cheap off-roaders are difficult to find and when
you do find them they are uncomfortable and slow to drive long
distances. You must also make allowances for the poor directional
stability and the ease with which you can roll such a vehicle on road.

There's also the problem for someone from the UK that we don't really
know much about the price, tax and availability of such vehicles in
Portugal.

So given all the caveats:

Wrangler - simply awful avoid like the plague.

Land Rover TD5 - too underpowered? It's not a racing vehicle and the
engine is perfect for mixed on/off road use. I'd be worried about
reliability rather than ability/performance. Every LR product I have had
has cost a fortune to run.

Land Cruisers - Excellent, especially the 4.2 diesels. But they tend to
be a bit too upmarket for serious off-roading until they have collected
some dings and scratches with age. I've no idea about the other model
numbers you list, I don't know what they are.

Monterey/Trooper - Seem to be decent vehicles, I'd take the Isuzu over
the Opel because they seem to be slightly better built.

Suzuki - better than you might think off-road but probably need a lift
kit for ground clearance and they then need very careful handling
on-road.

Pajero / Shogun my sister in law has one. It's been a good vehicle and
has held together for many years. It's decent off road, a bit rough on
road but acceptable.

=====

Some things you haven't thought of:

Daihatsu Fourtrak - ideal farm vehicles. Not refined on-road but
relatively cheap and about the size that you ask for. Getting hard to
find in good condition, most people who have one don't want to lose it.

Nissan Terrano / Ford Maverick - decent size, can be driven on and
off-road relatively well. I've driven one at speed across Salisbury
Plain (off-road) and it didn't fall apart.

Daewoo / Ssang Yong Korando - Cheap, available with a diesel, fairly
slow. Reasonably competent off-road. You could get one for about GBP
2000 in very good condition.

Isuzu / Opel - Frontera/Mu/Bravo there seem to be many names for the
same vehicle. Some British assembled version were dreadful, but Opel and
Isuzu versions seem to be properly assembled even if they were made in
the same factory! I've little experience of these vehicles but friends
who own/use them seem very happy. Early owner complaints seem to be
because the owners thought they were buying a Freelander and were
actually buying a fairly rugged commercial/off-road vehicle.

UMM Alter - Good alternative to a Defender.

Santana - must be available down your part of the world. A Spanish built
alternative to Land Rover with sensible engines.


I'm sure I've forgotten many.