If you had to pick a modern day SUV for tougher travels, which one would it be?

[Oshkosh-P]

Hello!

recently i am considering finally getting back to a bigger SUV, with which i like to travel a bit. Since i like to use some roads which are not in the best condition and since i am also not a big fan of driving really slow, i am looking for something tough.

My first choic would have been the NIssan Patrol, but this vehicle is getting rare in germany and tbh, those two rigid axles have their disadvantages in the real life outside travelling....

Same goes for J7 series Land cruisers of course. The wrangler would be an option, but isnt allowed to tow much over here, for some reason.

The big land cruiser 200 and the G-wagon are both really tough and come with very nice comfort, but sadly are simpley out of the price range.

So that pretty much leaves me with the less-hardcore vehicles, so which one of those would you consider the best for offroad abuse?

1. The Land Rover discovery: Very solid frame, double Independant suspension (IS), the IS looks tough, but what about the not-so-good name of Land rover when it comes to reliability? Most of the used vehicles in the market do have air suspension...

2. The Pajero (V80) double IS and a unibody, sounds bad, but maybe this one got it right?

3. The M-clas, same as the pajero and even more streamlined, i guess not the best choice for the job

4. Land cruiser J15, frame+rear axles, but still pretty costly compared to the rest dude to the fact it is also quite rare here



Any other ideas? I guess the Jeep Cherokee is even softer, so i did not include him.

Greetings

 

[jeep-N-montero]

It will be hard to beat the Pajero for the money.

 

[stevenmd]

The Discovery has great reliability as long as you learn what spare parts and tools to carry. Air suspension - super easy to convert to coil. Just be sure to pick one up where the engine has never been overheated. The aluminum blocks don't take overheating that well.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

It will be hard to beat the Pajero for the money.

In this case I think your right. That's what I would get.

 

[Offroadmuch]

It will be hard to beat the Pajero for the money.

2. The Pajero (V80) double IS and a unibody, sounds bad, but maybe this one got it right?

Mitsubishi got it right. I sincerely believe that the only reason that the Mitsubishi Montero Gen 1-2 and 3 are not the dominant SUV in America is that Mitsubishi did not do any marketing. For a major international car maker to win the Dakar Rally 7 times and almost no one in America ever heard of their vehicles is ridiculous. If it was Ford, Chevy or Toyota we would all know it.
.
I know one argument against the Mitsubishi Monteros now is that most people believe that parts are hard to find and there are not a lot of dealerships.
In response to that I can honestly say that between RockAuto, https://mitsubishipart.net/, ebay and a little looking I have no trouble finding anything.
I think most of us on ExPo are the types to spend some time and attention to keep our Overland vehicles in good working order. So if that applies to someone looking to get into a reliable vehicle (for extremely low initial cost) then I would take some time so read up and consider the Montero.
And finally, taken from a thread over on the Mistubishi pages:
.....3rd Gen Montero is more comparable to the Toyota Land Cruiser or Range Rover. Both in quality and design.

Stuff that makes the Montero better:
1. HUGE differentials. 9.5" Rear Ring Gear. 8.5" Front. What other 4x4 has this?? Land Cruiser doesn't. Xterra is like a child toy.
2. Rear Mounted Tire. Easily accessible. Can carry 33"+ tire without some stupid heavy bumper with swing out.
3. Factory Gearing option 4.90. Inexpensive upgrade. Can get complete 3rd members from junk yards. I bought both for $500.
4. Aftermarket : ARB, King, OME, Lovells, etc - You can buy more stuff than you'd want to spend. Skids, Winch Bumper, Suspension, Air Lockers, Snorkel, etc...
5. 5 Speed Transmission. Incredible. It is tuned exceptionally well. Always in the right gear. Can manually shift too. Plus, it locks the torque converter while going downhill to function like a manual to hold speed.
6. T case. Way more advanced than Toyota, Nissan. 2WD, AWD Mode (shift on fly), 4WD High Center Diff Lock, LOW Diff Lock
7. 03+ Best Traction Control of any vehicle. Works so seamlessly off road you'll have a hard time justifying lockers. It really is mind blowing.
8. Balance. You can lift a tire 4ft yet the chassis stays very balanced and in control. (search youtube for montero traction control). Near 50/50.
9. Motor. 3.8L is a sweet motor. Smooth. Quiet. Revs well. Mine loaded on trips would get 19-20 with careful driving. Heavily modified on 34" tires.
10. Space. Massive interior space. Low deck height. More cargo area than Land Cruiser. Lots of storage with 3rd row removed (folds into the floor).
11. Ground clearance. Completely flat underneath. I drove mine through the Rubicon.
.... I am not off the soap box and thanks for reading this far.

 

[Tex68w]

I came very close to buying a Montero in 2007, which is one of the last years for them in the states I believe?! I am glad I didn't though, resale sucks, there are very few dealers stateside any longer, and the few I knew who owned Mitsubishi products had nothing but problems with them. Now, if I could find a clean, low mile, used one for under $4-5K I'd have to seriously consider it as a low budget trail rig.

 

[ExplorerTom]

Land Rover LR4.

Modern and tough. And most of the parts are stamped with FoMoCo so they are readily available and easy to work on.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

Land Rover LR4.

Modern and tough. And most of the parts are stamped with FoMoCo so they are readily available and easy to work on.

I had a Mazda car once. Every part that broke on it was stamped fomoco. It's not always a good thing

 

[toylandcruiser]

2. The Pajero (V80) double IS and a unibody, sounds bad, but maybe this one got it right?

Mitsubishi got it right. I sincerely believe that the only reason that the Mitsubishi Montero Gen 1-2 and 3 are not the dominant SUV in America is that Mitsubishi did not do any marketing. For a major international car maker to win the Dakar Rally 7 times and almost no one in America ever heard of their vehicles is ridiculous. If it was Ford, Chevy or Toyota we would all know it.
.
I know one argument against the Mitsubishi Monteros now is that most people believe that parts are hard to find and there are not a lot of dealerships.
In response to that I can honestly say that between RockAuto, https://mitsubishipart.net/, ebay and a little looking I have no trouble finding anything.
I think most of us on ExPo are the types to spend some time and attention to keep our Overland vehicles in good working order. So if that applies to someone looking to get into a reliable vehicle (for extremely low initial cost) then I would take some time so read up and consider the Montero.
And finally, taken from a thread over on the Mistubishi pages:
.....3rd Gen Montero is more comparable to the Toyota Land Cruiser or Range Rover. Both in quality and design.

Stuff that makes the Montero better:
1. HUGE differentials. 9.5" Rear Ring Gear. 8.5" Front. What other 4x4 has this?? Land Cruiser doesn't. Xterra is like a child toy.
2. Rear Mounted Tire. Easily accessible. Can carry 33"+ tire without some stupid heavy bumper with swing out.
3. Factory Gearing option 4.90. Inexpensive upgrade. Can get complete 3rd members from junk yards. I bought both for $500.
4. Aftermarket : ARB, King, OME, Lovells, etc - You can buy more stuff than you'd want to spend. Skids, Winch Bumper, Suspension, Air Lockers, Snorkel, etc...
5. 5 Speed Transmission. Incredible. It is tuned exceptionally well. Always in the right gear. Can manually shift too. Plus, it locks the torque converter while going downhill to function like a manual to hold speed.
6. T case. Way more advanced than Toyota, Nissan. 2WD, AWD Mode (shift on fly), 4WD High Center Diff Lock, LOW Diff Lock
7. 03+ Best Traction Control of any vehicle. Works so seamlessly off road you'll have a hard time justifying lockers. It really is mind blowing.
8. Balance. You can lift a tire 4ft yet the chassis stays very balanced and in control. (search youtube for montero traction control). Near 50/50.
9. Motor. 3.8L is a sweet motor. Smooth. Quiet. Revs well. Mine loaded on trips would get 19-20 with careful driving. Heavily modified on 34" tires.
10. Space. Massive interior space. Low deck height. More cargo area than Land Cruiser. Lots of storage with 3rd row removed (folds into the floor).
11. Ground clearance. Completely flat underneath. I drove mine through the Rubicon.
.... I am not off the soap box and thanks for reading this far.

 

[ExplorerTom]

I know one argument against the Mitsubishi Monteros now is that most people believe that parts are hard to find and there are not a lot of dealerships.
In response to that I can honestly say that between RockAuto, https://mitsubishipart.net/, ebay and a little looking I have no trouble finding anything

What about a small town in the middle of nowhere on Sunday morning? Is that local auto parts store going to have the part that allows you to continue your trip?

1. HUGE differentials. 9.5" Rear Ring Gear. 8.5" Front. What other 4x4 has this??

My Expedition. 9.75 rear and 8.8 front.

4. Aftermarket : ARB, King, OME, Lovells, etc - You can buy more stuff than you'd want to spend. Skids, Winch Bumper, Suspension, Air Lockers, Snorkel, etc...

'Cuz you can't go car camping unless you spend a ton of $$$$ on gear.

LOW Diff Lock

Don't all 2 speed transfer cases lock the front and rear when in low?

 

[ExplorerTom]

Well if it so remote and so poorly supplied are they going to have the water pump, alternator, fuel pump etc for whatever you drive?

One of my vehicles is an F-150 with an SUV body. Several million sold in North America. Often used as a farm truck in those small towns. The other is based on a Ranger. Also extremely popular in North America. Or parts for a foreign SUV that didn't really catch on in this continent. I'll take my chances with either of my 2 vehicles.

(Full size V-8 domestic Compared to a mid size with V-6)

You said:

1. HUGE differentials. 9.5" Rear Ring Gear. 8.5" Front. What other 4x4 has this??

and then you add conditions afterwards? I just responded to what you wrote. I can't read your mind.

So I guess your reply is basically just to talk $h1t when you have the chance

Maybe, but.....

None of the points I listed are incorrect, false.....

 

[cozydog]

It appears that the OP is in Germany so that maybe changes the parts availability question for the pajero

My .02 is stay away from the Mitsubishis is you are going to the south-- into Africa or South America. I recently rid myself of a 2003 pajero in Guyana. It was terrible, parts availability was nil and no one would work on it. Not even the dealer since it was originally a EU vehicle and not in his market.

Also while working in west Africa I managed a fleet of 4th gen L200s. Worst trucks ever. Also in Africa Mitsubishi parts and expertise are usually limited to the dealer network-usually CFAO so high on costs and low on availability.

Both single examples but those L200s were miserable.

 

[Oshkosh-P]

Yeah in germany its different, Mitshubishi is more common, anything made in the U.S. is not .

I did not include the expedition becuse it is rare her, but maybe this was a mistake! The size is a problem, but its not too bad.

Dies it use the same frame and front suspension as the f-150? would be quite nice and definetly equally as strong as the Disco 3/4 i guess. Raer end as well probably and way better drive than the f-150

I guess since no one even metnioned M-class or Touareg, neither of them are often considered for real offroading.

Yeah i heard its possible to convert the Disco 3/4 back to coil, but this is not as easy here, because the TÜV does not like it and you also have to change the electric i guess? because this terrain response stuff is based on the air suspension is it not?

But back the the independant suspensions: Are there differences and is the Pajero one tougher compared to its competitors?

Unibodys are probably very hard to compare anyways....

 

[Oshkosh-P]

One thing id like to add:

Does the range rover sport chassis and IS differe i any way to the D3/4 parts? (Execept that they are ALWAYS air supension)?

Because the RRS ist much more common with a powerfull gas engine, might be an option. Is the diff size comparable to the Pajero/Expedition?

 

[Oshkosh-P]

Hm guess the british cars are not that common aroun dhere.

But maybe someon can alaborate a bit more on the US-IS-Suspensions. Would really like to know which ones are the strongest on the market, since you can barely upgrade over here.

Of course the probably strongest IS-all-around would be on the military hummer, but this beast is simply to wide and to expensive.

Some big suvs seems to share parts with the F-150/C-1500 or even the F-250/C2500 pickups correct? So can the IS on an Escalade or Tahoa or Yukon be compared with the one used on the Heavy duty pickups from chevy in the front? And what about the frames?