4x2 Gas or 4x4 Diesel for South America

[marengineer]

I've been doing more research on picking a vehicle for a trip to South America, and I am considering the Isuzu and Mitsubishi platform.

If you had to choose between the following, which would you pick for SA for our purposes?

1. 4x2 Gas (looks like the Chevy V8)

2. 4x4 Fuso Diesel

We are not planning to venture too far off the road, mainly want a larger safe camper (not a soft side pop-up) for 2 people and 2 dogs. Considering using a Total Composites body, possibly a pop-up hard-side to fit in a container. I was reading that 2x2 is doable with recovery gear (winch, tracks, etc..), and monitoring the weather (rainy season, good route planning).

The camper body would be transferable to another vehicle and something we are planning on keeping and using for some time. ~ 30 years.

I like the idea of 4x4, but I am very concerned about the emissions systems. The Chevy drivetrain would make parts easy to find and easy to work on. I have read about some concerns with fuel in Brazil having a higher ethanol content which can affect some modern fuel systems?!

We are looking at a newer truck 2012 or newer.

Thank you for your time and opinion!!

 

[Wiley]

I am not familiar with either vehicle, and while I had AWD south of the border, I have read several people make the statement that they could count on 1 hand the number of times they "needed" 4X4 down there. As you said if you are not going too far off the beaten path and intentionally looking for 4x4 roads, you can easily get by with 2x2.

 

[glennm01]

Pretty sure the Chevy option will come with 4 wheels....(i.e. 4x2, not 2x2)

 

[marengineer]

Thanks glennm01 good point.

 

[Wiley]

You have never lived until you moto Mexico

 

[Christian P.]

Having traveled a lot in Central and South America, I would suggest you help us help you by answering these questions...

-What do you intend to do or visit? (that will help you decide if you need 4x4)

-How much budget do you have for fuel and repairs (fuel is expensive in South America)?

-Can you do your own maintenance and repairs? or do you need a mechanic?

A camper like you describe, with 2 adults and 2 dogs, is going to be heavy. So you would need a solid truck to carry it.

My first thought would be a Dodge 3500 4x4 with a gas engine, as it is the most common of all 3. You sometimes see a Ford, but I don't recall ever seeing a newer Chevy in South America. A Toyota Tundra would be a great choice but I am not sure it would have enough payload for you.