Notice: We request that you don't just set up a new account at this time if you are a previous user.
If you used to be one of our moderators, please feel free to reach out to Chris via the facebook Outerlimits4x4 group and he will get you set back up with access should he need you.
Recovery:If you cannot access your old email address and don't remember your password, please click here to log a change of email address so you can do a password reset.

most fuel efficient mid-sized 4x4s?

General Tech Talk

Moderators: toaddog, TWISTY, V8Patrol, Moderators

Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2003 2:39 am
Location: Perth

most fuel efficient mid-sized 4x4s?

Post by drifta »

hey guys,

I want your suggestions for fuel efficient mid-sized 4x4s and utes.. I currently have a pretty efficient efi vitara.. but its only a 2 door and I need more room so ive been thinking about slightly larger 4x4s, just trying to find one thats relatively fuel efficient... suggestions?


Paul
found a 3door 1.6L efi vitara =) pm me for 4x4ing around perth
Posts: 1109
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 8:48 pm
Location: Australia

Post by hulsty »

If you want fuel efficiency go diesel!
The Silver Bullet - BJ74
Where the actions at Ontrack 4wd Club
http://www.ontrack4wdclub.com/
[url]http://www.cams.com.au/[/url]
Posts: 1288
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:09 pm
Location: Glass house sunny coast

fuel

Post by purplebus »

a 5 door vitara..? will be hard to settle on 1. diesel is awesome but initial buy price dear, gas is good but availability and set up costs, know of 2 people who beleive their v6 triton and v6 rodeo loooove a drink. my dad has a 2wd diesel d-max for work and always comments about how good it is on fuel , cant comment on the 4wd but dad is no stranger to driving hard so it must be good.
only the first roll hurts, then its a ride..
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2003 2:39 am
Location: Perth

Post by drifta »

yeah.. im considering the bigger grand vitara,

also considering the xtrail or rav4 (yeah I know they arent as hardcore offroad but i mainly do sand driving)

diesel cars are a possibility, but unless its a significant economy boost (like less than 8L/100kms) then I'd prefer to stick with petrol due to the performance
found a 3door 1.6L efi vitara =) pm me for 4x4ing around perth
Posts: 1288
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:09 pm
Location: Glass house sunny coast

fuel

Post by purplebus »

the newer vitaras have a diesel now as do the xtrail IIRC. The Mrs has a new rav 4 4cyl auto and it uses nearly as much fuel as the 2wd ford territory we just sold and the road noise is shocking in it. friends had a v6 grand vitara and driven normally was good on fuel but if given a bit around town stopping and starting it was a bit thirsty but the car itself they loved. IIRC the vitara has a low range as well.

if you drive one of the newer diesels you may be surprised as they go well. my dad hated diesels until he drove one and then he bought it.
only the first roll hurts, then its a ride..
Posts: 19062
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2003 11:39 pm
Location: In a horse near you

Post by chimpboy »

Isn't the 3.5 paj around 10l/100km? That's not too bad.
This is not legal advice.
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2003 2:39 am
Location: Perth

Post by drifta »

hey Purplebus..

Yeah a mate of mine has a new mitsubishi triton turbo diesel which goes well, and is prob ok on fuel but is prob a bit above my price range.. so yeah some diesels are good.. but most of them are in pretty heavy cars and not so good on fuel
found a 3door 1.6L efi vitara =) pm me for 4x4ing around perth
Posts: 317
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2008 8:22 pm
Location: Oriental 4WD Adelaide

Post by mhgill »

chimpboy wrote:Isn't the 3.5 paj around 10l/100km? That's not too bad.
No. My mates 3.5 DOHC sucks 14L per 100km at best and its 98 Octane only.

LPG = WIN.
GQ 5" coils 35" Muds FOR SALE
98 GU 4500 ST Stock.
God of Athiests
Posts: 8336
Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2003 2:14 am
Location: Brownsville

Post by DamTriton »

Kia Sorento 2.5 TD

Mid 20's now to buy, proven engine (no service issues), 8.5-10l/100km, build quality quite acceptable, good 5 seater, will need springs/shocks sorted (many kits around mow), automatic and low range available.

Essentially Triton part time 4wd and Mitsubishi underpinnings (first vehicle built under Hyundai ownership of Kia, with Mitsubishi being the long time technology donor to Hyundai)
George Carlin, an American Comedian said; "Think of how stupid the average person is, and realise that half of them are stupider than that".
Posts: 2158
Joined: Sat Jan 20, 2007 8:16 am
Location: New Zealand

Post by KiwiBacon »

DAMKIA wrote:Kia Sorento 2.5 TD

Mid 20's now to buy, proven engine (no service issues), 8.5-10l/100km, build quality quite acceptable, good 5 seater, will need springs/shocks sorted (many kits around mow), automatic and low range available.

Essentially Triton part time 4wd and Mitsubishi underpinnings (first vehicle built under Hyundai ownership of Kia, with Mitsubishi being the long time technology donor to Hyundai)
I know a guy with a manual sorento, he gets 7.5l/100km on a trip. A manual tdi car will better 5l/100km on a trip and blow petrols away for performance.
For those concerned, the engine is not an old idi mitsubishi.
Posts: 1383
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 8:12 pm
Location: Newcastle

Post by oldmate »

frankly any modern turbo diesel will out perform a 1.6 vitara. most of the midsize wagons and utes will be using around 10l/100

the new mitsubishi diesels for example put out 140kw.

I don't know how much power you think you want, but if economy is a concern then you will likely not be using all of what's available on any wagon or ute, wether it's petrol or diesel.
The worst part about being told you have Alzheimer's, is that it doesn't just happen once.
Posts: 1383
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 8:12 pm
Location: Newcastle

Post by oldmate »

Also remember that a vitara has low range. IF you mainly do sand driving then a rav4 and possibly the xtrail doesn't have low range
The worst part about being told you have Alzheimer's, is that it doesn't just happen once.
Posts: 309
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2005 8:20 pm

Post by Thommo 73 »

KJ jeep cherokee Diesel int bad
1uzed and no home for it
Posts: 2158
Joined: Sat Jan 20, 2007 8:16 am
Location: New Zealand

Post by KiwiBacon »

Does a tiguan count as a 4x4? It's a golf on stilts but the economy is excellent.
Posts: 158
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 1:19 pm
Location: Southern Tablelands

Post by create »

I've had a V6 and I4 RAV4 as a company car. They both go really well on sand. Fuel economy can get really bad in the V6 tho. The I4 has more than enough power.
I had the V6 in some really rough terrain the down hill accent works tops!
Nissan GQ Patrol '89
TB45 ~ LPG ~ 33' bighorns
User avatar
Guy
Posts: 10366
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2002 8:43 am
Location: Wangaratta

Post by Guy »

what kind of $$ are we talking here ?
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:30 pm
Location: QLD

Post by Tumtum »

4X4 WAGONS - SMALL NISSAN XTRAIL DIESEL
MED - TOYOTA PRADO D4D DIESEL

4X4 UTE
NISSAN NAVARA DIESEL AND TOYOTA HILUX DIESEL
Posts: 14209
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2004 11:36 am
Location: Adelaide

Post by -Scott- »

Tumtum wrote:4X4 WAGONS - SMALL NISSAN XTRAIL DIESEL
No. Be serious. This isn't Gen Chit Chat.
Tumtum wrote:MED - TOYOTA PRADO D4D DIESEL
Yes. Also have a look at the latest td Challenger.
Tumtum wrote:4X4 UTE
NISSAN NAVARA DIESEL
Yes.
Tumtum wrote:AND TOYOTA HILUX DIESEL
Economy - yes. Offroading - no. Toyota lost the plot with the latest Hilux.

If you want a dual cab, have a look at the Triton.
Posts: 1258
Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:49 pm
Location: Mornington/ Victoria

Post by PGS 4WD »

We are lovin our JK diesel 4 door Jeep. average 10.5 and cool. Factory rear locker, really impressed off road with 2 1/2 lift and 33 muds. More character than a Paj, live axles for ground clearance.

Joel
-Pre trip inspections/ servicing
-Suspension/ custom modifications
-4wd Dyno & tuning
-Qualified mechanics
Posts: 14209
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2004 11:36 am
Location: Adelaide

Post by -Scott- »

PGS 4WD wrote:More character than a Paj, live axles for ground clearance.

Joel
Translation:
PGS 4WD wrote:It's not as comfortable as a Paj, but it has old-skool cred.

Joel
:finger:
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2003 2:39 am
Location: Perth

Post by drifta »

my budget is 8 - 14k
thanks for the suggestion of the kia, might be worth looking into..


I'm hoping to find a car that uses 10L/100kms or less..
also hoping for less that 150,000kms


the navara, hilux and triton petrol models seem to use 13L / 100kms or more.. not sure about the diesels, but i get the impression they would be slow vehicles.. i tried driving my mate's navara/rodeo (same diff) in the sand and my vitara had a much much better power to weight ratio..

the power to weight ratio on the xtrail is INCREDIBLE! - which means low-range is not so important..

132KW @1440KGS = 9.17 power/weight ratio
the xtrail is sounding good to me, but im still open to suggestions.. combined fuel economy 10.1l / 100kms
found a 3door 1.6L efi vitara =) pm me for 4x4ing around perth
Posts: 3513
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 12:52 am
Location: Perth, WA

Post by alien »

dont go NEAR a softroader like xtrail or rav4.... i once took my mum's rav4 cruiser (2003 model i think?) to the beach and it SUCKED... it just dug in everywhere... we also tried it on some rutted tracks and it scraped its belly on anything bigger than a 20c coin. Aside from that the gearing was terrible and once you take it offroad the fuel economy plummets severely.

by comparison my sierra gets better economy when im driving offroad. go figure!
The worst thing about censorship is ███████.
Posts: 14209
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2004 11:36 am
Location: Adelaide

Post by -Scott- »

drifta wrote:the power to weight ratio on the xtrail is INCREDIBLE! - which means low-range is not so important..
Fail.
User avatar
Guy
Posts: 10366
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2002 8:43 am
Location: Wangaratta

Post by Guy »

-Scott- wrote:
drifta wrote:the power to weight ratio on the xtrail is INCREDIBLE! - which means low-range is not so important..
Fail.
If sand is his thing, an X trail may do the job. ( I should hilight the MAY bit)

For that sort of $$ I would look at a Paj on gas .. mine running LPG is significantly cheaper to run than the camry I had previosly, Has plenty of go, quite comfy as well.
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2003 2:39 am
Location: Perth

Post by drifta »

love_mud wrote:
-Scott- wrote:
drifta wrote:the power to weight ratio on the xtrail is INCREDIBLE! - which means low-range is not so important..
Fail.
If sand is his thing, an X trail may do the job. ( I should hilight the MAY bit)

For that sort of $$ I would look at a Paj on gas .. mine running LPG is significantly cheaper to run than the camry I had previosly, Has plenty of go, quite comfy as well.
hey thanks for the tip.. What year/model Paj did you go for?

the tricky thing about gas is that only 1 in 10 cars have had the conversion done so they are a bit hard to find

Alien - thanks for the tip about the rav4... i have a mate who had a zook and now regularly takes his xtrail to lancelin/wedge and seems happy with it.. i think the xtrail has some sort of slip sensing device which might help


"Scott", if all you can add to the conversation is "fail" - go join another forum mate, you are in the wrong place for that kind of lameness.
found a 3door 1.6L efi vitara =) pm me for 4x4ing around perth
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2008 12:41 pm
Location: sydney

Post by schmik »

I have only ever seen xtrails stopped on the beach................ to let the 4wd overheating warning to reset.

I used to own a 2004 5 door grand vitarra. Awsome fun to drive. 2.5L V6 had a heap of power and was light enough to be a hoot in the sand. We still own a 2008 GV and it too is a heap of fun to drive but the economy is at about 12L/100km. The 2008 has a heap of room inside and handles on-road like a dream. The 2004 was more fun in the sand but had a tiny boot, it got replaces by a land crusier.

IMO, if you love the high revving suzi engines then a diesel is not for you.

mike
Posts: 234
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:05 pm
Location: Melburn!

Post by Dexter »

Thought of something older to save on the initial purchase price?

That way you can chuck the savings into a high interest saving account and accrue a little interest. Then spend it on mods(if thats you thing) or on fuel and servicing. I really dont think you can go past the NL Pajero(3.5 petrol) in that price range, they are tough cars and would surprise you the places they go, sure they might use a little more fuel than the other cars mentioned here but they also wont depreciate as much.

10L/100km
20,000kms a year
$1.20 ULP
= $2,400 a year in fuel

15L/100km
20,000kms a year
$1.20 ULP
= $3,600 a year in fuel

So thats $1,200 a year you are paying in extra fuel in that comparison give it in 4 years you will have racked up almost $5k in extra fuel but if you saved on the initial purchase that money would have been yours for alot of that time, not in your depreciating economical car.

---Off topic---
When you look at the maths of it all it makes more sense... just like filling up on the cheap days every day does not save you $1,000s as the masses believe. A 10 cent fluctuation is less than 10% of savings!
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2003 2:39 am
Location: Perth

Post by drifta »

Dexter wrote:Thought of something older to save on the initial purchase price?

That way you can chuck the savings into a high interest saving account and accrue a little interest. Then spend it on mods(if thats you thing) or on fuel and servicing. I really dont think you can go past the NL Pajero(3.5 petrol) in that price range, they are tough cars and would surprise you the places they go, sure they might use a little more fuel than the other cars mentioned here but they also wont depreciate as much.

10L/100km
20,000kms a year
$1.20 ULP
= $2,400 a year in fuel

15L/100km
20,000kms a year
$1.20 ULP
= $3,600 a year in fuel

So thats $1,200 a year you are paying in extra fuel in that comparison give it in 4 years you will have racked up almost $5k in extra fuel but if you saved on the initial purchase that money would have been yours for alot of that time, not in your depreciating economical car.

---Off topic---
When you look at the maths of it all it makes more sense... just like filling up on the cheap days every day does not save you $1,000s as the masses believe. A 10 cent fluctuation is less than 10% of savings!
yeah, I appreciate your input there mate and those thoughts make sense... but buying a car with 80 - 160kms on it you are also going to have a lot less money spent on mechanical wear and tear..

also a car that uses more fuel is worse for the environment, not just the pocketbook.. plus a newer car looks better for my business and i prefer lighter weight cars....


good food for thought though, thanks for that.
found a 3door 1.6L efi vitara =) pm me for 4x4ing around perth
Posts: 234
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:05 pm
Location: Melburn!

Post by Dexter »

Any time, was just some general thoughts I had in that area as I have gone through the same process a number of times. :)
Posts: 14209
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2004 11:36 am
Location: Adelaide

Post by -Scott- »

drifta wrote:"Scott", if all you can add to the conversation is "fail" - go join another forum mate, you are in the wrong place for that kind of lameness.
Thanks for the tip.

Coming from somebody who obviously has NFI what a low range is for (I'll give you a tip - it has NOTHING to do with power), I won't be too concerned about what you think this forum is for. :roll:

If you're going to come to a tech forum and offer advice on topics of which you clearly have an inadequate knowledge don't get upset when you get called on it.

Lameness? Coming from username "drifta"? :rofl: Did you come up with that response yourself, or copy it from another forum where it was directed at you?

I'm not the one in the wrong place.

You want a tip? If you're talking 4x4 and fuel economy, don't talk petrol Pajeros. Anybody who tells you otherwise is dreaming.

Even the pre-DiD diesels are not particularly fuel efficient. In your price range, if you seriously want fuel efficiency without going small, look at the LandRover Tdi - Disco or Defender.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests