Prado for me. Daily drive and comfort are key given my car only gets used 10% of the time off road. Important point to consider on the spread sheet..👍🇦🇺
I have XJ too and I go wheeling for weekends. I'm not saying this because I'm biased, but the more difficult the terrain, the XJ went easier than any other 4x4.
Isnt anyone going to mention the elephant in the room? A troopie! How much do you pay for a troopie these days? theres litterally a 2006 manual troopie on carsales for $85K right now! seriously WTF! Manual windows, manual trans, vinal floors, tape deck, and an extremley uncomfortable ride! And stock they dont have a locker or LSD, seriously basic vehicle for the $$$. then look at something like a prado (yeah laugh if you like, but same brand for commparrison purposes), less money ($72K GLX), extremley comfortable, locker, dual fuel tank, way more aftermarket gear, etc. you'd have to be crazy to go for a troopie unless it was for a mine site, farm, remote community, and then only for some very specific reasons. Happy to be sledged for this, I honestly cant understand why anyone would choose a troopie over say a Prado if an IFS would do what they want to do with the troopie. just my opinion. And thats why a perfect 4x4 dosent exist.
I've always believed that no matter what 4wd you own, if it gets you out caamping and touring then it's a good thing. I also believe that there's no bad 4wd's just bad drivers who don't drive to their own personal and 4wd's ability.
@@AbbasBinYounas exactly mate but also what Ronny said did make alot of sense and in no part did I disagree with him. Now the L300 express wagon was a good 4wd based van but I reckon Ronny needs to get a modified L400 Delica on modified and compare the differences between them both in off road ability and modification availability.
The best 4x4 is the one you own and use! For me, 2005 Jeep WK 5.7 Hemi w/KO2 tires. 99% of the time, I’m using it for highway driving… but that 1% when it’s needed, it does great!
The best 4x4 is the one you can afford to own, run and repair. Especially now with the fuel prices going the way they are( they aren't going back down again).
Ronny great logical review. No doubt the Troopy is the best 4x4. As I don’t tour and all my off-roading is within 300km, I can get away with a SWB off-roader. Being an weekend warrior. I enjoy the capability of a 2 door Rubicon, as it is the closest thing to an off-road buggy.
Same here, I've an '06 Escape and its objectively fair to put it close to last within the context of this criteria but it has served me fantastically and exceeded all my expectations for the things that I require of a car. Definitely good food for thought on the next one though.
I’m just super impressed with how well the small live axle did, as a jb74 Jim y owner, I accept its flaws and shortcomings, but it scored way better than I expected against the big boys!
Another rubbish Toyota fan boi video. Troopy only manual = rubbish offroad. Troopy different track from front to back = rubbish offroad. Troopy is only good for transporting 11 people from point to point.
Interesting comparisons. " if you feel butt hurt after this ...dont" hahaha Haters gonna hate, criers gonna cry and trollers gonna troll. Thanks for the episode Ronny. Peace.
Nice video. In my opinion, the title should say "overlander" and not 4x4. I like the definition that Matt (morr) said about the difference between overlander and 4x4... "4x4 is when overlanders can't go, they are too tall and heavy on the roof and they flip" (something like that). Also, there are like 3 categories related to "home on wheels". I am a weekend warrior so I only sleep one night outside, I rather be light and sneaky, than carrying fuel, water, energy, dual batts, drawer systems, wtc... The lighter, the better.
Here in the US, my first thought was (regarding "common" off roaders) the 80 Series LC. But being in Australia, I can see the Troopy being the best. The US made heavy duty trucks are decent, but almost too big for any amount of tighter trails. For touring, they are great. Anything technical, not so much.
Faaaaaark’n hell maaaate Toyota Toyota Toyota 😳👎 You yanks are as bad most dudes here in Oz. Mate Whatta bout NISSAN PATROL GU, TD42TI Coil Cab Utes Tuff gearbox, Tuff driveline shit on Toyota mate, my PATROL Td42ti hauls ass & reliable AF, OMG 😱 are they what 400k never been touched. Nah it’s cool man just mess’n with ya 👍.. We can get all your trucks here in Oz but ya can’t get ours you lot must be Spew’n yeh..
@@triggerhappy8872 No Patrol in the US either. 4runners, Tacomas and Jeeps dominate the market by far. After that it's Land Cruisers (80/100/200 wagons only), full size trucks, and other new stuff like the Defender and Bronco.
@@EliZabielski Oh man you must spew’n not being able to get our trucks in the states the 79’s & GQ/GU PATROL’s Td42ti engine’s.. My 2004 GU is a coil cab ute & a bigger turbo’n top mount cooler 18psi & mate she scoot’s along & for the past 400k she’s never stopped.. & i like the fact it’s not common rail, no add blue, no electronic crap, easy to service. Also compared with toyota the Patrol’s diff’s & gearbox’s are much stronger & bigger more like proper truck gearbox & my rear LSD still works great, where yota’s LSD’s are weak rarely work.. But yota’s 1hdfte is the best 4.2 td ever built i think.. We get the yanky trucks here GMC, F trucks & the Cummins 6bt & Duramax are great engines but the actual vehicles they come in i don’t like much far to big & not very reliable & not built as tuff as the Nissan Patrol & older Landcruiser’s.. I just changed my clutch as i often travel isolated spots pig shoot’n & it still had meat left on it after 400k the Japanese engendered these trucks really well. But hey that’s just my opinion mate & I’m biased towards older Patrols…. Oh i see the odd Tacoma but it’s rare & jeeps are getting popular here too but manly in the city’s.. Out bush here in Oz all you see is Landcruiser & Patrol’s not as much but, heaps of hilux’s & Land Rover, jeeps get made fun of here we just laugh, it’s a long story.
@@niki3151 Yeh mate i don’t like jeeps myself but if i didn’t have the option to buy my GU Patrol Td42ti or toyota i’d probably have to settle for what i can get too. Jeeps are pretty popular over here in Oz but manly in the city & taking kids to school or as we say Mall Crawlers. What part of Germany 🇩🇪 you from? I’m 100% German blood 🩸 but born in Oz, oma & opa & parents come from Cologne & Hamburg. Many places to go off-road over there?
I thought a V8 turbo diesel would be a hard sell to the missus given the current fuel prices. I'll just show her this vid and say it tops the fuel economy rating ROFL!!
At min 13:11 what vehicle is this/is it from modified? which episode? Found it in case anyone else is wondering: Toyota Custom 80 series Landcruiser, Modified Episode 40
Nothing I could argue with at all in your conclusions. That said I drive a VERY small 4X4 (1979 Jeep CJ5) and while it can run circles around almost anything larger off road, it has it's major drawbacks. No load hauling to speak of, almost zero creature comforts, a ride like a buckboard on and off road, and very limited "personal space" in it. I would never trade it for anything else on the list for the way I use it, but I would place it almost exactly where you have the small live axle rigs on the list.
G’day Ronny, what an interesting comparison that you’ve put together.I’ve had 3 different types/configurations of 4x4 vehicles in my time.In 2006 I switched to a 2004 Nissan GU Patrol wagon TD6 and I haven’t looked back.Sure, over time I’ve made modifications and added accessories to my GU to suit my needs.Comfort,space,reliability and flexibility are also very important to me.I’m happy to see that the live axle wagons have scored highly in your comparison.Cheers,Rob.
Best 4x4 I could think of would be a pre 2016 130 defender with a 1hdfte power plant in a auto That would be Awsome. Couldn't imagine a better 4x4. Or even a gu patrol with a Toyota power plant in it. You get thr amazing heavy duty patrol running gear powered by 1vdfte or something like that
Giggles, so going by what I need for myself & my family (4 feral sawn-offsavages), to go touring/camping, with the occasional hard 4wding, my factory turbo diesel, 80 series wagon, is a clear, hands down winner. Cheers for confirming my choice, of what I was very confident, would be my best option! By the way, I am not being sarcastic
Really fun episode! The one thing I disagree with - the score of 13 for IFS wagons for the Fuel section. Though it's only 1 vehicle of many in the category, I'd consider the fuel economy, tank size and load one of the best things about my 120 series prado. We went up to Steep Point in November: myself, my partner and our 4 month old baby. Absolutely packed to the roof of the car, 'sagging in the back' level of loaded down. The car still delivered somewhere around 10L to the 100km which is incredible! Coming from Bunbury, we made it to the Overlander. Topped up, went to Steep Point, hit some tracks there, went to Monkey Mia, did a few tracks south of there, and only topped up at the Overlander once more on the way back down. Absolute weapon :) Still, a great vid!
As a 120 owner I agree, I don't get as good a fuel economy as that any more as it is 19 years old. It is still an epic long range tourer. You can't beat the 180l tank. In 2021 drove through Mt Augusta, karajini, mill stream and coral bay, never panicked about fuel stops, unlike our friends who went with us in a Ford ranga.
I'm pretty new to your channel and I'm attracted to it because back in the day I had several 4x4s. We just had a blast 4 wheeling along and in the mud roads and sand pits of IA 🇺🇸. MY trucks were old Chevy pick-ups and blazers. Watching you guys having fun really brings back memories of my youth💯😘
Best factory 4wd is no doubt Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Best of all worlds: comes with all 4wd goodies, plus the only convertible 4wd, plus quite modern. The rest are just agricultural trucks, which you need stuff with money only to get close to what Rubi has from factory
I've got a 2013 150 Prado 3.0 TD, and it gets me to wherever I want to go. Spends most of its life driving highway, is comfortable, fuel efficient, and drives very much like a car (not like a truck). When I want to go offroad, let the tyres down, select center diff, and off i go. Thought about getting a 200 series, or the new 300.. but the Prado does everything I want, and has never let me down. Plus with the new TD motors, I don't like DFS, so having a non-DFS model is good.
As someone who hates soft roaders, there is some bias, how is a ifs ute more comfortable then a soft roader??? Maybe I'm missing something, if someone can explain
I have two vehicles. A ford escape 4wd (for my wife) and a ranger 3.2L (for me). The suspensión in ranger is for me by far more comfortable than the Escape....in fact is too soft for my taste so hope upgrade soon. I live in a small city with bad roads and the comfidence of drive a taller truck (or ute in australia) hitting those bumps compare to the escape is from another planet. The escape always seems to break something when driving here and had to be very careful....that is in the "comfortable package"...at least for me
Hey Ronnie thanks for the video. I like some more info on off-road ability of the troopy. Really like them but feel they may not suit the off-road driving I do due to high centre of gravity. Just as a side note. I’ve got a great Gen4 Pajero and it would be great to see it on a version of modified. ✌️
For balance of on road and capable off road vehicle, go the Pajero sport, really the hardcore off road stuff will likely never happen and the Paj will eat up the usual beach , tracks and moderate terrain as well as tow , nuf said
I think the troopy scores so well here is because as you and Andrew from 4xoverland has said, you can do anything with it. It’s a blank canvas that can be turned into whatever you want. Very versatile vehicle that combines the practicality of a van with heavy duty 4wd chassis.
Best 4wd probably the wrangler. Keeping up with the twin locked cruisers without any locker. With the ending of the clip, does that mean Troopy build is coming ?
Geez... have you never seen a Jeep? I don't think I've ever seen a Jeep that's not modified... why do Jeeps never rate a mention in Australia? (Wranglers... not the other ones)
@@joshuawalcott321 What about The Road Chose Me, Dan Grec traveled the circumference of Africa in a 2007 3.6L V6 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4 door in 2016-2017 and is now traveling in Australia in a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon 3.6L V6.
You did this treating all 4wd systems the same. Just because an SUV says 4wd on the back doesn't mean it has 4 coils, dual lockers, and a disconnecting sway bar like a Jeep JLU. My Ram Power Wagon comes with a factory warn winch and could get places that Troopy could never go and not that much in size difference. I know I'm probably biased but you can't say one 4wd is "the best" when it could literally get left behind in a mud puddle trying to follow a family of four in a stock diesel Rubicon... to be fair, there is no "best" vehicle for everybody... but there is a best 4wd.
Ronnie when are you and torbs going on some more trips . You guys used to go all over the place . I know covid has played a big role but just saying really miss your trips.
Discover 4s are the most underrated 4x4 ever made. I own a kitted out 79 series and I'm still very impressed how well my old disco 4 went. Thing couldn't climb up the most slippery hill climbs with no wheel slip at all was a beautiful car. Thing was able to keep up with massive kitted at gus no problem. Only problem is it is a landrover so u are always expecting something to go wrong
I think the only people that have reliability issues with land rovers are toyota drivers, owned land rovers for over 20 years, watch my toyota mates with their bonnets up once or twice a day and then tell me they are the most reliable 4wd?
Could not agree more..our D4SC craps all over eg 200s and cost way less 2nd hand. It still has more features than a 300s and doesn't need spensive suspension upgrades etc. Our has 145000 ks with no issues. Best car I've ever owned. Ps we have 5 Patrols ..one a comp truck..and test track..so I can vouch for its off road and on road ability..a brilliant car.
They all have issues just that any LR issues get blown out of all proportions. All modern cars are complex..LRs were complex earlier than most and much of the current eg LC300 tech was in LRs years ago..essentially being tested b 4 others copied it shamelessly.
Advice on touring around Australia towing a Kimberly Karavan (hybrid) with a Disco 4 As I’m doing my research on which 4WD to buy I’d like to get off the beaten track but no hard core stuff -Sand Maybe Fraser Island etc Dirt well most of the Outback. I owned a Disco 2 before but not towed much Some off road. So reliability, fuel, Comfort pretty important If I need Tyres is that going to be an issue etc
Great video Ronny, I would liked to have seen the American style utes included as a category tho, "Large dual cabs". I agree with the troopy winning tho assuming its for 1 or 2 people only.
Thanks for the good sum up, I do agree with most of it, maybe score the van a bit more, i've seen mitsubishi delicas doing well... There are high-roof live axle wagons exist :) Like the Y60 nissan patrol/safari and the 60-series land cruiser, both could have a high-roof option, there is quite a bit more room inside than a usual wagon and no disadvantages of the troopy. But they are rare beasts, of course..
Great episode. Lots of interesting points. I own a 4 door jeep jk and bought a troopy few days ago. Completely different vehicles for different uses. Love them both for different reasons
Nice first run, Ronnie, but a couple of suggestions for the next crack: Fuel: no mention of efficiency. Storage capacity is negated if you burn through it like no ones business Work & Play: I know you're from WA, but not everyone is a tradie. Lots of people still need their vehicle for work also and have to travel long distances, but instead of needing to carry tools have to factor in the comfort, agilty, and fuel economy of the vehicle Affordability: I understand this is a bit of a "if money wasn't a factor" assessment, but when many 4x4s are upwards of $70k before mods this should be considered for a practical review Either way, good watch as always, keep it up.
In general I would agree with most of this, but it comes down to personal priorities. One strange score was the troopy beating ifs dual cab on fuel. I understand your reasoning, but it seems to disregard actual fuel usage. I fully pack up my hilux for a trip and get ~ 10L/100km (depending on how much 110kph I do). I don't know what a troopy would use, but I can't see it being anywhere near that.
I moved to India from Europe and planning to buy a car. I was thinking to buy some IFS car for road and later offroader, but now Suzuki Jimny 5 door came, so thinking to skip to buy road car and maybe better to buy Jimny till it is available, as used cars in India to buy I think it is not good, unless it is honda or toyota or low mileage audi (as I was thinking to buy 2010 Q7 4.2 tdi for comfortable road drive). 5 door Jimny is little longer than 3 door, but still it is not too long and weight 1200kg. I am not planning overlanding much, only 1 day trips, I live near Himalayas 😊 or I should not choose 5 door Jimny as it is already longer and almost long as wagons? And then better some old fortuner or landcruiser or newer bigger offroader onroader, but in India used ones might not been maintained well. What to buy? Our mountain roads ar not wide so maybe Jimny is best option?
Always wish Toyota drop in auto gear box in the troopy. That's what put me off after years of sore knees with manual gear box. Aftermarket auto is very expensive.
Of course a Troopy style Vehice wins . Whether it's a Toyota , Nissan , Series3/Defender Landy or whatever . The back of them is a VERY Large Empty Box . Possibilities are endless . If Daily Driver got excluded however , there can be Only ONE - - - - - - UNIMOG .
We have a Jeep Wrangler(short Wheel Base) and a Troopy. Th Jeep is fantastic off road, impossible on road, The Troopy is fantastic off-road, tolerable on road. For AWAY trips the Jeep is impossible~not enough room. The Troopy is fantastic.
I did similar rating for myself several years ago and came to the same conclusions. Glad to see that someone with that much of experience confirm my newbie thoughts =). Got myself a live axel wagon (LC 105) with petrol. It is heavy on your bank account when it comes to fuel economy but it is such a nice all rounder, can't complain. Went to pretty crazy tracks, got stuck only once in 3 years. One thing you don't talk about is potential panel damage. In wagons the risk quite a bit higher =).
@@Will-nb8qk The power band is way wider, you have more various RPM ranges to play with and because of that it is easier to drive on sand. Unless you're doing heavy towing, I wouldn't go diesel. TBH I'm dreaming about hybrid Hilux. Another thing I'm thinking about is to buy a wreck of Rav4 Hybrid and pull power train out of it and try to swap. In Rav4 it does 5.5 per 100, so if it'll be 10 per 100 in LC instead of 20, that would be a dream =)
How can you rate an ifs duel cab 1 point above a live axel wagon for weight carrying ? One has a payload of over 1000kgs and one in general is in the 600s 🤷♂️. It’s literally on paper , hard fact not guess work. An ifs ute will SHIT on a wagon for load carrying . I believe that if a vehicle can’t carry more than 900 kgs it should be excluded from this conversion completely . And you took one point off ? . Oh and here we go next one . Troopy ability to be modified 6 points higher than an ifs ute ? Wtf ? You can literally build any tray setup you like for a dual cab ute ? A touring canopy , a flat tray for dirtbikes, a tub , the list goes on . And what can you do with a troopy ? Can you throw 3 dirtbikes in the back of one, can you cart a bail of hay ? Oh and a ifs Ute rated worse than a trophy for fuel economy ? Seriously wtf ?
⭐️Troopy is a Rock Star ⭐️ I’ve had a few 4x4 Tourers including 3 where I did Full time travel & this is how I rate them. 1. Troopy 2. Troopy 3. Single Cab 79 (Towing).
This is a great comparison if money is no issue, however for most people it is. The troopy/live axle dual cabs cost in a lot of cases twice as much as an ifs dual cab. $30k, $40k, $100k saving is a lot of money for mods/fuel/travelling etc
I live in Europe and I'm looking for a family size 4x4 camping towing vehicle The only choice I really have available to me is Land Rover Discovery 4 or Defender. Toyota Land Cruiser or Hilux. Ford Raptor or Ranger. What would you recommend? Cheers
Mate, I have always enjoyed your videos. This time you've lost me. Ok, if you want to go around Australia, a Troopy might be a good choice. Your video probably appeals to all these people that want to drive this super capable, it will get me everywhere unstoppable vehicle. Reality is that most of us drive to and from work, do a weekend trip and if we're lucky, do three or four extended camping / weekend trips per year. I did the around Australia trip in a Subaru by the way and got everywhere the big boys went. Produced some very surprised faces in several camp spots. I recently actually wanted to buy a Troopy, loved the looks (still do, from the outside),until i drove it. It frankly drives like absolute crap! It is only acceptable if you are farmer John, don't have any expectations regarding roadhandling, performace, comfort, audio, creature comfort, fuel economy, ease of parking the damn thing and the list goes on. I was shocked, to say the least. This Toyota cult here in Oz is pure madness. I am surprised you guys don't have a Toyota church you attend to on Sundays. Well troopy on, I'm sure you all will, come hail or shine
This is very interesting. I see that a live axle wagon beat a live axle ute, so I'm wondering why this is. For example, here in the US there's the 4runner and the Tacoma. They both share than same frame, engine, ect. I would think in this case they would be exactly the same? Also, how would a larger pickup fare for off-road; something like an F-250 or even an F-350?
I disagree. First whatta bout reliability? & cost to repair?.. I was once a sheep 🐑 & bought toyota, Hzj75 troopy 1hz & leaf springs say no more ok…. 80series bottom end bearings let go at only 350k. V8 troopy diesel pump let go & needed 8 injector’s💰$$. No more toyota. NISSAN PATROL TD42TI old tech dirty diesel it’s been reliable AF, travel from Bourke all over Oz never stops
I just wish we could get the troopy or any 70 series cruiser in the US. I’d trade my 89 bronco 351 AND my 04 gx470( Lexus prado ) for one of a similar year ANY day. And pay for the transport 😂
i tried lc100 petrol 6 cyl lc79 2013 dc 6 cyl petrol lc200 vxr 8 cyl petrol . suzuki samurai .blazer chevy 8 cyl petrol for pavement use ,off-road price .... lc100 for power and luxury and overall. vxr 8 cyl petrol i respect my 2006 lc100 in general rigid let go lc79 hard drive and the brake not good not for pavement family drive
I got a 4x4 that beats all of the ones in your metric! It can go absolutely anywhere .... well much further than all of those if you don't care about space and on road speed.... which is why any comparisson has to start with that (What use is a vehicle that doesn't carry your kids at 130km/h to the off road tracks starting point!) Otherwise I win with my own: (Departure angle for example is more than 90degrees .... and it runs on "blodigt kött och hembränt sprit" 😉)
ASPW will grinning smuggly after watching this LOL. Something missing though, modern safety, which you may have taken into account in the 'family' section. Most of the solid axle vehicles would be low in this respect as they are based on ageing designs. Take solid axle wagons, does any sell new models anymore? In Aus its only the 76, incoming Ineos and Jeep. There's whole lot of road between home and tracks. Cool episode. Thanks
Interesting video. Would adding Petrol vs Diesel, and Auto vs Manual help people with vehicle choice? Whilst I may not agree 💯% with the scoring, I agree that my personal 4wd isn't as good as others, but it works for me. Keep up the good work
This is the biggest BS ever! There is a 4x4 for every type of use you want. There is no "best" 4x4 that is best for all purposes. You even included modifying your 4x4 as a category for evaluation. That's idiotic to include. Nonsense!!
Well...all catagories are brand free except for one, the troopy, are there more "troopy" models then the Land Cruiser? Do you consider a 2 seater defender 110 a "troopy"? And the life axels 4x4 are a dying breed...in europe you if you want to buy a brand new 4x4 with axels front and rear you just have one option, the wrangler and that's very said!
I would of preferred if you actually named the vehicle eg. 2006 GU Patrol Cab Chassis 4.2Ti. 'Great Wall' make a ute but I would put it at the bottom of the list well below last place. Cheers Marty from Perth
Interesting video. You mentioned it is not biased, but this is one of those videos that can't be unbiased. As you mentioned yourself, it is biased based on your experience (not based on what car you have). Also, I'd consider 'dust everywhere', which is a problem with almost all UTEs /Pickups.
You need to SERIOUSLY revisit your scores for live axle trucks. Its not just 8 ton unimogs, think about a SWB Canter or Isuzu with a pop top and passthru. How on earth is a ute better for work and play than a truck?
Too bad the Ford F-250 truck is not available yet in Oz. Single or club cab with a long bed and two solid axles and set up correctly would be the hit down under in the wide open spaces, I'd have no need to go along tight tracks and narrow places. Duratrac tires are great as well, those B.F.Goodrich A/T tires here in the states a junk.
Why not include a large US truck? Or, do a second video of super vehicles like a large US truck and a a Hummer and other military vehicles. I think it would be fun.
You didn't consider the climate you're off-roading in. In cold climates you need an isolated room to be comfortable, which can only be build on Trucks and UTEs.
