It’s impressive to think that you can walk into any dealership, order one of these vehicles right off the showroom floor and in less than a week safely complete a journey that once took more than a year.
Where the Burke and Wills expedition only made about five kilometres on its first full day of travel – from Melbourne’s Royal Park to nearby Essendon – we almost swallowed 700 kilometres.
The first to go in this comparison is the oldest car here. The big Pajero can still hold its own with its off-road ability but the drivetrain lacks edge and, compared with the rest of the vehicles in this field, we struggled to see the value in the ageing Mitsubishi’s $75,000-plus price-tag.
Next out is the Pathfinder. If a name can make a car sound tougher then the Pathfinder is off to a good start. The Nissan is also the cheapest of this line-up, has the user-friendly interior layout and is much happier off road than on it. But its engine’s gruffness and soft rear-end suspension detract from an otherwise happy relationship.
Then there’s the Land Rover. Simple to use, powerful, talented and cosseting beyond compare, the Discovery 4 is perhaps a little too soft to feel comfortably at home in the harsh outback environment.
It leaves us, then, with the Toyota LandCruiser Prado. It’s far from perfect, with some annoying traits that, particularly around town, will become an everyday reminder that maybe, just maybe, you should have stretched to the Land Rover.
But in an environment where survival is the key, that long-range fuel tank giving a 1200-kilometre-plus reach counts for much. It’s the only vehicle here where range anxiety was never an issue.
While it may not excel in any one area, it’s the best combination of off-road ability, efficiency, comfort and value for money. However, the most remarkable thing about the Toyota will always be the beauty of the rugged scenery that it can take you through.
How much? From $75,404 plus on-road and dealer costs
As tested: $75,404 (no options fitted)
Engine: 3.0-litre turbo diesel 4-cylinder; 127kW/410Nm
Transmission: 5-speed auto, permanent 4WD
Length/width/height: 4930/1890/1885mm
Kerb weight: 2375kg
Fuel tank: 87L (main), 63L (aux)
Claimed fuel use and CO2 emissions: 8.5L/100km and 225g/km CO2
Fuel use on test: 11.55L/100km
Range: 1765km (theoretical); 1298km (test)
Safety: Not crash-tested; 7 airbags; stability/traction control; anti-lock brakes; hill descent control/start assist; sideways slip assist; reversing camera; front/rear sensors
Them’s the breaks
It’s rare you travel 4000 kilometres through the outback without at least some problems.
It was no different with our trip from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria and across to Townsville, although the four cars handled all the challenges we threw at them, despite coming straight from the showroom.
There were the odd mechanical niggles but nothing that would have left a vehicle stranded in the middle of the Australian outback — the worst possible outcome.
The most important consideration on this road trip was tyres. In anticipation, we’d asked that each car come with two spares. It was a sensible move, because the tough gibber roads and the ever-present wheel ruts — several roads on our route had only recently reopened after rain had made them impassable — were quite hard on the rubbers.
Our biggest concern was the Discovery, which was riding on 19-inch low-profile tyres. In the end, it was the least of our worries (other than a brake wear sensor that suggested the pads needed replacing; it ended up being mud on the sensor).
Instead, both the Pajero and the Pathfinder caught flat tyres, with one rock slicing through the sidewall of the Mitsubishi’s left rear tyre and the other creating a slow leak in the sidewall of the left rear of the Nissan.
The Pathfinder and Pajero also threw up other minor problems.
One of the Pathfinder’s windscreen wipers — the one in front of the driver — stopped working after its fixing bolt worked loose, while the rear bumper on the Pajero deformed after it grounded, pushing it backwards. The Pajero also had a tow bar fitted that occasionally felt the ground.
The Discovery and Toyota’s Prado developed an unexpected problem — alloy wheels that filled with mud. Overnight, the mud inside the rims solidified into a centimetre-thick layer of clay that severely upset the balance of the wheels until chipped out.
0 Comments.