JimmyFingers said...

G'day,
ive decided to reward myslef with a new car and im struggling to make up my mind on what to get. Obviously usefulness kiting is a major factor and i plan to take up snowbaording when i move to nowra in april.
I've narrowed it down to a XR6 Turbo ute, a forrester XT or a Turbo Diesel 4x4 hilux SR5 (which i get a 21% family discount on)
my favourite is the XR6 but with the discount on the hilux its hard to pass up.
any advice/recommendations?

Go the Toyota, those Hilux's are simply amazingly tough. We have switched to all Toyota vehicles for the Sydney store, maintenance costs are lower, and the cars reasle values are better than average.
If you are going to travel and want real 4x4 performance, the Forrester will not cut it, another really nice car though IMO.

My 2 c worth

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve

Ive got a Forester XT Lux turbo, really nice car! Love it! The only draw back i find is the size, they just need to be a little bigger.
Ive never had a Hilux SR5 but i would only get one for the size.
Ive taken mine on the beach a few times but mainly on hard sand, will handle soft for short distances as long as you keep the speed up. It does have great ground clearance to, nearly as much as some 4wd's
The Forester is very thirsty too for a 4 cyl, i know the turbo doesnt help.
If it is just you the Forester would be ok, but if you got to drag a family around it gets a bit cramped sometimes.

Hope that helps some.

You wont know untill you take them all for a test drive though!

Bruce just got his xtrail stolen maybe you can find that in the black market for pretty cheap?

yeah ive pretty much benched the idea of the forrester, not much bigger than my ****ty current corolla station wagon.
The real only thing that is making this difficult is you can throw the XR6 around on the road a bit more, as i love a bit of an occasional hoon. I might just have to get my speed fix elsewhere.
thanks for the replies

Just make sure you get a canopy and not the hard cover. I made that fatal mistake with my navara and u lose so much space.

Dude I'd go the XR6 T, they look epic, theyve got plenty of grunt and theres plenty of space to throw all your gear. I know the Sedans are pretty heavy on the fuel, but the utes being lighter shouldnt be as bad plus theres plenty of aftermarket toys for em if ur into that. Ive got the XR8, id recommend that but it loves fuel a little too much, beautiful to drive tho.

Go the leather interior to, its easy as hell to clean and it looks hot, makes it easier to vacuum sand up as well.

Toyota Hilux and one of these canopies www.awlc.com.au/ Had my new hilux for a few months and am so pleased with it and the canopy. Water tight, secure and doesn't get hot inside. and accessing everything is a breeze.

Regards,
Nigel.

For sheer unkillabilty get a hilux. TOPGEAR had a segment where they tried to kill a hilux (and failed)


The forresters are nice. They are suburu WRX on steroids. Do 0-60 the same time as a WRX and a fraction slower over the quarter. Problem is that gearing used on them make em a pretty kruddy 4wd.

If you want/need a real 4wd then the hilux. If you want highway car with a small 4wd componant then get the forrester (or a rav4)

Hold of a few months and you could test one of these.
Had a "Fozzy" for 4 years now. Great car
Plenty of room for kite gear in the back and room up top for snowboards and skis.

You can not go wrong with any of the 08 models you've mentioned. All gr8 build quality, heaps of low end grunt and fast turning. Just get a demo before you buy.

I could swear I saw that Topgear Hilux driving down the main street of Port Moresby yesterday. Burnt out and all.....had 14 locals and 3 pigs in the tray.

Gutlux's are great utes, but they're still just a poor man's Landcruiser. The new V8 turbo diesel cruisers go hard and have factory diff lockers,, the works. Landcruiser troopcarrier; the ultimate kitemobile.