I know what I am getting myself into when I start this topic
If.....If I want to have a dedicated off-road car which one should that be. Now before you all start pouring with love stories of your darling car let me narrow down my requirements :

1. Not looking at US make. Want to concentrate on a good re-saleable car like Toyota or Nissan
2. Not thinking too much about Jumbo Jets like Patrol and Land Cruiser but something lower then them (Unless you convince me
3. Would prefer if you can give your best 2 choices from each toyota and nissan. This way I will know which car has maximum votes.

Now I am closing my eyes and will wait for the storm to pass by. LOL

Amit

Amit.

What you need is a Toyota FJ Cruiser.

The best offroader in this catagory even better than the FJ will be the older short w/b, two door Toyota Landcruiser 70 series. They are compact with a good short wheelbase coupled with a powerful 4.5 litre engine. They are even better than any Jeep you can buy.

Price wise also the LC70 is a good buy, you will have to look around and if you find one check it out. I know Paul here just bought one and there are a few other I know about.

If you are interested in more about this and the FJ we can talk further. I wouldn't recommend any other cars apart from say the Patrol SWB two door.

There are a few factors to be taken into consideration before u decide to purchase, one seeing as u are a family man, would this be a car in addition to the ford or would you consider it a replacement to it. plus what kind of budget we are talking about here;

Toyota:
FJ - very capable truck, drawbacks are limited access and visibility to the rear plus people mistakenly consider it a short wheel base, which it isnt and then try tracks that only SWBs should attempt. No mods equired!!

Fortuner: again a very capable offroader, Malayasian built hence the low price, yet Toyota have not compromised on build quality. It has the same engine and gearbox as both the Prado and the FJ therefore mechanically sound. The downside to it is that the resale value is low but compared to the new sale price it is justified. Not as roomy as they should be. Some lift required

FJ70- are as hard as old nails, and hard to find. They have no homely comforts in them and the interior was designed for farmers 20 years ago. No mods required!


Nissan

Patrol SWB: very well sort after even though it is passed its final year of production and there is still a waiting list for it new.....now that speaks volumes for it. Second hand, good ones are harder to find than rocking horse $h!t, but very rewarding when u get one. Limited space in the rear. No mods required!

Pathfinder: heaps of power, U.S. built, so not sure of the resale value. Lotsa low plastics on it, so will require lifting at some point. Have had mine for 3 years, done 100,000Kms and have had absolutely no issues with it and yes I would happily buy another one. Some lift required.

X-Terra: Excellent vehicle for off-roading, same engine and Gearbox as the pathfinder also with heaps of power. It is basically the same as the pathfinder but has a higher ground clearence and less plastics to rip off. A car designed for offroading straight out of the box. No mods Required


This is my opinion on the two brands u have chosen.
If you require any help if you find anything suitable, give us a shout we will happily assist. Will keep our eyes open for you.
Best of luck.

Well put together Lee. The only thing I can add about the Fortuna is that it is built on the Hilux Pick-up ladder frame chasis. There are very popular cars for off-roading in South Africa for Long cross country outings as it has the luxury of a SUV but the under strength of a pick-up

Personally If I was going for a non Jeep 4x4 I would go for the 70 Series Land Cruiser. But you have to know your oats when driving it on the sand as it loves to get itself sidewards. The Wheel base is actually shorter than that of a TJ

No lift is required but I would change the front bumper and put on a set of serious off-road tyres with dished (off-set rims) to broaden the wheel base

Of couse the other limitation is price, and how much are you willing to spend?

Thanks Guys for your insight. By the looks of it, seems that if I want to keep my Explorer, then my first option should be FJ and second Xterra. If I will do away with Ford then I can think about a costlier option like Patrol or similar.
I like what you described of FJ. What I like most is No Mods required, and good resale. I need not go for a new FJ also, there are plenty of used ones in the market. With Xterra, I might have slight difficulty selling it.

If I get FJ and year down the line I decide to sell Ford, then also FJ also wont be a bad option for both as a family car and off roading.

Amit

The only issue I foresee with the FJ is the rear accessibility and the all-round lack of visibility (plenty and i mean plenty of blind spots). But test drive one and see if it fits your needs.
All the best with the search.

Lionbar is right - there are plenty of blindspots with an FJ, however you get used to them very quickly. Try and get one with parking sensors though.

Accessibility - I had my friend's kids in the car and with the "suicide" doors found it very easy to belt them into their seats. We have had 5 adults in the car on a long journey (including 3 of them 6' tall or over) and although it was a bit of a squeeze we managed.

Mods - I don't know if it counts as a modification, but we put on All Terrain tyres and it has improved the offroad handling unbelievably, it was ok before, but fantastic now.

I love my FJ almost as much as Wasif Ahmed loves his! However we are looking at a second car and the new one will be a SWB wrangler!

You guys really love Jeep, dont you. Don't tempt me to buy one. I dont want to repent buying american car again after Ford. And you will agree its HIGH maintenance and less resale value.

Amit

Give me a toyota every day, for reliability, low down time, reasonable running costs.

BUT after doing extensive research, particularly now my hubby can go on senior offroader trips, we think the wrangler is the best for pure offroading.

The FJ is a road car we take offroad, and it does wonderfully

The jeep is an offroad car we will take on the road only when the FJ isn't available. Basically a sand toy - we don't smoke or play golf or do anything else expensive, so this will be our "luxury".

Incidentally, the FJ will likely be the offroad car of choice in high summer when we are in driving in temps of 50C or more.