Hi there fellow nomads.

Contemplating our first "big trip" I am wondering what vehicle to buy to pull a relatively small 12-14 ft van. My preference is "new vehicle" to take advantage of warranty and no major issues in the first 1-3 years.

I have previously looked at the Nissan x-trail and now that it is available in a diesal wonder if it is a good option or not.

If I go diesal and the claimed fuel consumption is say 8 lt/100km, to what extent will this change towing say a 1200kg van/luggage load ?

Is there any other reason besides fuel economy I should consider diesal as a better option to petrol ?

I am also considering whether the the RAV4 V6 is  a possibility (although I think the new x-trail has better luggage capacity.

Do any fellow travellers have anything to say on this subject ?

g'day and welcome to ya, first up, to me anyway, you cant beat diesel for reliability and general running cost's, if it was me, (and it will be in 2.10 years), there is no comparison, diesel wins hands down , the modern diesel engine is a wonder unto itself the pulling power (torque) is astronomical, sounds like you have done a few sums, I suggest you go a little bit deeper and find towball weight capacities and towing capacities, honestly compare three or four and then make your choice, the greater the towing capacity the easier it will handle your chore, do a bit of tyre kicking, sit in them, take them for a drive, a 12- 14 foot van should be a walk in the park for any of the smaller to mid size suvs, it will come down to personal choice, if you have ANY trouble with a new vehicle in 2- 3 years I would be most surprised and would like to hear about it,  I would think a claim of 8 ltrs per 100k would reduce to at least 10 ltrs per 100 or maybe less when tackling hills

I would always go for Diesel if I was going to tow, petrol if I wanted to be first off at the lights...So simply put the engine torque is what pulls your van and the horsepower or KiloWatts as they are known gets you away first at the lights - untill the first hill the petrol power is in front, then the Diesel will show it's true metal........
Modern diesels do have some quirks. A couple of questions I would ask before I purchase one is: 1) what is the engine oil specs (My jack requires semi synthetic which costs a fortune 2) Servicing costs??? 3) will it run on Bio Diesel?4) what weight will it tow? 5) Ball weight allowable 6) Do you need any extra equipement fitted EG larger oil coolers etc..... If the salesperson can't answer get him to find someone who can.
Have a look here: http://www.autoguide.com.au/newsreviews_search.asp
 & Here: http://www.mynrma.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/mynrma/hs.xsl/car_search.htm

Towbars and associated gear here: http://www.haymanreese.com.au/index.htm
That should give you some basic research....

If you are buying a 4x4 also do try and take it off road for the test drive and one final thing is that I personally would avoid front wheel drive if I was towing, yes I know many a nomad has towed 16' vans around Oz with a clapped out Camry but those were different times.
As Dave says try some out, sit, drive, check out reviews and base your decision on practicality and cumfort and not what looks the best always of course taking into account any special deals you can get....
A few that I would look at if I were buying would be the Santa Fe, the Suzuki in Diesel and the Kia Rio. These all have a reasonable ability off road as well as having good towing grunt. At the end of the day, if you can set up shop and sit down and feel cumfortable without being exhausted from the drive you will know you made the right choice...

-- Edited by Basil Faulty at 20:13, 2008-08-11

Basil Faulty wrote:

---

I would always go for Diesel if I was going to tow, petrol if I wanted to be first off at the lights...So simply put the engine torque is what pulls your van and the horsepower or KiloWatts as they are known gets you away first at the lights - untill the first hill the petrol power is in front, then the Diesel will show it's true metal........
Modern diesels do have some quirks. A couple of questions I would ask before I purchase one is: 1) what is the engine oil specs (My jack requires semi synthetic which costs a fortune 2) Servicing costs??? 3) will it run on Bio Diesel?4) what weight will it tow? 5) Ball weight allowable 6) Do you need any extra equipement fitted EG larger oil coolers etc..... If the salesperson can't answer get him to find someone who can.
Have a look here: http://www.autoguide.com.au/newsreviews_search.asp
& Here: http://www.mynrma.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/mynrma/hs.xsl/car_search.htm

Towbars and associated gear here: http://www.haymanreese.com.au/index.htm
That should give you some basic research....

If you are buying a 4x4 also do try and take it off road for the test drive and one final thing is that I personally would avoid front wheel drive if I was towing, yes I know many a nomad has towed 16' vans around Oz with a clapped out Camry but those were different times.
As Dave says try some out, sit, drive, check out reviews and base your decision on practicality and cumfort and not what looks the best always of course taking into account any special deals you can get....
A few that I would look at if I were buying would be the Santa Fe, the Suzuki in Diesel and the Hyundai (forget what it is branded). These all have a reasonable ability off road as well as having good towing grunt. At the end of the day, if you can set up shop and sit down and feel cumfortable without being exhausted from the drive you will know you made the right choice...

---

I think you might be referring to the Hyundai  Terracan.

 

I agree with Gary, I think it is the terracan of which you speak, it is as I stated in previous articles a very capable and comfortable vehicle and would easily do that to which you require, how far are you going, what terrain are you looking at, are you going off road, are you going in to never never land, all these questions and more you should be asking yourself before even looking at motor vehicles, I have circled twice and achieved numerous forays to the centre area and all coasts, and not once in recent years did I find the need for a four wheel drive, doing it in a toyota hi-ace long wheel base I did have the four wheel drive nissan patrol in my younger years when I was able to "dig it out" after I went a bit too far, particularly up cape york, but before you set up any vehicle with heavy duty haymen reese goose neck multi tilt angling drawbar with high lift multi tasking excessive load bearing mono shockers and double overhead foxtails, just ask your self " do I need It" the answer in a nut shell now days is "no" most roads are great, you dont need a prime mover for the size of van you have, diesel is a personal decision, I have and still do meet a lot of travellers who would not go past their falcon and defend them with all teeth bearing, and then of course you get the die hard toorak tractor mentality, brag factor high, off road "never" might get it dirty, anyway just think about it before wasting a great swag of money, if all you are doing is "having a look round" this great country of ours spend the extra savings on the trip, not the toys

-- Edited by dave06 at 13:50, 2008-08-12

Hi to Dave, Basil, Gary and Kerry. Many thanks for your replies which are duly noted and I agree with comments that there is a lot to factor in and some personal choice as well. 12 years ago I did the Oodnadatah track as part of a up the centre to top end trip/ back via east coast in a falcon station wagon with my wife driving and towing a trailer so understand 2 WD comments aspect. My thinking this time is that with a 4WD providing "affordable " and not "extreme sport" version it would give the option of dropping the caravan and being able to either do day or up to a few days trips up some of the more remote/less 2WD friendly if we carry a couple of swags and are happy to rough it a bit. This site is a godsend for someone such as myself who has wanted to travel this great country from end to end and back again for the last 20 years or so.No make that 30 ! With the little van which may prove to be too small I thought it might be a small investment if we buy second hand and as we gain confidence and experience we can trade up along the way if we see the need. Definitely I want to keep the toys to a minimum and concentrate on enjoying the journey. Safe travels to all. I am grateful to any further advice comments any travellers have/vehicles which may be worht a look.Budget for vehicle is 40k new and max 20k for van. My wife would like a van with a toilet shwer facility but I don't think they are available in the really small vans or the budget will stretch that far. Mike

sounds like you have it covered, good luck to you and keep the forum informed as to your choices and your trips

Sorry was having a senior moment.....

Roostertales wrote:

---

My wife would like a van with a toilet shwer facility but I don't think they are available in the really small vans or the budget will stretch that far.

Mike

---

Mate I consider a toot and shower essential (yes the die hards can go without) but you should be able to pick up a second hand van with shower & Loo for $20K.... My elderly and now incomplete prostate demands regular attention and stuff the "geraitrics carrying their potties to empty" syndrome that bears the brunt of so many jokes.....The hot water is a great convenience as well
In fact I nearly bought a Viscount 14'er with ensuite new....Try "googling" for one, I'm sure you will find one...

-- Edited by Basil Faulty at 16:50, 2008-08-12

Thanks for the tip Bas-will look into the Viscount.!

mate have a look at the trading post online, poke in caravans, priced between 10,000 and 20,000 in N.S.W. take a look at the third one down, 19' regal, has toilet and shower and full annexe, very good condition  $15,900 in wallacacia, I think you would be pleased if you were purchasing now, so I dont think there would be a problem staying within your budget and getting what you want when the time comes, also keep an eye on ebay, bargains come up there pretty regular, couple on there now, thats after only searching for five minutes, let your fingers do the walking and good luck

Hi Dave Thats true however a 19" ft looks too daunting for me at present so whether I can find a 14 ' with ensuite remains to be seen. I was looking for Viscount as a manufacturer but couldn't seem to find to see whether any 14-16's come with ensuite. Any suggestions who /what the manufacturer name is ?

stick with diesel only way to tow you will also find in some areas out west you can not buy petrol because of the petrol sniffing problem. I have a friend with a v6 rav says its heavy on fuel. Just do not buy a jeep more trouble than their worth Toyota good for servicing out west all over

Ian, where in the west did you have problems getting fuel, I travelled up there about five years ago ( followed the coast to the kimberley and then through to kununara to catherine and darwin then down the centre) didnt have any problems with petrol then, it was of course opel fuel, (which I dont like and little blue doesnt think much of it either) I found supplies were intermittent and one had to carry a bit of extra ( I tow a 5' x 3' support trailer with fuel and water and  extra engel freezer and  batteries, when on the long hauls) one must be prepared if venturing in to any less populated area, only a fool goes in unprepared, I did however, as I said follow the coast from Albany to broome, is it through the centre of W.A. that fuel problems arise, havent been through there yet, bit rugged and isolated for me, hell of a lot of people still tow with petrol, even out there, lot of falcons, if you are not going off road or into rough stuff, then you are wasting money, most tourist traps have roads that are reasonably well maintained now and easily traversed by the average car, diesel isnt always real flash through those parts as well because of the diesel bug, not enough turnover, can do major damage if you get a tankfull of that stuff, been through those areas twice now and intend to do it again as soon as I can (cant keep away from there) it's like Tassie, it keep's drawing me back, my motorhome (in 2.10 years, in case I havent told you HAH!! HAH!!) will be diesel, for no particular reason, only longevity, the average petrol has come forward in leaps and bounds as far as reliability is concerened, rivals diesels now for longevity as well, not power or anything like that nonsense, dont need it, as long as one has plenty of gears, time will not be my enemy, but it wont be four wheel drive, well it will have dual wheels at the rear but that doesnt count, got that "off road " nonsense out of my blood years ago, got the scars to prove it, O.K. for some not for me thank you, toyota's are great all round, motor's are bullet proof, gearboxes not, had to have mine rebuilt 12 months ago, 40 knot head wind, horizontal rain, road train out of nowhere the percussive wind stripped 4th gear and destroyed the overdrive main bearing, $2,500 damage, if only those bloody cowboys would use thier brain and slow down a bit and learn to share the road, we would all get on a bit better, diff centres are another problem with the toyota four wheelers, watch the centre nut if it unwinds then the spider gear drops in to the main and destroys the whole cetre diff, replacement cost $4,000 if you can get one second hand, retighten centre nut and re bend the lock washer evertime you service the vehicle, all vehicles have faults, if you are aware of them then it wont ruin your day 

The area with the main fuel problems last year was between ayrs rock and western australia they are starting to get opel but most use diesel still now they are using meth amphetamines and magic weed

oh boy, you are talking remote, not my stomping ground surprised you can even get diesel out there

I recently looked at new cars to tow an Avan Aliner (740 kg empty).
If you want a 2WD I suggest Hyundai i30, VW Golf and Peugeot 308 turbo diesels.
If you want a 4WD I suggest Nissan X-Trail, VW Tiguan and Hyundau Santa Fe turbo diesels.
They are all economical and have plenty of torque at towing speeds.
The main problem with the 2WDs is low ball weights.




-- Edited by glenc at 09:00, 2008-11-23

Yes the Kia Sorento has a 2800kg towing capacity, 392 Nm torque@ 3000rpm and 9.5ltrs/100km and you can get them for around $32,000 drive away if you bargain hard.
I reiterate (say again) that if you want to tow anything that a Diesel will outperform petrol everytime. It's the torque that pulls your van, the power gives you acceleration....

we have recently bought a holden captiva diesel . we are yet to try it out with the camper in tow but are really enjoying the wagon ability of the vehicle. The back seats lie down and makes it so much easier to bring things home when we get carried away in Bunnings.

Basil, I think they are Korean. I will look on the Holden site when I have more time. It might tell us for sure. A friend of ours calls the captiva a jet. It has lots of noises and lights to remind you of seat belts, reversing, lights left on etc.