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?
^^^^^ i second that, the hilux is a mean machine. u cant beat its price and reliability.
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!
Yeah, another hilux vote. Utes are great when you're young and single, but only having one passenger can be limiting. I've had heaps of utes and have recently moved into a dual cab rodeo and love it. All the mod cons, 4 doors and still a ute!! If you can wait a couple of months, TRD are releasing a supercharged Hilux: http://www.trd.com.au/TRD/#main/vehicles/trdhilux:article=trdHiLuxMIMS. Looks mean as and goes like stink...
Bruce just got his xtrail stolen maybe you can find that in the black market for pretty cheap?
hilux all the way
had 1 for 9 years and love it
never had a problem,change my own oil and filter ever 7000k and greeze my nipples, opps its nippels,havent had to spend any money on it at all,heaps reliable.
i put a fiberglass canopy on it so i can lock gear up in the back and sleep in the back on kite trips down the coast,9 years and no money spent on repairs,what does that tell you.
simplicity,no hightec crap that stuffs up,cant go wrong
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
Definitely the Hilux, the latest models are very very good and you will have heaps more room. I have one and can't fault it. Fit's the wife and 2 kids and all the kite gear (up to 3 sets of gear) without even having to deflate the struts 
At the very least you might save yourself money on speeding fines over the Ute. Get the tray liner though to keep the salt water from your gear rusting out the tray.
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.
hey Jimmy
have u considered the RTV falcon ute?
these offer a bit of extra ground clearance than the standard and a better diff. (LSD i think)
i have afew friends that own them and they can get anywhere a lite weight 4wd will go.
A few years ago Motor Mag did a review on the vs the similar Holden ute. The falcon won hands down even without the IRS of the Holden.
as a bonus they come with some nice mags and fatter tyres from factory.
i have a standard Falcon ute at the moment, - but im trading up to the RTV when the time comes.
I love the convenience of the car like handling with the ute carry capacity.
cheers
sutto
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.
I would say hilux, it's a machine can handle anything you throw at it! and the discount is a plus
For sheer unkillabilty get a hilux. TOPGEAR had a segment where they tried to kill a hilux (and failed)
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.
Swear by the hilux - had 3 of them could never kill any of them - water and mud over the bonnet - peeled a tyre and she kept going at 9pm in the dark 
The new diesel Prados are awesome too - just as good in the bush I reckon.
As for PNG - POM - anything less and its all over - Hope you are filling the belly at Rick Shaws Chinese Mark - lovely place - great food - and nice table cloths complete with cigarette holes :|
Still a surf trip to Vanimo would be awesome right about now!
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.
