Fortuner Vs Pajero Vs Explorer

[mucker]

I'm in the market for a new car. I live in the Middle East and I'm married to a Thai woman. She wants to buy a <deleted> toyota yaris, but I'm having none of it. I'll have the deposit in a couple of months and have read some reviews about all the the aforementioned vehicles. I really like the Fortuner, but have also heard good things about the Pajero. And, just the other day I saw the ford explorer and it turned out to be cheaper than the other two.

My whole knowledge of cars boils down to engine size and what colour it is. Slightly exaggerated but still basically true.

The Fortuner has a 2.7 and a 4 litre engine. i'm thinking the 4 litre which comes in at about 950,000. Give or take 20,000.

The Pajero comes in either 3.5 or 3.8 I think. The 3.8 comes in around 1,050,000.

The Explorer has a 4 litre also. The Explorer is roughly 850,000.

I'll be here for another 3-4 years, so I'm thinking about reliability, resale, maintenance costs, comfort etc. The toyota guys seems to be sitting on their laurels because the Arabs love a toyota, don't seem to want to give a discount. The pajero seems over priced. Ford has a reputation for needing constant repairs (so I've been told).

I'm asking for peoples' experiences driving any of these cars. The car will either be 2010 or 2011 model, probably 2011 as the stock from last year seems to have mostly gone. I won't be driving off road much this year but may be off the beaten track next year and the following. In fact if all goes well the car might have to last 6 years, rather than 3-4. Advice and comments please.

[MoonRiverOasis]

Most of the models you're quoting aren't available in Thailand I'm afraid.. all better SUV's here are diesel powered.

The only one from your list that's available here is the 2.7L Fortuner, and it's easily the worst of the bunch in Thailand due to lack of power, and terrible fuel economy.

So we can't give you much insight into how they drive, and we can't comment on things like after-sales service, running costs or resale value. In many cases options/features are entirely different to Thai models too.

All up, you'd perhaps be better off asking owners in the Middle East?

Edited February 20, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[HeavyDrinker]

Let her buy her own if she don't like it....

[Kananga]

Hold on, so you live in the Middle East and are asking a question about vehicles in the Middle East, but are asking on a Thailand forum because your wife is Thai?

Unless you are planning on driving your wife I don't see the relevance. Surely there must be Middle East expat forums where you can ask people who might be able to provide some relevant information.

[Velocette]

And perhaps on a different forum, you might not be subjected to the bitter rantings of the our misognists who are always spewing forth their bile, the mere mention of Thai and female in the same sentence, winds them up no end

What to you was a simple question, was to them an opportunity to vent their rage, funny old world

[transam]

Wow, a 4 ltr Fortuner.

[hansje1980]

pajero sport all the way baby !

dont buy brown as i want to stay the only one

[mucker]

Yes. That's basically what I'm doing. Asking advice and using my relationship wuth a thai woman as a tenuous link to this forum so I can ask it here. I don't want to join another forum every time I want to find some information. If the mods think my post is inappropriate they will close it.

Anyway, thanks to moonriveroasis and kanaga I have looked at a middle east forum and have decided not to buy an explorer, even though it looks kind of cool. I'm definitely into the look of the American cars, GMC, Ford, Chev etc. I think the interior finish is at a higher standard than the Jap cars, maybe it is at the level of the cheaper SUVs.

The pajero seems to have a split personality. Some saying it's great, others complaining about the body roll, access to spare parts and cost of same. Though it has a great rep as an off road car. Sorry Hansje1980, I don't think I'll be buying one, I've heard too too many complaints, but please feel free to change my mind. I have a couple of months before I buy.

Transam, the fortuner apparently goes like a greyhound with two pairs of trainers on, has lots of service outlets and cheap parts, is reliable, maintains its value and can go off road when needed. It's also big enough for me, and not too big like a land cruiser. Any criticisms of the fortuner 2.7 would be welcome. Yes, I would love to buy and import the 4 litre back to Thailand, just to drive around with the 4.0 badge on the side and show off.

Another option that came up was the Nissan Patrol. Some good reports about it, price, power, resale, ruggedness and reliability wise. The Omani/UAE poplice drive them and that seems to be a good indication. Though that is probably a bit too big and expensive for me.

Cheers peeps

[MoonRiverOasis]

Yes. That's basically what I'm doing. Asking advice and using my relationship wuth a thai woman as a tenuous link to this forum so I can ask it here. I don't want to join another forum every time I want to find some information. If the mods think my post is inappropriate they will close it.

Anyway, thanks to moonriveroasis and kanaga I have looked at a middle east forum and have decided not to buy an explorer, even though it looks kind of cool. I'm definitely into the look of the American cars, GMC, Ford, Chev etc. I think the interior finish is at a higher standard than the Jap cars, maybe it is at the level of the cheaper SUVs.

The pajero seems to have a split personality. Some saying it's great, others complaining about the body roll, access to spare parts and cost of same. Though it has a great rep as an off road car. Sorry Hansje1980, I don't think I'll be buying one, I've heard too too many complaints, but please feel free to change my mind. I have a couple of months before I buy.

Transam, the fortuner apparently goes like a greyhound with two pairs of trainers on, has lots of service outlets and cheap parts, is reliable, maintains its value and can go off road when needed. It's also big enough for me, and not too big like a land cruiser. Any criticisms of the fortuner 2.7 would be welcome. Yes, I would love to buy and import the 4 litre back to Thailand, just to drive around with the 4.0 badge on the side and show off.

Another option that came up was the Nissan Patrol. Some good reports about it, price, power, resale, ruggedness and reliability wise. The Omani/UAE poplice drive them and that seems to be a good indication. Though that is probably a bit too big and expensive for me.

Cheers peeps

I beleive you may be getting the Pajero mixed up with the Pajero Sport - which are entirely different cars. The Pajero is 4M Baht here, so 4x the price of a Pajero Sport or Fortuner... They only sell 2-3 units of that each year in Thailand, so little chance of anyone here having any feedback on it

I'd also expect the Explorer you're talking about is the US market model, which is massively different to the one we get here (ours is essentially the same as a Mazda Tribute). The Ford that competes against Fortuner and Pajero Sport here is the Everest, which is based on the (not sold in USA) Ford Ranger pickup.

That said, the US market Explorer and Pajero (real) are both head and shoulders better cars than the Fortuner - the real comparison you'd want to make against them would be the Toyota Landcruiser - which would probably be my vehicle of choice in that segment (well, the Prado).

Edited February 22, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[Digitalbanana]

Yes, I would love to buy and import the 4 litre back to Thailand, just to drive around with the 4.0 badge on the side and show off.

Cheaper to just buy a new stick on badge to swap out with the 3.0 if it floats your boat.

[transam]

Yes. That's basically what I'm doing. Asking advice and using my relationship wuth a thai woman as a tenuous link to this forum so I can ask it here. I don't want to join another forum every time I want to find some information. If the mods think my post is inappropriate they will close it.

Anyway, thanks to moonriveroasis and kanaga I have looked at a middle east forum and have decided not to buy an explorer, even though it looks kind of cool. I'm definitely into the look of the American cars, GMC, Ford, Chev etc. I think the interior finish is at a higher standard than the Jap cars, maybe it is at the level of the cheaper SUVs.

The pajero seems to have a split personality. Some saying it's great, others complaining about the body roll, access to spare parts and cost of same. Though it has a great rep as an off road car. Sorry Hansje1980, I don't think I'll be buying one, I've heard too too many complaints, but please feel free to change my mind. I have a couple of months before I buy.

Transam, the fortuner apparently goes like a greyhound with two pairs of trainers on, has lots of service outlets and cheap parts, is reliable, maintains its value and can go off road when needed. It's also big enough for me, and not too big like a land cruiser. Any criticisms of the fortuner 2.7 would be welcome. Yes, I would love to buy and import the 4 litre back to Thailand, just to drive around with the 4.0 badge on the side and show off.

Another option that came up was the Nissan Patrol. Some good reports about it, price, power, resale, ruggedness and reliability wise. The Omani/UAE poplice drive them and that seems to be a good indication. Though that is probably a bit too big and expensive for me.

Cheers peeps

The 2.7 petrol engine is down in the grunt numbers for a heavy-ish ride, the diesel out performs, nice and quiet though and hasn't got that horrible hood scoop.

[pieeyed]

Yes. That's basically what I'm doing. Asking advice and using my relationship wuth a thai woman as a tenuous link to this forum so I can ask it here. I don't want to join another forum every time I want to find some information. If the mods think my post is inappropriate they will close it.

Anyway, thanks to moonriveroasis and kanaga I have looked at a middle east forum and have decided not to buy an explorer, even though it looks kind of cool. I'm definitely into the look of the American cars, GMC, Ford, Chev etc. I think the interior finish is at a higher standard than the Jap cars, maybe it is at the level of the cheaper SUVs.

The pajero seems to have a split personality. Some saying it's great, others complaining about the body roll, access to spare parts and cost of same. Though it has a great rep as an off road car. Sorry Hansje1980, I don't think I'll be buying one, I've heard too too many complaints, but please feel free to change my mind. I have a couple of months before I buy.

Transam, the fortuner apparently goes like a greyhound with two pairs of trainers on, has lots of service outlets and cheap parts, is reliable, maintains its value and can go off road when needed. It's also big enough for me, and not too big like a land cruiser. Any criticisms of the fortuner 2.7 would be welcome. Yes, I would love to buy and import the 4 litre back to Thailand, just to drive around with the 4.0 badge on the side and show off.

Another option that came up was the Nissan Patrol. Some good reports about it, price, power, resale, ruggedness and reliability wise. The Omani/UAE poplice drive them and that seems to be a good indication. Though that is probably a bit too big and expensive for me.

Cheers peeps

The 2.7 petrol engine is down in the grunt numbers for a heavy-ish ride, the diesel out performs, nice and quiet though and hasn't got that horrible hood scoop.

Peeps

I just bought a 2010 Toyota Landcruiser Prado, in Oman powered by the 4.0 liter V6. The car is good on power and great on fuel. The price was very reasonable and can be serviced just about anywhere.

[mucker]

Hi Pieeyed, thanks for contributing. I looked at prados, but they are quite expensive. I prefer the fortuner because of more manageable size and price. But if it's a good deal I will consider it, so I have a few questions.

Did you get a discount because it was a 2010 model?

Which salesroom did you buy it at?

What kind of deal overall did you get? I mean, what variation did you buy with what options?

if you want to pm me that would be fine.

[mucker]

I've just been offered a 2004, 4.0 litre discovery. Surely someone has driven that, I understand that Landrovers in general are terrible to maintain after a few years. Just continually fixing big expensive parts.

[Guts]

What about a Jeep Cherokee?

I see many second hand Jeeps here.

A friend in Europe bought one and he is raving about it.

Any thoughts?

Guts

[MoonRiverOasis]

What about a Jeep Cherokee?

I see many second hand Jeeps here.

A friend in Europe bought one and he is raving about it.

Any thoughts?

Guts

If you're in Thailand, my advice would be to avoid it like the plague. Very prone to mechanical faults, ridiculously expensive on fuel and repairs, and the more common older ones not designed for ethanol blended fuel.