Falcon Ranger Territory Jeep

[Troll]

I'm looking at buying another car in the next few months my natural choice would be a Falcon XR8 or XR6 Turbo Ute but my main concerns are that I'm moving to Cairns next year and while I'm not looking at doing serious off-roading (thats what trail bikes are for) I do like having a poke down an occasional dirt road and after driving a Hilux around I do enjoy sitting high up.

Something like a PJ 4x4 Ranger could fit the bill offering real off-road ability but I wouldn't mind something with some performance and I have heard that owning a diesel 4x4 is expensive to run especially if something goes wrong?

What about a Territory Turbo? They seem to offer performance in a high riding spacious package. Are they actually much better than a Falcon Ute off road? Is the AWD system any good? Are they too much of a mums car? What about reliability I have heard horror stories of the suspension collapsing at 50,000 kays???

Finally I know this is a Ford Forum but what about the Jeep V8's? And on that matter as years have passed is the reputation of the Ford "exploder" still ringing true?

[The Yeti]

The territory (while a good car and my wife loves hers) is a soft roader at best I'm not a fan of the jeep, but I recon the ranger would be a good choice

[Troll]

Oh and does anybody know if you can fit a motorcycle in the back of a Ranger. The Crew Cab looks too small is the Super Cab sufficient?

[DJR-351]

For me living in Cairns and not been able to go up the Cape to play would be impossible, hence why I’ve always had a 4x4....

There's a fella around where i live that puts his XR 450 in the back of his new Ranger CC, although he can only do it with the tailgate down, which is not recommended i believe....

[sprint347dave]

go buy a Falcon XR8 or XR6 Turbo Ute,,and hire a 4x4 for the few times a year you want to go off road

[rancidpunx]

I have both a Falcon Ute and a Ranger. The Ranger has 10000k services intervals and generally they are at least $350-$400 with regular major services often hitting $600+. The Turbo is a lot less and only needs doing every 15000ks.
The ranger gets a good work out a few times a year and has gone well everywhere we have taken it. Like all cars it has its flaws but nothing terrible. You wont get the dirtbike in the back of a Crew Cab with the tailgate up but the supercabs are longer. Both are a lot of fun and have a different place. The ranger is not as nice to sit in as the falcon or as fun to drive but it would be hard to pick the Falcon when the Ranger has the rods on the roof and im cruising up Fraser.

[Ben73]

If you want performance with off road ability the terry turbo would not be the best.
The 5.7L v8 hemi Jeep would be good choice.
They are powerfu and good offroad.
The engine has cylinder deactivation where it hits down 4 cylinders when there is a light load on the engine above 70kmh. Helps a little with fuel consumption.

I have also heard the 5 cylinder rangers are quite powerful too.

[302 XC]

Theres a wide variation in your preference
Budget would be the main concern
I wouldnt bother with pretend off roaders,id go a cruiser or patrol tray back
Big 4 odd litre turbo diesels, the newer cruisers are V8 turbo ,reasonably cheap to run, not rocket ships in the sense,but enuf good low down torque , and if you want more poke,crank the boost up and bigger intercooler
XR6 or XR8 utes are only good on the tarmac,beyond that there too low, trust me i hate how low my falcon ute is

[chevypower]

Had plenty of experiences with Toyotas getting stuck, they are just like everything else really. I really like the Grand Cherokees since the previous shape, but go for the 3.0L V6 diesel. Great all-rounder, not outrageously priced. Good on road, good off-road, tows 3.5 tonnes, good fuel economy, and good acceleration. I understand there are some Jeep haters out there, and so be it. Prior to the previous shape, I would probably agree.

[Gman_86_xr6]

You didn't mention a price range, but since you specified a PJ Ranger, I will assume that you are looking at something secondhand/ a couple of years old. So for what it's worth, I would suggest a BFmkII RTV ute, has the comfort and performance of a Falcon, can go further offroad than a Territory and won't have the running costs of a diesel Ranger.
A handful were sold new with the 5.4l V8, so if the regular I6 isn't potent enough, the V8 should be good enough.

Avoid Jeeps if you don't want to be paying high repair bills (expensive parts and so-so build quality do not make good bedfellows ).

Also since you mentioned you are moving to Cairns, incase you aren't aware, LPG is preetty pricy up there, so stear clear of anything on gas.

You didn't mention it, but if you will be spending a lot of time in remote areas, Land Cruiser is the way to go, out there anything can break down, but you will always get someone that can fix/ locate parts for a Land Cruiser.

[1TUFFUTE]

to cover your massive taste in different types of cars...your only option is the ford ranger with the bigger motor. Who cares if you have to have the tail gate down once every few months taking the bikes. Its the worlds best 4x4 ute for a reason. Its a no brainer really.
Good luck

[aquahead2001]

You have crossed shopped into three separate categories, tough to make a recommendation on what you want. Falcon utes, good performance, no 4x4. If you want load capability, 4x4 and reasonable performance, the ranger will do. The turbo Tezza is a soft roader, not a genuine off roader. The Jeep, well if you want a performance 4x4, it's going to give you most of the performance you want and the 4x4 capability too. For other performance 4x4s, shop the toureg, Q7, Porsche cayanne, the ML and the X5. The toureg 5L V10 diesel is epic!!!!