Mitsubishi Challenger

Great car but beware faulty balance shaft! – Bought brand new 4x4 to commute to work and used on long highway travel and city travel, used a lot for towing and needed the boot room. Always serviced by the book with minimal issues. Read a few reviews before buying and most were spot on. Great room in boot even with seats erect which was handy as i didn’t have to take a baby seat in and out… Read more

to keep my boot space. Great to drive, fuel economy usually around 11-13litres per 100km depending on use. Fuel tank is small, could be bigger, first set of factory tyres lasted 120,000kms! Annoying front cup holders but other cars have same cross over design. Can’t hold two cups at once! Stereo average, should be better for the price of the car. Always loved this car but whether I got a lemon I don’t know, but the engine was replaced under warranty recently. The timing belt shifted after 90 thousand km service, had to take it back and get that replaced again, not sure if that did damage but later at around 120 thousand kms the bearing shaft broke and engine had to be replaced. Lucky it was still in warranty although it Took two months to get my car back while dealership argued with head office over whose fault it was. I still love my car and it has been great for the purpose but I am concerned about it’s reliability now. Dealership said they see the faulty bearing shaft a lot just a lot earlier than 120,000 kms, i looked on the forums and could find no mention of it.

2014 Challenger PC – Purchased the 4by new with Mitsubishi bull bar, Snorkel, rusting proofing, mats, roof rack and some other items. Have updated the suspension and changed the fuel tank to 107L. Been a great vehicle on and off road. Travelled out into the desert and done long drives in the country. The vehicle is regularly serviced and I also do maintenance between… Read more

the factory services. The only down side is the torque is a high stall and will only go into lockup in 4th and 5th gear. The upside, there is a mod that fixes that. If Mitsubishi fixes the lockup for 2nd and 3rd it would vasty improve fuel economy in city driving. The factory suspension is soft but adding quality after market coils and shocks vasty improves handling. The engine tune from the factory is conservative but a quality ECU tune fixes the issue. Now have good low down pickup and tows much better. Given the Challenger is a 2T vehicle, I regularly get 12L/100KM in the city without the improved torque lockup kit. This is not bad economy considering stop start traffic and size of this 4by.

Wonderful car , love it – It is used as a daily driver, does offroading on the odd weekend , get it serviced regularly and on time . It has done 260000kms and I just changed the original water pump , not because it wasn't working ,but because I just put in a new timing belt. Amazing durability. Last Challenger made in Japan Show details

Ripper vehicle both on and off road – 1999 3.0L V6 Manual. Got it second hand with 160,000ks on the clock, had been in a mild crash but opportunity was taken to get a bullbar was fitted. This car is a beast, I’ve taken it on some pretty sketchy tracks in the flinders and it held its own against $100K+ land cruisers and patrols. Pretty good considering I snagged him for $3K! Great for… Read more

camping and country driving, I mainly use it for surf trips. I’ve serviced it since buying and have added an awning, new headlights, new rocks cover gasket and new tie rods. Overall I am very pleased with the car, however fuel economy and turning circle are laughable...but worth it in my opinion. I get about 14L/100kms in the city and 11L/100kms in the country, which will hopefully be improved with a new air filter. As far as value for money goes it’s hard to beat.

Does the job bloody well – Very reliable Vehicle ..it’s basically a triton.. Good price point ..had it for an year but done it’s job very well..I get it serviced every 20,000 kms ..some minor issues but overall great 4wd Show details

Good car but some improvements – Use the challenger as family commuter and some off road. The car gets used on a daily basis. The issues i have found is the car still uses a timing belt and the fact it has to replaced every 90,000kms. Car gets serviced every 6-12 months Show details

Don’t buy if you enjoy a safe drive – Wow, possibly the worst car I’ve ever owned. Sounded like a tractor, and handled like one. But I can live with that, it got me off road a bit. What is unforgivable is that when a car hit me at approx 60kph, hard enough to roll the challenger over its roof and on to the other side, NOT A SINGLE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. The car was under three years old. Having recovered from the surgery I needed, I now drive a Lexus - 450h and love it!!  Show details

Hi Power Engine Overheat Mitsubishi Challenger – used for family use only on a daily basis never towed anything known problem Hi Power Engine Overheat car was serviced regularly Car started to over heat at 2 years of age, just relised recently that when they sold me the car they were aware of this overheating issue and did not declare this to me at the sale. the overheating makes the head… Read more

crack. the engine has to be replaced by mitsubishi. I have already had the thermostat replaced, and many other things that have gone wrong with the vehicle

Any person having these issues need to report them to the ACCC and make a complaint to Fair trading, the cars need to be recalled for safety.

Mitsubishis have now told me that they have replaced many engines in Challengers for the same reason

I have checked other sites and have found similar complaints in abundance surrounding the Challenger and the Triton. Any person with similar issues needs to put them in a forum like this for others to see and read. There has been no recall for my car after the first month of ownership for this overheating issue with the car, then they replaced the Cap to the radiator and also the coolant to a heavier 50% coolant, my engine light kept coming on and they had the car back and still did not fix it correctly, now my engine is blown and under Consumer guarantee I would like my car replaced and or my money back as this is a major fault that they were aware was happening when they sold me the vehicle, had they told me of the fault I would have never bought the car.

Further to this It is a safety matter if the engine blows on a freeway which could cause a serious accident, and or it devalues my car for resale.

What a little weapon – Owned PA challenger for 5 years. 2002 LS model. Did 60k and sold past 350k. Build quality excellent. Towed my caravan, motorbike trailer. Lots of highway. Was on lpg also. Could not fault the car in any way. I serviced it well and did the little fixups. Best era cars. Built in Japan, pre gfc is the pinnacle of motoring IMO. If i found another one… Read more

in good condition id buy it as a second car. Just underpowered if towing and the valvestem seals i knew were starting to leak. Easy to work on apart from the intake design is laborious but not complicated.

Reliable petrol V6 483.000kms & counting – just keeps going used for farm work towing & 4WDing have replaced starter motor & alternator this year ( $110 ea aftermarket) last year the harmonic balancer ( seems to be a common problem) overall a cheap 4wd that keeps on going. at close to half a million kms who cares about a few $ a year for maintainance Show details

Got it brand new in 2010 – Great car only 65000klm on.the clock but drove twice from Perth to uluru .also one trip from Perth to Cape York. A bit wobbly around city runabout otherwise great car Show details

Most reliable vehicle I've owned – 2005 turbo diesel auto. Purchased 2008 at 133k. Replaced suspension with OME, slight lift. Used truck for extended overland journey 2009, shipped from NZ to China. Drove up through China to Mongolia, crossed the Gobi desert, and travelled into Siberia at Urkutsk. Drove across Siberia, through the Urals to Western Russia, Moscow, then north to… Read more

St Petersburg, Finland, then south to the Baltic states, Poland ,Czech republic, Germany, and France. Transferred vehicle via ferry to England, driving up to Scotland, returning to Cambridge for container, prior to shipping back to NZ. 16+k distance, faultless run, not even a puncture.

Still own this vehicle, kms 378k. Serviced every 10k. Motor/ transmission have been faultless. Minimal oil use between service intervals. Only repairs have been a front cv joint( boot split allowing sand in) after trip up 90 mile beach, far north NZ. Broken several OME shocks, Throttle position sensor has been adjusted, and I have just replaced radiator cap. I have just replaced my first brake light bulb, using spares still kept from 2009 trip.

Use off-road frequently on very steep coastal farm. Very good off-road vehicle with only reservation being I would prefer a lower ratio low gear for better engine braking on very steep descents. Auto well matched with t/diesel, as engine doesn't develop decent torque until around 2k revs.

Also often use to tow/ launch a 1.5 tonne trailer sailer yacht. Good tow vehicle, sits on road well. Recently rescued a fellow at the ramp. He had his trailer winch malfunction while retrieving a 3.5 tonne launch off the beach, onto concrete ramp. ( motor died, couldn't get back to ramp, tide going out...) The weight of the boat partially on the trailer, was causing the rear wheels of his Nissan to lift, losing traction. Hooked up a snig chain, used low range and pulled the whole lot up to a level area.

A friend in Hawkes Bay, NZ, had a 2003 Challenger t/diesel auto. Took it out to just short of 500k without fault, before it was written off in an accident.

Had an interesting discussion with a Mitsubishi rep at the NZ AG fieldays, Mystery creek, Hamilton, 2018. He mentioned that my good experience was not exceptional for my model, but that if I wanted similar reliability/ inexpensive ownership, to skip over later models to the very latest Challenger/ Pajero Sport...citing quite expensive service costs with the PB/C models.

I intend to run this truck until it blows, and then sell off for parts.

2 wheel drive diesel – 2WD. Huge problem with blowing black smoke and loss of power immediately after taking delivery purchased secondhand. Dealer refused refund. Fair Trading involved but useless. Dealers only seemed capable of putting on computer and reporting no fault. Months of dispute. Eventually a dealer Keystar Mitsubishi at Caboolture agreed to check and… Read more

tighten everything found no fault caharged very reasonable $160 and problem has been solved

.Still, thirstier than expected around 17 litres per 100 kms towing a lihht caravan.

Have now travelled several thousand kms and pleased with vehicle.

2010 Challenger – we purchase new manual in 2010. Find economy good. We get 9l/100 travelling at 95 to 105. Sometimes better, sometimes worse depending on hills. With the camper it's12 to 14. We've done 173k travelling lots of tracks (Oodnadatta, Tanami, Birdsville etc etc) It's never missed a beat . Now I would like an auto and with just a tad more power as our… Read more

new camper is 1.5 T loaded. So reliable. Best value 4wd for the bucks. Any suggestions for a replacement with say 10% more power?

head issue – This has been a great car up until now that it looks to be having head issues. It got warm a limitless while ago but not boiling hot and is now using water and looks to have an oil like substance in the coolant Should this be covered due to the recent recall for issues with this engine  Show details ·  1

W – Want more gunt up hills has anyone done drink and change chip or in imported chip or change turbo as it's a sluggish on long 4xr tracks I want fun not slugs need more power want to get up sand h I'll ls and big Rock's with the family a d fun  Show details

Great car thats reliable – Have have the vehicle for 148,000km now, never missed a beat. Reliable and has done everything ive asked of it, including some serious off road work and towing. Only minor let down was turbo lag, but that was easily sorted with a bit of a tune. Would defiantly buy another  Show details

Perfect off road car, Built like a Tank – Bought this car for run around, i was the second owner of this car with full log books and service history. I changed all the front struts, bushes, links, upper and lower ball joints, idler arm, tie rods, all brakes and rotors, new battery, new stereo system, new 4wd switch, new pcv valve, all new belts and new hoses, new 4wd vaccum hoses, engine… Read more

fluid, coolant, brake fluid, steering fluid, diff fluid, transfer case fluid and many other stuff. It was a super reliable car, i took it to country roads, severe offroading, loading it with extreme loads and no signs of failure. The only common problems this cars have is the (stem valve seals) as the car smokes while idling and is a disaster to change. The drive was superb, commanding and comfortable, High speed handling and noise was very good. I miss that car and would buy another one in good condition.

Curious to know – Just curious to know, could I drop a 2015 Toyota Hilux turbo diesel motor into a 1998 challenger would it fit ?? If it does how much you reckon it would cost?? If it did work next project would be to slam a challenger and completely lower it with air bags  Show details

a few mods – Excellent all round , absolutely no complaints, however,I made a fitting and tested engine oil temp while towing van 1.5 ton , oil is too hot , all engine oil should be under 100 deg c doing 90 k oil is 105c flat road , going up 4k long hill , oil can reach 120c ,this will cause bottom end wear and also this 15000k oil change bit is redicoulous… Read more

,5-7 th when towing, fitted oil cooler , only gets to 95 c even working hard, if you doubt what i've said , call the major oil companys, i did. Best diesel oil gulf western 15 -40 top dog indestructable. Also fitted auto lock up kit to stop torque converter slip when towing up big hills which keeps auto temps down also block egr and a catch can.

Great Truck - happy for what we paid – We traded in our 1996 Toyota Prado with 360,000 Km on the clock for the Challenger with 4,000 km. To date its been reliable, comfortable and a big step up technology wise from the Prado. My only complaint is it's a bit slower on the pick up around town, but the comfort outweighs the inconvenience. The third seating row is useful with four kids,… Read more ·  1

but the big improvement is the aircon with controls that flows all over the middle and rear seats. This makes the longer trips much better for all concerned.

I'd say running costs are about 10 lt per 100 km, which may seem high, but its better than the Prado it replaced!

THE BEST – This 4x4 is the best I have ever bought, it has great towing, it is great going up the beach or off road, fuel is good about 10 litres to 100 klms, towing 12 litres to 100 klms, never had a issue with it as you would not with a 10 year drive train, great  Show details

Reliable on the road and bush – The power is excellent, I tow 2.3 ton Caravan for 20K km easily. The diesel use is fairly economical, Average 9.50 liters per 100 km. When towing the Caravan the average is 15 liters per 100 km. Very good 4WD system, Drove at Kimberly, very sturdy car. Very capable cruising control, manual 5 speed. It's an easy car to drive around the city. It is great vehicle.  Show details

Outstanding tow vehicle for 2.5 tonne caravan – Purchased new in June 2012 and has now travelled just over 104,000 kms. Ordered convenience pack, nudge bar, window tint, towbar and wiring, head light protectors and floor mats. Original Bridgestone Dueler tyres were replaced with Highway Toyos at 77,000kms. Tyres were 60% worn but we're becoming slippery in the wet. Have had no problems… Read more

whatsoever with the Challenger, no warranty repairs, only scheduled servicing. Have used Penrite diesel 5 engine oil since new and vehicle uses no oil between the 15,000 scheduled services. Still on original brake pads and rotors. Average 10.43 litres per 100 kms, with a best of 9.99 and a worst of 17.49 under fairly severe towing. Unit is 2WD and has never been off sealed roads. Has since been fitted with after market seats to make it a seven seater. Performance with and without our large caravan is more than adequate. No turbo lag noticeable and very quiet at highway speeds. Noticeable clatter on cold starts but generally quickly warms up. Only unsatisfactory issue that we have is that the instruments are virtually impossible to see (red on black) in bright sunlight. Brilliant at night though with red lighting. Have fitted an after market Garmin GPS to clearly show speed readings in daylight. Our 22nd car in 55 years and undoubtedly our best and most rewarding. One of the better features of this vehicle is its accessibility. No dropping down to the seat or hauling out on exit.

Solid 4wd – Have put just over 16,000kms on the challenger. Wife drives it to work during the week in a hilly area and averages around 13/100km. Have just driven from Melbourne to the entrance (central coast NSW) and back, averaged about 10.6/100km sitting on about 110km. Have taken it off road n several occasions, sand driving and steep rocky inclines and… Read more

declines, had breezed through with no problems.

Had a blister type of heat bubble below the passenger side air vent, dealer said they had never seen it before. They replaced that section without any fuss. Leather steering wheel is really wearing bad, have told the dealer and are in the process of getting a answer. A few things I don't like is the size of the fuel tank. The seats are to hard. Leg room is not the greatest for someone north of 6feet.

Over all so far the vehicle had performed well and is a great value all round vehicle.

I've given it Hell. It comes up smiling – Bought my 1998 Challenger for my country mail run as a stop-gap until I bought a new one to replace the 2008 Rodeo that died. It's been through hell on gravel roads, stop/start, loaded and driven hard. Sure some things broke. But my new mail car will be a Challenger  Show details

Solid and reliable 4wd – PC Challenger is our only vehicle; city driving and a vehicle we also use for outback travel, either towing our camper or using swags. I have done 50,000km now and would not leave a review with any less mileage as most new cars go OK when brand new and with little off road work. It's an easy car to drive around the city (auto transmission)… Read more

fitted with a tight turning circle; it's not too long or too wide which gives no stress parking. The fuel consumption around town was initially high, but since getting an ECU remap and a performance exhaust/catalytic converter, along with the motor being run-in, this has improved a lot. Expect around 8.5 to 9 L/100km highway (lightly loaded) and anywhere from 9.0 to 13 L/100km around town, depending on traffic. Towing our camper van that can weigh up to 2 tonnes with a full load, and we get anywhere from 12 to 16 L/100km, probably 13.5 L/100km long term average.

The plastics in the interior are low quality, and the silver paint on the plastic surrounds of the power window switches dissolved away with greasy hands from sunscreen within the first few months of ownership. I have heard the silver-trimmed plastic on the new Challenger incarnation, the Pajero Sport, is no better. There are a few dash rattles and frazzles, but they generally go away once everything is up to temperature. The front legroom is not capacious, so if you are much over 180cm tall or have really long legs you may not be able to get comfortable for long trips. My base model has no lumbar adjustment on the seats, but I use a lumber support and now find the seats comfortable. The white paint has proven to be scratch and chip resistant, and is of reasonable thickness. Excellent exterior finish for the money, and for a Thailand built vehicle.

I have done more than 20,000 km dirt and off-road travel, including the Simpson Desert, and whilst the vehicle has not been trouble free it has never let me down. The PB and PC Challengers have a design flaw, in that the tube-nut on the power steering supply line to the steering rack comes loose on corrugated roads, causing the loss of all power steering fluid. Mine did this around the 10,000km mark, when I was near Coongie Lakes, NW of Innamincka. Although I found the issue quickly I had to drive about 600 km before I could get some new fluid. When I got back home Mitsubishi did not want to know about the problem, and I had to force them to change the pump fluid around 8,000 km later. Now, after every few hundred kilometers dirt road driving I check the nut, and usually nip it up half a turn or so. Why Mitsubishi never fixed this problem during the 5 year model run is beyond me. Another issue with the steering occurred at about 17,000 km; it developed a loud, intermittent clunk, felt mostly as a vibration through the steering. After I complained about it enough, the dealership looked at it properly and found the steering column to be faulty. This was replaced under warranty and the problem went away, and 30,000 km later this replaced steering column is still going strong. The vehicle has some steering rack rattle over rough ground, which has got worse with age. However, the positive news is the steering has excellent road feel, but under rough road conditions you will feel some, but not excessive, vibration through the steering.

The motor and transmission have given me no problems. This vehicle sets no benchmarks for sophistication, noise, vibration or harshness, but I think they are a great vehicle. I often use the paddle shifters (standard on the auto) both on and off road. I had the auto serviced at 45,000 km (the recommended interval with hard use). The local auto shop said the fluid and the pan where clean, and they could not give me a rebuild price for the auto because they "never have problems with them". Note: this vehicle has a large auto-transmission cooler as standard, something the auto Hilux and Prado don't have; thumbs up Mitsubishi and thumbs down for Toyota. The cost of servicing is higher than with a Toyota but not unreasonable, especially if you stay away from the dealers as I have mostly done. The tappets are supposed to be checked and adjusted every 30,000km, but this is ridiculous. I will, however, take the vehicle to my local stealer-ship for the 60,000km service in the faint hope they will do a tappet adjustment as part of the $600 fixed price service. Tappet adjustment is a big job, with the inlet manifold and injector fuel lines having to come off, so it will be good value if they actually do this work, rather than just check it with a stethoscope, which is what most do.

For the money of around $36K less after-market accessories, I think the vehicle is fantastic value. It has a large battery, rear diff lock, cruise control, parking sensors, reverse camera, electric fold in side mirrors, and the super-select 4wd system means I can have all wheel drive when towing my van in wet conditions, something not possible with the much more expensive Toyota Hilux and Fortuna models. The stereo and the Bluetooth hands free unit works well and has excellent steering wheel controls. These are all great practical features and there is nothing on the car that I don't use, and really nothing more needed that is not already included in the low purchase price (possible exception would be having a larger fuel tank).

I intend to keep the vehicle for many more years because there is nothing on the market with the balance of price, features and performance this vehicle offers. The vehicle should be a good buy second hand as well.

Update April 2018: vehicle has 83,000 km now and still outback travelling with my camper. Car continues to be trouble free. I never got the tappets adjusted as Mitsubishi dropped this from the 60,000 km service (now 75,000 km conveniently outside the capped price service range). Adviced the rear brakes will need doing at 90,000 km. Enginr a little noisier now with turbo whistle evident when accelerating, but very quiet highway cruising. Tube nut on power steering has not come loose despite lots of dirt road driving. Still highly recommend the car.

My favourite car – 2015 car. 15k on now, really happy. It old school, noisy grungy fella but unstoppable off road. Rear lock diff superb. 9.2 fuel economy running from Brisbane to Rainbow Beach(3hours). drives like a car, great space for family of four. Smashes the beach driving. I love it . 5 STAR  Show details

Good vehicle for price – Purchased new in july 2015. $33815 but up to $40,000 with all accessories. Still miles in front of opposition. Good ride and love the bluetooth and reversing camera. Turbo lag is a bit of a bummer and fuel is a bit higher than expected. Tows a camper trailer ok. Fitted poly air bags to level ride out. Done 18,000 km now and no problems,  Show details

Update on March 2015 "OK" Review – Mitsubishi ultimately replaced the engine just out of warranty after an extended period. One dead engine after 140,000 kms which was not unusual for vehicles used for anything other than light work. The car yeard had a nice collection of Tritons with the same engine also waiting replacement. Second engine has just died after about 40,000kms.… Read more

The lessons I take from this are that the 2.4lt turbo diesel is not the engine you want for the car you want for serious off road towing or as a laden work vehicle. I would be very concerned if I was looking at the Pajero Sports which has the same engine and an (alleged) greater towing capacity. It is a problem waiting to happen.

Great Car it Will Impress You – 2012 PB Challenger 4x2 excellent on Diesel can get bout 800km out of tank. Big cargo area space, nice & roomy, service a little expensive though, 15km $600, 30km $1200, will go independent for next service. Engine a little noisy when cold but other than that great quality car for the price. Has a lot of power when putting the foot down quite… Read more

impressed by that, factory CD player not the greatest suggest an up grade on that. I've done 65,000km and still on the original tyres there only half worn so pretty happy with that also.

Great truck underated – My PA is the 2001 coil spring model, with poly air bags fitted to the rear coil springs, the MK Triton safari snorkle is the almost exact fit for the Challenger PA model, fits up to 2005 when the PB model came out, Holden VT cargo barriers fit the truck for 100 bucks, why pay 500 for genuine ones? Mine is a daily driver around Sydney and going… Read more

bush on weekends, very reliable truck, a bit low on headroom for people over 6 feet tall, but robust design, much better styling than the Pajero. My fuel was 10.5 L/pl country cycle and this dropped down to 9.5 using K/N air filters and high quality leads and plugs. Can easily be used to car camp when going bush on weekends, as others have done I have raised the suspention 40 mil (springs will lift 50 mil and coils 40 mil) mine has OME HD coils and HD steering shock, makes a vast difference, also 32 inch AT tyres give the truck a further 2 inch lift. The only real letdown is the short range fuel tank, it's a small 74 litre only tank, so country running you will get under 600 k per tank, if a 120 litre tank was put in then the truck would be an outstanding long range performer. Overall a great truck and seriously underrated.

Note : Product review has the PA Challenger series going till 2008, that is incorrect, no PA series 1 and series 2 were made after 2006.

Excellent fuel economy for a 4x4 and capability, – First off all I waited to write a review on this for the last 4 years so I could put my Challenger to the test. I cannot understand when people say fuel economy is bad. What do you expect from a 1950kg vehicle 5Lt / 100KM???? Are you working your consumption out properly?? Dont look at the display as this is inaccurate over the time used, if you… Read more

want up to time average you must press the reset button every so often to get up to minute accuracy or just fill tank and work out lt/100km. I have a manual, but dont think the auto would be more than 1-1.5 lt difference if consumption is worked out properly.

Fuel consumption is very good average 680-800 km / tank 65lt approx 9.0 - 7.9Lt/100km better that an avarage sedan although this is a proper 4x4. Nothing overly special about interior but i bought a 4x4 for what is a 4x4, it is still smart inside and instruments are very functionable with no stupid bells and ding dongs if you open the door whilst parked with keys in ignition because you want the radio on. Handling is a bit soft on cornering but after market suspension with lift has a 120% improvement, brilliant off road even when it had the standard suspension and unstoppable with lift. plenty of torque and reasonable amount of power. Very comfortable on highways, best turning circle, even better that my wife's honda I was blown away when I compared it to her car loads of room in back without seven seater. Avarage service is $550.00 could be better but can shop around and save $150.00. There was a problem with overheating not to the point of boiling but hotter than normal with the pc model maybe some pb's, Mitsubishi did send out notices to owners for this as the EGR port was to small and blocking up, I did not have this problem but they changed the intake manifold nontheless, and never had a problem since also after doing that they would reset the ECU for fuel delivery at the proper timing. I guess if some of you did not get this service you may want to reconsider the Mitsi dealer your using as some have their own way of dealing with their customers,

Great mid-sized 4WD wagon for travelling (2001 Montero Sport) – We bought a automatic 3L 6cl 2001 Montero Sport (what the Challenger is called in South America) with 140,000km on the clock and had it for 3 months and did another 18,000km on it in that time. The new owners have done another 15k so-far, and no issues. We converted it into a camperwagon with a foldout bed in the back that still allowed up to 4… Read more

adults to be seated and comfortably slept 2 inside. It was a great car and only needed an oil and oil filter change done as it had a major service just before we bought it.

Super comfortable to drive on the highway with AT/hwy tyres. We did many 8+ hour days in Chile driving up and down the coast chasing waves. Cruise control, straight roads and music makes trips easy. Also did a bit of 4WDing drove on firm and soft sand, mud, shallow ford crossings, rocky trails and more, including some of the most atrocious 'roads' I've ever seen while in Bolvia. Never skipped a beat and the engine had plenty of power to keep speed up in the sand. Just make sure you drop the tyre pressure.

Fuel economy was reasonable for a 4WD of this age and engine size. About 10-11L/100km on the highway and 13-14L/100KM around town. Correct tyre pressure makes a big difference for economy and handling.

The bad parts:

- Rust was forming inside the moonroof gap due to the seal going hard and slightly leaking, so check for that

- ABS light would come on after driving through water or large puddles (would go away after turning off the car)

- 4WD dash status lights didn't work (but the 4WD system still worked fine)

- Clearance height, and approach and departure angles not fantastic for serious offroading unless upgraded and modified (about the same as a stock L400 Delica)

I'd definitely consider buying another one here in Australia after our good experience in South America. Not great for daily commuting, but excellent for camping and touring around the country.