newbie - looking at purchasing either Pajero or Klugar

[mattc]

Hi there,

I am looking at a new car for the family and have narrowed it down to the 07 Klugar KXS or Pajero VRX.

Towing is important as I will be hiring a caravan next year for a few months to travel from Perth to the kimberly.

both have 7 seats which is important as well.

I can't seem to decide and wanted to know if any klugar owners here have experienced both cars? and any comments?

the klugar sure is nice!

cheers,

Matt

[Taka]

I am very new on towing and towed a car once (combine 1950kg). I found it very heavy but it move well, and Kluger have enough power to accelerate. I don't struggle with gearing either.

It is also good at offroad but I am sure Pajero will be better.

[holmesie]

G'day and welcome!

Our recent choice was between these two exact models you are considering matt - I could not for the life of me choose between the two, however the KX-S Kluger eventually won based on the following;

- it drives like a car, where the Pajero still had that essence of 4WD about it (we already have a 4WD dual-cab ute, and this new wagon would be driven 90% by my wife, and 80% on-road).

- the Kluger is full-time AWD, compared to the part-time Pajero (super-select aside).

- the Kluger was also cheaper than the Pajero when similarly optioned (ie. curtain airbags & leather seats etc. which weren't standard on the VRX Paj)

- resale of the Kluger should be better than the Pajero (which is based on a pretty old, albeit proven, design)

The 2tonne braked capacity of the Kluger vs. 2.5tonne of the Pajero could be an issue depending on the size of the van you are considering. Also the Kluger's 19-inch wheel/tyres in the Kimberly area could be a potential liability!

So far (12,000k in 4 months) I'm glad we chose the Kluger. Those above factors may or may not be relevant to you, but that's how we looked at it!

Hope that's of use

Cheers!

Edited November 6, 2008 by holmesie

[RICE RACING]

I almost bought Pajero only thing stopped me was that ultra gay rear tail gate! *** I hated that!

[The Fly]

And if you buy the Bitsash!tty, you will forever be the butt of those "w@nker in Spanish" jokes. :)

Edited November 6, 2008 by The Fly

[holmesie]

I almost bought Pajero only thing stopped me was that ultra gay rear tail gate! *** I hated that!

Yes, good point - I also hate swing open rear doors <_<

[mattc]

thanks for the feedback which is much appreciated.

the caravan I am looking to hire is http://www.swancaravanhire.com.au/caravan3.htm and it says a total weight would be ~ 2056 once you load it up with gear...would the Klugar be ok with that you think? If I just cruised on ~100kmph? This trip is a once off as I have long service leave owing - other than that the car will predominantly be for my wife...so the Klugar is more suited...

regarding the other comments - as long as I avoided Spanish tourists and moustached blokes wearing leather chaps I would be safe with the Pajero? :)

[Kruzenvax]

Well, official Kluger's towing capacity (breaks) is 2000 kg. So if your total wight exceeds that... officially the rig may not be roadworthy and if something goes wrong you may experience troubles with warranty, insurance/authorities, etc.

For one-off trip you may conside removing the gear, etc to bring the wight below the legal limit.

It as also good to have some space with towing weight btw.

thanks for the feedback which is much appreciated.

the caravan I am looking to hire is http://www.swancaravanhire.com.au/caravan3.htm and it says a total weight would be ~ 2056 once you load it up with gear...would the Klugar be ok with that you think? If I just cruised on ~100kmph? This trip is a once off as I have long service leave owing - other than that the car will predominantly be for my wife...so the Klugar is more suited...

regarding the other comments - as long as I avoided Spanish tourists and moustached blokes wearing leather chaps I would be safe with the Pajero? :)

Edited November 6, 2008 by Kruzenvax