Requirements and the Contenders

Our primary requirements are very simple, ease of access to the vehicle and the preferred option to be able to flat tow (if we can get a vehicle that can be flat towed, we could also trailer the vehicle if we decided in the future that the trailer is the best option for us).

In a rough order of priority, the following points will determine the vehicle that we will purchase;

 – Ease of access to cabin
 – Flat towable (preferred option)
 – Full size spare wheel
 – Four wheel drive (constant, selectable or something special)
 – Transfer case (L & H 4wd) – desirable)
 – Reasonable ground clearance (min 200mm)
 – 2.4 litre engine (petrol)
 – Reasonable fuel consumption numbers
 – Reasonable size fuel tank to provide a range of at least 600 kilometres orf better
 – A/C as standard (climate control preferred)
 – Cruise control
 – Long wheel base (our Grandson travels in the vehicle from time to time)
 – Kerb Weight
 – Changeover cost

The contenders that we have identified that fall into our price bracket are;

 – Suzuki Vitara (base model, Urban and diesel model)
 – Honda CRV
 – Nissan X-trail
 – Mitsubishi Outlander
 – Subaru Forrester
 – Holden Captiva
 – Toyota RAV4
 – Nissan Dualis (several variants)

We have identified the dealers we will visit and after Christmas we will go shopping.