Reliability of late model SUVs/Utes

A lot can be said for having a simple vehicle, no common rail diesel, no ECU to shit sensors every 5minutes and put you car in limp mode.
But as nice as it is to drive an older simpler vehicle, there is no denying that new vehicles for power and comfort leave pre 2000 stuff in the dust!

I'm wanting to buy a newer full size 4wd (landcruiser, Patrol etc), probably 2007 or newer, want something more comfortable and have more power for towing, but I'm a little apprehensive do to newer technology (mostly electronics) and its reliability.
I know that the general thought is avoid European made, but I know of multiple cases of new (less than 20,000km) Holden Captivas transmissions failing, Nissan Xtrails transmission letting go with a costly bang.
Commonrail diesel Hiluxs needing all new injectors and fuel pumps, and the general thought that new vehicles are just not as reliable as they should be.

Am interested to hear in other peoples experiences, whether good or bad.
Hoping to find out generally what makes and/or models are the best in terms of reliability, or if in fact you keep on top of servicing are most cars much of a muchness.

Cheers

I have had my manual 94 HiLux 3 litre turbo diesel for 13 years now and wouldn't consider a new vehicle as a replacement. It goes eveywhere I point it (subject to me getting out and checking dodgy bits before plunging in), passes cars with ease, and is capable of cruising at well over the speed limit. I put on a new cylinder head when I got it, replaced the 'million piece' clutch with a standard one after 5 years, and service it myself regularly. The new vehicles look and drive nice but I simply have no faith in electronics when you are out in the boonies!

Im in the same boat not enjoying of spending 5k a year on keeping a vehicle going, was thinking of the new triton looks ugly, but they seam like the best deal for double a cab well side, got offered one for a bit less the 39k for the d/cab GLX R auto, thats part time 4x4 with a rear diflock, and I'm pretty sure they have a decent warranty over 5 years.

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Originally Posted by dansus

Im in the same boat not enjoying of spending 5k a year on keeping a vehicle going, was thinking of the new triton looks ugly, but they seam like the best deal for double a cab well side, got offered one for a bit less the 39k for the d/cab GLX R auto, thats part time 4x4 with a rear diflock, and I'm pretty sure they have a decent warranty over 5 years.

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They do a 10 year warranty but u need to service it every 6 months for 10 years

with the price on new utes so low these days its hard to buy a 2ndhand new one as there isnt a whole lot of difference in price

good luck trying to find an suv in manual!! the only ones we found were great wall.
most manufacturers are going CVT gearbox which is bloody awful and no good for towing. from what i gather the nissan cv-tronic is a bloody disaster
we eventually bought a triton, but if you are buying 2nd hand the 10/5 warranty is only for the original owner. heres what to look for though, they have a fault where the gearbox moves from 3-4 ok but refuses to gate going 4-3.
also definitely block off or electronically turn off the EGR valve or you will find your inlet manifold gets choked with tar.
the triton out accelerated the ranger with no load on board, the colorado just felt bloody awful, slushy and an awful gearbox.

It depends on what you want to do with the vehicle. If you want to do off road work then go an older vehicle. If you are just using roads then the modern stuff is reliable and efficient, but if things go pear shaped can be very expensive to fix. I would not rely on the modern stuff off road, too much to go wrong.

I used to work at a Nissan wreckers. Do not buy a diesel navara, the 4.0 v6 might be ok as the VQ engine is good. The YD25s we could not get our hands on enough of as the timing chain would strech and crash the valves and pistons. And the ZD30 likes to make windows in the block.

I have a Colorado, not the newest but the one before. I wanted and could of got a manual, but got talked out of it. It's OK for cruzing like grandad but if I'm in a bit of a hurry I hate the auto.
I hear the new one is a different trans but still, I think I'd try the manual. (Everyone else seems to like auto).
They all have there problems. So far mine had a couple of basic things go wrong.
Leak around the high stop light, and rocker cover wept a little oil.
Not too bad.

I've had a Nissan 2010 sold it for a ranger which is now been traded for an Everest all were awesome but the ford 3.2L is leaps ahead of the Nissan.
Had no trouble with any of them but traded after 3 years at about 50 , 000km. I wouldn't buy a manual the auto is way smoother and use sport mode on steep hills.


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Originally Posted by bully

I have a Colorado, not the newest but the one before. I wanted and could of got a manual, but got talked out of it. It's OK for cruzing like grandad but if I'm in a bit of a hurry I hate the auto.
I hear the new one is a different trans but still, I think I'd try the manual. (Everyone else seems to like auto).
They all have there problems. So far mine had a couple of basic things go wrong.
Leak around the high stop light, and rocker cover wept a little oil.
Not too bad.

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The current 6 speed auto it a lot faster then the manual and it much nicer i hate the electronic clutch cable give you no feeling. plus the Auto makes more power and it way better off road

For what it's worth the NZ army use Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Navara.

I had a Mitsi Triton GLX Manual until I - and i say I... Put the thing into a ditch. Guess that's what you get when a Truck looses a large amount transmission fluid on a road you're travelling on and it decides to rain.

To make matters worse and this is the part I did I had it only running in rear wheel drive with a empty back deck to increase the fuel efficency.... Those utes don't like that at all and lose adhession real easy (as did my mates Hillux also BTW probably even worse... His would do it at a roundabout!).

Anyhow slid into a ditch after a frontal drivers corner impact at about 60Kph (70 area) ripped the rear axle out of the transmission and moved wheel back in the wheel arch.

Anyhow all the safety gear worked a treat air bags and curtains fired. After seeing it was in a bad spot for traffic exiting the corner I restarted it (first time) put it in 4 wd and drove it on the front wheel drive out of the ditch turned it around and parked it up in a safe spot on the other side of the road.

Tow wagon and cop said it was impressive what the truck did and that i didn't really have a chance given the trans fluid and oil on the road.

Then tried to get the Insurance company to replace it (13 months old) - NAH and wouldn't gave me enough to replace it or pay for the additional accoutrements I'd added as they were accessories and not covered - F that... Tow bar, Nudge bar and Fibreglass lid accessories - you guys suck !

Long and short of it - Would I have another - IN A HEARTBEAT !!!

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Originally Posted by 199p

The current 6 speed auto it a lot faster then the manual and it much nicer i hate the electronic clutch cable give you no feeling. plus the Auto makes more power and it way better off road

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I hate the fact when you put your foot down just a bit, it often changes up which makes you go faster but it's not really what you want. So you put your foot down some more it changes down then goes faster.
I don't like no engine braking. People tell me use it in tiptronic but it's still not the same.

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Originally Posted by bully

I hate the fact when you put your foot down just a bit, it often changes up which makes you go faster but it's not really what you want. So you put your foot down some more it changes down then goes faster.
I don't like no engine braking. People tell me use it in tiptronic but it's still not the same.

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You are not alone.

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Originally Posted by bully

I hate the fact when you put your foot down just a bit, it often changes up which makes you go faster but it's not really what you want. So you put your foot down some more it changes down then goes faster.
I don't like no engine braking. People tell me use it in tiptronic but it's still not the same.

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agreed, auto is damn awful, engine braking is fantastic if the trailer/caravan gets the wobbles

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

You are not alone.

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Glad to hear it. Everyone else is in love with there auto. And there OK if your just idling around. I hate riding the breaks everywhere.

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

You are not alone.

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I'll second that. Even the kids want to learn in a manual.

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Originally Posted by bully

Glad to hear it. Everyone else is in love with there auto. And there OK if your just idling around. I hate riding the breaks everywhere.

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I hate the bloody things....the only time they are good is in stop crawl stop traffic.

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My Triton is going ok so far. Obviously I can't comment on reliabilty yet. Things I hate about it - the gear box "feels" shitty. It hesitates to change through the range in one stroke. I pop it out of gear then pop it into gear in two motions. The turbo is laggy. The suspension is atrociously soft off road, its like a fuckin bouncy castle. The stock head lights are a joke. It's not very pretty. They look pretty neat with decent bars and some mud tyres on though. I wouldn't touch one unless it was late 2014 or 2015 mfg. Before this they had a horrible reputation for cooking engines. Mitsibishi starting putting better quality cylinder heads in them post 2013, they also started running a higher pressure radiator cap and more concentrated coolant mixture, as well as updating the ECU to detect loss of coolant. I haven't heard of them having injector problems, main complaint just seems to be the usual EGR valve causing issues.

But it rides smooth and is comfy to travel long distances in. Once the turbo wakes up it is pretty quick. Apparently deleting the EGR in these makes the turbo alot more responsive.

My second choice was a pre 2012 Ranger/Bounty. They're very nice trucks, they have that old Hilux feel but heaps of grunt.

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Originally Posted by Beavis

My Triton is going ok so far. Obviously I can't comment on reliabilty yet. Things I hate about it - the gear box "feels" shitty. It hesitates to change through the range in one stroke. I pop it out of gear then pop it into gear in two motions. The turbo is laggy. The suspension is atrociously soft off road, its like a fuckin bouncy castle. The stock head lights are a joke. It's not very pretty. They look pretty neat with decent bars and some mud tyres on though. I wouldn't touch one unless it was late 2014 or 2015 mfg. Before this they had a horrible reputation for cooking engines. Mitsibishi starting putting better quality cylinder heads in them post 2013, they also started running a higher pressure radiator cap and more concentrated coolant mixture, as well as updating the ECU to detect loss of coolant. I haven't heard of them having injector problems, main complaint just seems to be the usual EGR valve causing issues.

But it rides smooth and is comfy to travel long distances in. Once the turbo wakes up it is pretty quick. Apparently deleting the EGR in these makes the turbo alot more responsive.

My second choice was a pre 2012 Ranger/Bounty. They're very nice trucks, they have that old Hilux feel but heaps of grunt.

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Why didn't you get a manual one G? Yeah the stock headlights in Mitsubishi seem to be really average. You can buy some LED replacement bulbs off of AliExpress for cheap cheap.

Isn't the Mitsi with it's super select the only one that actually will spin all four in the mud?
I nearly got one because of that.

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Originally Posted by bully

Glad to hear it. Everyone else is in love with there auto. And there OK if your just idling around. I hate riding the breaks everywhere.

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Hahaha i definitely dont idle around in mine a few from the forum know that well haha.
Wouldnt say i ride the brakes all over bit also remembering pads are way cheaper then clutches

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Originally Posted by Ryan

Why didn't you get a manual one G? Yeah the stock headlights in Mitsubishi seem to be really average. You can buy some LED replacement bulbs off of AliExpress for cheap cheap.

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It is a manual. It feels terrible compared to my mates Ranger, goes through the gears like butter, but Ihave gotten used to it.

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Originally Posted by bully

Isn't the Mitsi with it's super select the only one that actually will spin all four in the mud?
I nearly got one because of that.

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Depends what year you have I spose. They ditched rear lockers in them around 2013 I think for a traction control system. It almost put me off buying it, but I did a lot of research and the traction control does actually sound like it works. There are vids on Youtube of guys demonstrating how it works. You just have to remember to switch off the stability control when you go offroad or will bog down in the mud. The super select you can use to drive it like a subi so good for ice and snow and that. To be honest I haven't done any real four wheel driving in mine yet. Still wears the cheap AT's it came with. Oh I found it's quite thirsty in AWD mode.

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Originally Posted by Beavis

It is a manual. It feels terrible compared to my mates Ranger, goes through the gears like butter, but Ihave gotten used to it.

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My fail.

I have a 2013 ford Ranger Manual. I bought it as a demonstrator with 1500 km on it. Its just coming up to 90k now and it has been super reliable.
Before the ranger I owned multiple Hiluxes with the last one being a 2007 SR5. I know comparing a 2007 with a 2013 isn't comparing apples with apples but the Ranger would eat it! Far more power. Much nicer/ quieter ride with the all the family on board. We could drive from Invercargill to Mosgiel towing a tandem trailer with over 2 ton on it for example and the guys would get out of the hilux tired and sore compared with getting out of the ranger and wanting to get started.
The only downside I have found with the 2013 ranger which I believe is fixed in the newer models is that every time you open doors all the park lights come on until the doors are shut again. When towing the trailer all those lights come on as well. Over an 8hr working day using the truck as a smoko room we had a few flat batteries over the years. I put in a more heavy duty battery and haven't had one since. Also mine has terrible radio reception!

So on the whole it sounds like most people are having good luck. Just get a manual (if possible).

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Originally Posted by Beavis

Depends what year you have I spose. They ditched rear lockers in them around 2013 I think for a traction control system. It almost put me off buying it, but I did a lot of research and the traction control does actually sound like it works. There are vids on Youtube of guys demonstrating how it works. You just have to remember to switch off the stability control when you go offroad or will bog down in the mud. The super select you can use to drive it like a subi so good for ice and snow and that. To be honest I haven't done any real four wheel driving in mine yet. Still wears the cheap AT's it came with. Oh I found it's quite thirsty in AWD mode.

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Some models still have rear diff locker not all though - top of the line vrx with super select 4x4 has rear dif lock (they will do that for 49k same price as the new pajero sport) and the more working class GLX -R has easy select (part time 4x4) with a read dif lock as well. (iv been spending my office job hours looking at trucks :D i think the triton is the best value for $) they still have a 5 sped auto that has been re tuned from the older ones wonder if they will the put the pajero sport 8 speed in it

I can't comment! I own an awesome 5 cylinder 6 auto six speed FORD ranger with a cracked windscreen! Bugger but hey!

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Originally Posted by dansus

Some models still have rear diff locker not all though - top of the line vrx with super select 4x4 has rear dif lock (they will do that for 49k same price as the new pajero sport) and the more working class GLX -R has easy select (part time 4x4) with a read dif lock as well. (iv been spending my office job hours looking at trucks :D i think the triton is the best value for $) they still have a 5 sped auto that has been re tuned from the older ones wonder if they will the put the pajero sport 8 speed in it

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Are you talking about the MQ Tritons? (2016 on)

I've got a GLX-R MN Triton. It's meant to be the flash model with all the trimmings. I almost bought an MQ but the guy sold it by the time I was ready with the cash (same day I test drove it).

yip 2016 on I should have mentioned that