An Ideal Vehicle for All DR

ju10prd

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If you travel widely in DR and not just the cities and Autopistas but deep into the campo and on some s**t surfaced roads and some really s**t unsurfaced roads and then don't have deep pockets or are simply money conscious, the question is what new all round car would you buy with reasons?

If you tell me some large gas guzzling, low all round driving performance SUV with blacked out windows or tuned up racer you haven't read the first paragraph. Why waste $$$$$ with a gas guzzler when you can't enjoy the wide variety of driving conditions and aren't a government official or gigolo trying to make a statement?

I have been influenced in the islands where Suzukis seem to be very popular and handle the very worst and best on offer and survive, yet I don't understand how the new range compares, so ask a question for the future.
 

cobraboy

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Deep into the campo? An L200 4WD diesel offers good bang for the buck.
 

dv8

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i am a huge fan of sahara unlimited. it is my lil' gem. i had suzuki grand vitara before and loved it too. very comfy, stable, nimble and cheap to run. still, the wrangler beats it when my heart is concerned :)
 

ju10prd

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New, good and cheap? Isuzu Dmax I would say.

Heart? Land Rover.

Sorry but Range Rover is not suited here for the all round driving and conditions plus maintenance. Done that. Very very expensive and just doesn't hack it one bit. Nearly rolled one on the new Las Terrenas toll road in the wet and that is something you can't do in a modest Vitara.
 

windeguy

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I would not buy a Land Rover no matter where I lived. British Engineering and automobiles? Jaguars? Nope, not gonna do it.


Suzuki sounds good, RAV4, or perhaps a Korean model. Sorento/Santa Fe or smaller versions.
 

cobraboy

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New, good and cheap? Isuzu Dmax I would say.

Heart? Land Rover.
The DMax is excellent.

The Isuzu SUV built on the same chassis, the MU-X is also a solid choice.

I've had my eye on an MU-X for a while now. A super nice, rugged, no nonsense, full sized diesel 4WD SUV.
 

caribmike

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When my Tucson was at the repair shop after an accident the insurance paid for a two-week rental and i chose the Nissan Navara (Frontier). I really enjoyed driving it.
 

Mauricio

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I did read your first paragraph but still will say it: Jeep Wrangler.

I leant it twice from one of my BIL, once went to Samana and Constanza and once went to Valle Nuevo. What a great vehicle. And still comfortable enough to drive in the city.
 

beeza

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Blacked out windows....we know your type.....typical Brit.



Yeah and the Americans are recommending pick-ups.  Never ever seen the practical use of a pick-up other than for moving dirt, gravel and manure.  Leave anything else in the back of a pick-up and as soon as the vehicle is stationary, it gets nicked!

Oh, and Australians have a strange obsession with pick-ups (or Utes) too.
 

ju10prd

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Performance from still seems to be something lacking with so many motors here. I am in a Grand Vitara 2.4 which is nothing special but I always seem to leave the big SUVs in my distant wake at traffic lights. I am so used to European cars with on demand acceleration and without checking out the motor magazine reports don't want a fat unresponsive beast at slow speeds guzzling gas nor diesel turbo power and all the problems that follow if anything goes wrong in this country.

Keep it simple and understood seems to me to be important here.
 

beeza

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If you don't want the Prado, which I highly recommend, then look at the Toyota Fortuner.  It's a Hilux that's been civilized. IE, it has a boot.
 

beeza

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Hope you're getting the idea.  The thread title says ideal vehicle for the DR.  The answer starts with Toy and ends in ota.

End of..............
 

windeguy

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If you want understood: Toyota.

If you want what is becoming understood: Hyundai/Kia.

As an American, I never liked pickup trucks. Note to those who don't understand the USA and the propensity for pickups.
They are considerably cheaper because of government regulations than other vehicles for their size.
THAT IS WHY they are popular.
 

dv8

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miesposo crossed DR in santa fe (it was a business car). used it for few years and put around 120,000 km on it. did a good job. before that he used highlander, which he considers to have been a much better vehicle. maybe something like that would be a better fit for you?

having said that, he said that in his opinion the best all round vehicle for DR is prado or 4runner. for what it's worth.

ps none of our cars has dark windows.
 

ju10prd

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A 4 Runner? Never have I driven such a cumbersome beast albeit a few years ago.

This must be a horrible car to drive at pace between Victor and Sabanate and quite dangerous for those coming the opposite way if you understand my drift.

(Maybe a few Brits will understand my desire for good handling when I look for equivalent pace and control driving around the Great Orm in Lllandudno as a marker, which maybe equates a bit to Victor to Sabanete with potholes and bumps lol.)
 
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