We have the 70 Series Toyota
It’s familiar, capable and nice and (in recent times) almost in a league of its own. Especially if you (like most everyone else) forgets about the Nissan Patrol...
Which notably is available in two flavours (coils springs or leaf springs) of rear axle. The engine is a tad long in the tooth but still adequate for a 3.0 litre TD 4 cylinder that dates from the Old Days of My Yooof.
But now....
...now we (i.e. Australians anyway) have the Mercedes Benz G300 CDI
3.0 V6 Tdi with 135 Kw/400Nm talking to a 5 speed auto box (no manual g/box available), constant 50:50 4x4 with three diff locks and a whopping 2,000 kg payload (less the weight of the tray)...as pictured (pretty much) for AU$120,000 plus on road costs. Or about twice as much as a 70 Series or a Patrol...[eeep!].
But as Go Auto points out...the 70 (and presumably the seemingly forgotten Patrol)...”does not match the G300 in payload or off-road specs.”.
This is the maddest mix of the Toyota (bluff, utilitarian) and the Nissan (engine!) with some Mercedes techno artillery and price tag thrown in...oh and in a nod to Defender...an ancient chassis!
The idiot in me wants a G300. The conformist in me wants a 70. Some part of me wants a Patrol cab chassis but it won’t tell me who it is. And there is a tiny part of me wishing for the compromise to STILL be a Defender...
I’m so conflicted. Perhaps I should buy a mid sized sedan and a caravan instead.