Advice on Cars for Family

ShortyX on 10/04/2019 - 14:55
Last edited 10/04/2019 - 14:56

We have 3 young kids and currently have a 2015 Sorento (45,000kms) and a 2007 Camry (192,000kms).

My wife usually drives the Sorento and it is our trip/holiday car - it is the mid range model with leather seats and it's quite a nice drive. I would like to get a fairly late model dual cab so we can go beach 4WDing and camping, and be able to carry bikes/motorbikes in the future.

Ideally we'd like have a dual cab and the Sorento, but to keep costs down, I was thinking of trading the Sorento and getting a dual cab instead. However, for our highway trips/holidays that don't require a 4WD, the dual cab may not offer an enjoyable experience in terms of ride and back seat space, and the Camry may not offer the same reliability, comfort and safety as a late model car.

Any thoughts?

Automotive Car

Comments

  • spackbace on 10/04/2019 - 15:04

    Buy a Prado/Fortuner etc etc, get a trailer for the bikes/motorbikes. Motorbike trailers aren't that expensive given the flexibility it would offer.

    Gives you the comfort of an SUV, which is more than capable of 4WDing, plenty of room and comfort for the kids, and room to put the extra stuff in the back.

    • brendanm on 10/04/2019 - 16:11

      This. Three young kids in the back of a dual cab Ute won't be much fun. Trailer rego is cheap.

    • ShortyX on 10/04/2019 - 17:14

      Thanks. I'm now leaning towards buying a Pajero Sport, selling the Sorento and keeping the Camry for a while longer.

  • ESEMCE on 10/04/2019 - 15:09

    Maybe something like a Pajero Sport might fit the bill, it's based around the Triton Dual Cab with a passenger car type cabin stuck on top… Pity about the rear styling (IMHO), I always think of melted candle wax when I see them.

  • altomic on 10/04/2019 - 15:15
    +5

    get a tow ball for the sorento, and buy a trailer.

    minimal cost involved there.

    if you want to go beach 4wd- driving then just hire an appropriate vehicle at the time.

    because how often are you going to go beach 4wd driving???

    sorento holds a lot of stuff. plus lockable storage.

    a dual cab ute - all your stuff is in the back - exposed, and then it rains.

    • brad1-8tsi on 10/04/2019 - 15:32
      +2

      Plus, all the salt water / salty sand that gets into every nook and cranny and won't wash out.

      I used to fix Land Rovers that had been used at Maralinga in the late 50s. 20 years later despite multiple intensive decontamination washes they would still drop red dust as you dismantled them.

  • wombat81 on 10/04/2019 - 15:22

    I love my dual cab hilux. I have an aluminium gull wing canopy on mine which holds heaps of gear. But obviously i couldn't carry motorbikes it anything like that with it.

    If you really want a dual cab you'll need to factor in the cost of a canopy for it or it becomes impractical around town. Then you'd also need a trailer to carry the bikes etc.

    As others have said you could look at the smaller wagon 4x4s like a Fortuner since you'll need a trailer anyway but you'll find they have bugger all cargo discs in them, so you'll have to decide if they're big enough. If they're not big enough your back at a dual cab with a canopy.

    Aa far as comfort goes, the new dual cabs honestly aren't too bad, and if you get a decent suspension kit installed under them they're fine for holidaying.

  • Euphemistic on 10/04/2019 - 16:27

    For me the dual cab isn’t really suitable as a main family car. 5 in the front has very little room for anything else inside. The back seat is also somewhat cramped for bigger kids. Stuff in he tray is in the weather, heat rain etc. putting luggage, groceries in there isn’t ideal with a soft tonneau on. Groceries are fine for a short trip home though.

    I could put on a canopy for storing stuff in the tray out of he weather a bit better, but then bikes etc won’t fit well without having to remove it. I can comfortably put our 5 bikes in the tray because it doesn’t have a hard lid or canopy.

    I reckon having a Ute is great, but glad we have a 4wd wagon for family trips. I recommend keeping the 7 seater and adding the dual cab.

  • apsilon on 10/04/2019 - 21:03
    +1

    I've had a dual cab Ranger for 2 years now. Like anything it has it's pros and cons and they're going to differ for everyone.

    I've fitted mine with a lift kit including parabolic rear springs as I don't carry a constant load. It's very comfortable, firm but well damped so it rides well and is comfortable for longer drives. I've done Sydney to Stockton and back with 5 adults in a day and no one complained about being cramped and all expressed surprise at the comfort. I would therefore think kids would be fine in the same space though rear leg room does vary so look around if that's important (it was too me and the Ranger was at the better end of the scale).

    The biggest con for me is it's a big vehicle. Tight shopping centres can be a bit of a pain but as long as you're a reasonable driver not a real issue. You can't squeeze through the same gaps on the road and it's heavy compared to a car and so uses more fuel and diesel isn't as cheap as it was.

    Rear being open is also a potential con. Soft tonneaus offer no security, hard ones negatively impact the size of what can be carried without removing them. Roller shutters take up the already limited tray length of a dual cab and I'm yet to see a canopy that I couldn't open in under 30 seconds so keep all that in mind if storage is an issue.

    IMO, if you don't need open storage, an enclosed 4WD like the Prado or Pajero is a better option and then just hire a trailer the few times a year that you need one.

    Personally, now that I don't have the time to go camping etc I'll be going back to a car once the lease is up next year.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join