Towable SUV Upgrade from Kia Sorrento MY14

grang on 31/08/2020 - 08:49
Last edited 02/09/2020 - 17:35

[Update, so Kia just released the 2021 Sorrento (and the Hyundai 2021 Santa Fe) which upgrades the crappy 100kg down weight to 200kg! So I am back at probably getting another Sorrento with all the safety gear!] Big change is also the gearbox is now dual clutch… better fuel, but not good for reversing a heavy load up a steep hill…

Need to upgrade our Kia Sorrento MY14 Ski 4x4 diesel (nav upgrade).
It's been a workhorse for the family and down weight upgraded rear springs to 150kg (120kg factory). The tech was so much advanced to others

New Kia's only have 100kg down weight

Toyota just seems too expensive (Fortuner/Prado) and not a lot of space.

Pajero NX (GLS) is what I am eyeing. Reliable. Discontinued but almost unbreakable. Lacks the safety features in auto braking and Lane departure I would like (my brother's new Kia Sorrento has this even in the base model). I like the android auto.

Anyway, to tow a 2t /150kg down weight caravan and occasional 6 seat usage what should I look at. Hoping to spend around $45k before trade in and slightly used (10 to 20k kms) my18+

Anything I should look at?
Tesla cyber truck does not go to Gnaraloo and the dirt roads.

Automotive

Comments

  • garethb on 31/08/2020 - 09:28
    +2

    Isuzu MU-X is a great car. Missing the same safety features as the the Pajero you're eyeing but also very reliable and unbreakable.

    • grang on 31/08/2020 - 21:49

      yes. MU=X is a good option. As below the older models did feel/sound quite like the ute foundation it is built on, but I may be a bit sensitive. They certainly perform well.

      The Pajero will not be an ANCAP 5 star if it was retested today.

  • Euphemistic on 31/08/2020 - 10:10
    -1

    Pajero Sport? Friend bought one in similar circumstance, needed more ball weight allowance for his caravan.

  • Presence on 31/08/2020 - 10:12

    Would a dual cab suit? Will tow better than medium duty wagons. Otherwise a Pajero or MUX. I imagine Colorado+7 are going cheap second hand these days.

    • grang on 31/08/2020 - 21:40

      yeah, no colorado even free. Their safety record and design got the value mix wrong imho

  • pegaxs on 31/08/2020 - 10:17
    +5

    Wow, glad you mentioned the (nav upgrade.) That’s important to towing…

    • grang on 31/08/2020 - 21:43

      /sarcasm well earned.
      The biggest value beyond the "nav" and amp is at the time going from a 5" tiny hard to see screen to a much larger 4:3 ratio 7" screen, which actually does make parking and hitching the caravan much easier… I have to reverse the caravan down a battle axe plot and for about 40 m, only have 3-5" either side…. I'd say I use the folding mirrors and reverse camera a lot when parking !

  • redvaldez on 31/08/2020 - 11:19
    +1

    A Pajero is, in a word, agricultural. It actually makes the MU-X look refined. I test drove both back to back with a Pajero Sport, and ended up with the latter as it was by far and large the best of the three. It's a little smaller on the inside though so you wouldn't want to make a habit of having six people in there. Prados are roomy but you pay a premium and the pre-upgrade 2.8l diesel would be woeful to tow with.

    • grang on 31/08/2020 - 21:47
      +1

      ? I found the prado's quite small inside, even with the bigger shell. yeah, and it took a while to get the engine there. The Pajero 3.2l hardly get's worked up and does seem to pair well with the auto transmission.

      The driver does sit a bit close to the driver door (I have more space to the door in the kia — the space saved is realised in the elbow rest between the driver and front passenger.

      MUX does look good. A mate has one. I just find it a bit too ute-like. The same way the Pajero sport is clearly a ute conversion. Maybe I am over-senstiive here as the Pajero sport does have the auto-braking feature / lane departure. [I have come to enjoy them in my parents forrester. Just a little extra peace of mind on the long roads north.

  • grang on 02/09/2020 - 17:35

    updated post above - Kia 2021 just upped the downball weight from the useless 100 to 200kg

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