Seven-seater in a few months

[D0nQuixote]

Hiya... I have had a Touareg for over two years now, which I bought brand new and only has 17,000 KM on it. Both me and my wife (who in all respects owns the car as I live across the road from my work) absolutely love the car and would gladly swap it for the new model come 2010. However we are expecting baby number 2 in February, which means we'll need something which does not clog up in the back with two child seats. Moreover, the warranty on the Touareg will end in August, 2010 but that is not a serious concern. We have decided to switch to something bulky and made for the native GCC weather! The Touareg has held up well except the fact that the side view mirror controls have started acting up, a ramification of the mild UAE weather no doubt and a rubber rod has come off the door. These minor bugs will be fixed in the next service but for now, we are thinking of switching to something Japanese, on whose body the scratches don't sting as much and something that can LAST! If I buy it used, I would look for distressed sales with little or no mileage. So, what would be a good vehicle for a family with two kids, the occasional road trip, comfortable in the city and on the freeway and finally not a mountain to park (The Touareg handles like a hatchback in tight spots). The cars in this category seem to be:
1- Nissan Pathfinder
2- Pajero
3- Land cruiser
4- Accadia [Not too keen on something from the US...]

Now what say thee? I would appreciate your suggestions and any pros and cons that you can think of, off the top of your head. If you have any other vehicles in mind, do tell me however I would prefer something that is a common sight on the Abu Dhabi/Dubai roads.
Cheers~
D0n

[T.N.T]

Patrol, Land Cruiser and Pajero.

[ewap8]

Avoid Pajero as it doesn't handle anywhere as good at the Touareg, so a shift from Touareg to Pajero would be awful.

Patrol and Toyota LC sound like the best bets. And of course, if you have money to burn, you can always consider the Lexus LX560.

[azi malik]

pajero

[D0nQuixote]

Hmmm I was expecting more detailed responses but I guess it's very quiet in Ramadan. Thanks for your responses... what do you guys think of the Pathfinder?
Thanks~

[root]

The current Pathfinder is NOT a hit in the UAE. The old one was really popular among both city guys as well as offroaders, but this one for some reason lost the pathfinder touch.

Given your situation...hey you can easily fit 2 kids in the Touareg, and its a safe car as well. My first inclination would be to keep it, as you'll lose a bit when selling it, and that'd be a shame.

But in case you really do want to change, and you really wanna gel in with the norms of the SUVers in UAE, then it is a TOYOTA that you need. The new Prado has good reviews (but kinda expensive for a Prado). The Land Cruiser is a good buy, and Al-Futtaim had some deal on the V6 one this summer (called 'Sports' model - a local Al-Futtaim sub-model).

The new Patrol is also quite interesting. It's got everything a Range Rover has - only thing am not sure is that if its got the Patrol in it still or not. The jury does not have a verdict on this yet. Strangely enough I've not seen that many on the roads - I was expecting more. (I guess its the recession, and I need to hang out in Abu Dhabi more).
Its definitely a lot more VFM (value for money) with a huge engine, all the luxuries and cheaper than the Toyota LC.

Whats your budget like? If you want a bigger SUV, and have money to spare, the BMW X5 is a nice one. The Audi Q7 is also bigger (one extra row), and will make you feel like driving a Touareg (or better).

Now, to confuse you more - the greatest VFM on the market these days is the new Pajero! Its got everything you need for a great deal, warranty, insurance...you name it!
Problem here is that the Pajero is not the best ride - its a tough vehicle, will be good offroading, but as someone above said will not be easy to adjust to after driving a Touareg for 2 years (try hiring a Mitsu Lancer for a month, and then go for Pajero ).

[kapil]

Root, I have been away for a while and you have taken my spot on teh Pajero!!!

BTW, you are bangon with your explaination....

Don, in my 2 bits:

1st and preferable option.... keep teh Touareg has teh boot and can fit two car seats in teh middle row with one reasonable size adult in middle!

2nd if u have teh budget then Q7 might be a good option with teh third row...

3rd, get teh Pajero Full option. It IS the best deal and holds teh value really well when compared to competition... but its noisy (comperitively) and stiffer suspension but drive it fast over bumps and potholes or gravel and nothing comes close... It also has teh most confidence inspiring cornering ability when talking about teh 4 options you put forth

4th the new prado, i feel, has quite a bit higher center of gravity.... thats what i felt. I was never a fan of teh old Prado only because of its handling on road especially during corners. teh same with teh new LC and Patrol.

But I was just repeating what root said!

sorry it became 4 bits!

all the best

[D0nQuixote]

Thanks root and kapil for those informative answers, much appreciated. I think after listening to you guys, I will stick to the Touareg as it'll just be me, the lovely wife and two naughty babies in the car most of the year. I was apprehensive about the warranty running out next year as European cars become very expensive to maintain once the warranty has expired. However, I think by the time the warranty does run out, the car will most likely have circa 25,000 kilometers on it [in three years driving time]. That is very low mileage and I know that the car is in excellent shape as it has never been handled roughly. I would rather not compromise on the feel of the car and the Pajero does sound like a steam engine when compared to the Touareg. We did not like the Q7 because I think it has hardly any value for money and moreover, its handling is a tad more "bulky" in tight spots than the Touareg. Who knows, I might be buying the 2012 Touareg a couple of years from now! After all, I do not find anything wrong with the car and it drives beautifully.
Next year I am also thinking of getting a little toy for myself... I am a 350Z person through and through who detests the 370Z largely due to the beetle-inspired curves. But I have one rather strange condition for the coupe: I want something with an a/c that freezes my brains! I had an Accord (Sedan) three years back and that's exactly what it did; the Touareg, not so much! If I do find a 350Z with little or no mileage, I will probably keep it for five years and try to balance my attention span between the Z and the family!
Thanks for your answers gentlemen and have a good day.
Cheers.
D0n~

[root]

I guess we're not doing the car industry in UAE any favours with our advices

The Touareg should not give you trouble for another 125k kms if you take care of it.

[azi malik]

i would still go for pajero...

[sampharo]

Touareg is quite a reliable car for being a continental vehicle, you shouldn't worry about it going crazy. You would worry however if you were going towards the Q7, as THAT can be a real money pit. So yes in general, it wouldn't be a bad idea at all to keep the Touareg and get the best out of its good years. You will lose bundles in the depreciation anyway if you sell right now.

If for some reason you will still need to switch to a Japanese 7 seater (maybe baby 3 popped in! ) then let us first take out that strange thought of Acadia from the equation: The quality and reliability scale is on the rocks, you will get nothing but regret as it will spend more time at the mechanic than on the road, so has reported most of the GMC suv crowd in Dubai. Additionally, American cars are the worst value in the World right now, as there is too much "legacy" costs attached to the cars (big American US corp costs of execs, ballooning inflation, crazy severance packages, etc.), only 70% of your money actually gets to be spent on an actual car production.

With that out of the way, you should consider Toyota Land Cruiser first, followed (in the distance) by Pajero, and then the Pathfinder. The driving qualities, robustness, and versatility of the Land Cruiser is just unmatched. They are made to really conquer the sands and because of their popularity you will have no problems in finding a great used one, maintain it, and then sell it off for the lowest depreciation there is.

Pajero lacks driving enjoyment and feels close to being a truck honestly, which is outright the feeling of the pathfinder, and you will not be enjoying the drive at all. I would suggest considering the Toyota Fortuner over the pathfinder honestly, as it has the seven seats yet rides much better. You could also consider the Patrol as suggested or the Infinity line even.

[D0nQuixote]

Thanks, Sampharo for another very informative answer. You are right about getting the best out of the VW while it still has the feet to sprint. I took it for the two-year service last week and guess what? Extending the warranty for one year after it expires costs just AED 1,800! That is nothing for a whole year of free warranty-related jobs.
Once again, thanks.
Cheers.