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Vehicle Tests > 4WD Comparison: Mid-sized diesel wagons
4WD Comparison: Mid-sized diesel wagons
Available in three spec levels and with the option of a six-speed manual in the two lower spec levels, the turbo-diesel Pathfinder's prices range from $45,990 for the manual ST to $60,490 for the luxuriously equipped auto-only Ti.
Sum Up
You can mount an argument to buy anyone of these three vehicles: the Nissan for its space, seating, and on-road dynamics, the Kia for its all-round value, and the Jeep for its performance.
But against the Nissan is its price, its mediocre off-road ability, the ordinary performance and poor economy of its turbo diesel engine, the fact that the diesel isn't all that happy with the auto 'box.
Provided you don't want the extra space and seating of the Pathfinder, the Kia and the Jeep offer better value for money, especially so the Kia. What lets the Korean down is its lacklustre on-road dynamics. If you are a 'driver' then you need to send your Sorento off to the suspension hospital for transplant or two. New dampers would help but it probably needs both springs and dampers. Otherwise it does everything well.
No such need for any urgent surgery with the Cherokee. In turbo-diesel guise it's a far more compelling vehicle than its V6 petrol counterpart even given the annoying pedal positioning and the lack of off-road ground clearance.
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Either way, it's a close call between Sorento but for us the Cherokee has its nose in front.
Petrol or diesel?
Last month we looked at the petrol variants of these three diesels. Here's a quick run down of how these three diesels compare to their petrol counterparts:
Kia Sorento: The turbo-diesel Sorento comes at a $3000 premium over the petrol V6 when comparing automatic with automatic. But in base spec, where the diesel comes as a manual, there's only a $1000 price difference. Countering this price difference, the petrol V6 will use around 20 to 25 percent more fuel in real world conditions and works harder in the process, as it can't match the low rpm torque of the diesel. Still, the petrol isn't a bad vehicle so the call is close although we would still opt for the diesel.
Jeep Cherokee: Despite the $4000 price premium of the diesel over the petrol, this is an easy call and it's diesel all the way. Put this down to the fact that the diesel engine is a modern design and it's mated to a five-speed auto while the 3.7-litre petrol V6 is an old design further hamstrung by an clunky four-speed auto. You can count on the petrol Cherokee using some 30 percent more fuel than the diesel and being down on real-world performance.
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Sum Up
You can mount an argument to buy anyone of these three vehicles: the Nissan for its space, seating, and on-road dynamics, the Kia for its all-round value, and the Jeep for its performance.
But against the Nissan is its price, its mediocre off-road ability, the ordinary performance and poor economy of its turbo diesel engine, the fact that the diesel isn't all that happy with the auto 'box.
Provided you don't want the extra space and seating of the Pathfinder, the Kia and the Jeep offer better value for money, especially so the Kia. What lets the Korean down is its lacklustre on-road dynamics. If you are a 'driver' then you need to send your Sorento off to the suspension hospital for transplant or two. New dampers would help but it probably needs both springs and dampers. Otherwise it does everything well.
No such need for any urgent surgery with the Cherokee. In turbo-diesel guise it's a far more compelling vehicle than its V6 petrol counterpart even given the annoying pedal positioning and the lack of off-road ground clearance.
read on below advertisement
Either way, it's a close call between Sorento but for us the Cherokee has its nose in front.
Petrol or diesel?
Last month we looked at the petrol variants of these three diesels. Here's a quick run down of how these three diesels compare to their petrol counterparts:
Kia Sorento: The turbo-diesel Sorento comes at a $3000 premium over the petrol V6 when comparing automatic with automatic. But in base spec, where the diesel comes as a manual, there's only a $1000 price difference. Countering this price difference, the petrol V6 will use around 20 to 25 percent more fuel in real world conditions and works harder in the process, as it can't match the low rpm torque of the diesel. Still, the petrol isn't a bad vehicle so the call is close although we would still opt for the diesel.
Jeep Cherokee: Despite the $4000 price premium of the diesel over the petrol, this is an easy call and it's diesel all the way. Put this down to the fact that the diesel engine is a modern design and it's mated to a five-speed auto while the 3.7-litre petrol V6 is an old design further hamstrung by an clunky four-speed auto. You can count on the petrol Cherokee using some 30 percent more fuel than the diesel and being down on real-world performance.
next page »
