Choosing my next vehicle

[Timmeh]

The story is that I needed to upgrade my vehicle so that I can tow my Escorts such as my rally car to, and hopefully from, events.

I am looking for these things in my next vehicle:

* Ability to tow 1500kgs when required - note that this will be once every two months or so, not every weekend.
* Return some sort of fuel economy when not towing, no greater than 11L/100km around town.
* Be comfortable inside, able to take my girlfriend out to dinner in. As in, not a hose-out agricultural interior found in old Landcruisers. As whatever vehicle I buy will come with a fuel card, I plan to make the most of it, so want to make any trips we go in this vehicle.
* Has to be able to sit on the highway comfortably and consistently.
* Not be a Falcon, every single Falcon I have owned has been a nightmare and never again. I know most of you own Falcons and love them, but I could never trust one again as far as I could throw it, and they are heavy, and I am not a massive person. Some of you know my BA XR6 story, 4 months in Fords workshops, etc, never again.
* Cost no less than 20 grand (coz I am leasing it pre-tax) and upper limit of 25k-ish.
* Does not have to have a Ford badge on it, but I am not sure I could ever own a Kia etc.

Leading my vehicle choice is the:

Ford Escape XLT V6

I know, it's a Ford, but it really does seem to be the best thing for my needs. It can tow, it returns good fuel economy when I am not towing. It's got a plush velour interior, it comes with cruise, 6 stacker CD, power everything, ABS, EBD, traction control, alloy wheels (which I won't be replacing this time, very very few mods, if any, will be happening to this), fog lights, painted bumpers (as opposed to the base model XLS that is). It's comfortable to drive, and I could happily take my girlfriend out in it to dinner. I can also secure a 2002 model XLT V6 with roughly 50 odd thousand kms on it for low 20s. The V6 puts out 155kw as opposed to the Escape four cylinder at just over 100kw.

Other choices:

Mazda Tribute

The blood brother of the Escape, this vehicle is so ugly, it makes kids cry. My girlfriend doesn't like it, I don't like it, it costs about the same as an Escape, so why choose Dame Edna Everage over Nicole Kidman.

Nissan X-Trail

Rather embarassing looking, and with only a 2.5L four cylinder to boot, this little Nissan can be found reasonably priced, and with a 2000kg tow pack, it supposedly can tow. I'm not convinced I could handle driving something that is surely popular with shaved headed lesbian women though (no offence to lesbians who enjoy shaving their heads).

Honda CR-V

I like Hondas. Our family Honda Accord V6 is a beautiful thing. The problem is, the V6 is a luxury not afforded by the light Honda 4WD. In fact, the VTEC 4 cylinder only puts out slightly more power than the Ford Escape four cylinder, which would make towing a nightmare. My Focus had that sort of power, in a chassis that weighed less.

Ford Territory

My favourite Ford wagon, the Territory does have close links with the Falcon, including my most unfavourite part of any Falcon, the 4L 6 cylinder fuel guzzler. However, price alone will leave me out of the Territory game, and its fuel economy is even worse than a Falcon.

Subaru Forester

What better way to tow a rally car than with another car made by a well known rally marque. The problem is, Subarus seem to hold their value so well, that I'd be looking at a 1999 Forester GT with around 80,000kms on it for the money I want to spend. They don't come with a wealth of goodies (compared to the Escape for example), and being a turbo 4 cylinder, they aren't all that cheap to insure. Nice cars though, but the styling is a bit like it or hate it.

Nissan Pathfinder Turbo Diesel

I am very impressed by this. Despite looking like a set of wooden blocks assembled by Picasso, it's a strong reliable package. Turbo diesel means cheap to run, but again, these are as pricey as a Territory, which leaves me a little high and dry.

Toyota Kluger

I love Toyotas reliability, I hate Toyotas driving dynamics of a kitchen appliance (well the ones I have had to drive in the past anyway). The Kluger sounds like a German WW2 weapon, but looks like the visual equivelant of the name John Smith. They hold their value remarkably well, meaning it will be tough to impossible to find one for the sort of money I want to spend.

These cars fall into the "would be suitable but I'd be too embarassed to admit to owning it" category:

Kia Sorrento or Sportage V6
Hyundai Terracan
Any Holden really
Probably more that I can't think of right now.

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That's currently where I stand. If anyone can think of a glaring vehicle I have missed that would be suitable for my requirements, please say so and I'll look into it. As it stands, I'm pretty impressed with the Escape XLT V6 and it's leading my list.



Opinions / comments / advice?

Timmeh