Offroad-Express

on a daily basis what are they like on petrol being a small v6 is it comparable to a 2 litre 4cyl, looking at buying one so just want to know anything to look for really. thanks

i have one and i use it as a daily driver and occasionaly 4x4ing, some people say they use heaps of gas but i use less the one tank a week easy and i drive along way everyday, mines has been really good, except on on the 2nd motor

Not doing the Blenheim move any more?

my v6 3dr has been really good. its good on gas and i only use it for local commuting and very occasional off roading down the local river. im looking at selling it though, if you are interested? only because i want to do more off roading and im on a very limited budget, so i want a cheaper escudo and use the remaining money for mods.
the only problem i had with it is when i washed it and water blasted the engine. i managed to get water, well more like moisture, around the plug caps/coil packs and it developed a mis-fire. easily sorted though.

I went from a 1600 3dr vitara to a v6 5dr and didnt really notice a difference in fuel costs for the same use, i was told before a got one that they were hungry but mines been good - its a manual though so maybe the autos are hungry ?

Mine gets used offroad and goes good, its a little high geared but once in low range its fine.

Mat

Hey guys,

What sort of economy are we talking here?

My GF and i are young and not earning the most and have also just purchased a house so economy is now a bigger consideration than it ever has been;-( But it is time to change vehicles and I am interested mainly in the 1600 4cyl versions (SWB) but could possibly stretch to a V6 one if the price was right;-)

Any indications on how much the tanks cost to fill (or how many L they hold) on the 1600 and on the v6 ones? and also any idea how far you would get from that tank for mainly open road driving with a bit of town mixed in?

Sorry about such a petty question but i need all the ammo i can get if i am to convince the mrs that we NEED a 4x4

Hi. I filled up mine from empty a few weeks ago (what ever the gas prices were then) and it cost me $81. Think it has a 45 Litre tank. Mines a 1600 16v. Last trip I did (all open road driving at 100km) I got 300km to half a tank! Which I thought was really good.
Hope this helps

Tom.

i sold my v6 auto 3 door about 2 weeks ago and bought a 5 door 1600 16 valve a week ago. i reckon at least 150kms more a tank. i think the tanks are about the same but either way the v6 uses more (mine was auto though, cant say about manuals)
the 1600 isnt far behind in terms of power either, the v6 does have a bit more torque.
but......
parts are a lot more expensive for the v6.
16 inch wheels on the v6 give less tyre choice.
pain in the ar5e to convert to 15 inch wheels cuz the brakes are bigger........
sorry but they were my reasons to get the v6 sold and buy a 1600 16v.
il probably take a battering from the v6 owners but thats just my opinion, others may beg to differ!!!
weemsy

Hi, got a 2.0l 4 cyl 3door same as the v6 model. Cost about $95 to fill from dead empty (about 50l tank). Getting about 600km on road tyres and 450km on bigger mud tyres towing quad on a trailer. Found if you sit on 100km can be economical but sitting on 110-115km changes that. As for 16inch mud tyres for these there isnt a big range .You can get a 225/75/16 with no mods.

hi bigbear.
i kept a look out for a 4 cyl 2 litre, but only found one for sale within my 'willing to travel distance'. it was rough though so left it alone. (rougher than the one i bought, so it was BAD )
there is probably a big difference though in the 4 cyl and v6??
yours seems to get much better gas mileage than my old v6, i considered buying shares in shell
weemsy

Bigbear and myself work together. I have v6 he has 4 cylinder. Both 2L. Not much difference in them. Same running gear and problems with wheels / suspension etc. From what we have seen there is not much difference in Fuel ecconomy either. Depends what sort of driving and how you drive it. The 4 cylinders are the slightly later model and generally probably a nicer vehicle if you get a good one. But mine was 1/2 the price to buy. I paid under $3000 for a 1996.

Awesome thanks for that guys;-)

I have my heart set on a manual but if i am to use the "combined account" for the purchase it may have to be an auto to keep her happy;-)

A mate of mine has a LWB manual 2L v6 that he consistently gets 250-280kms out of a full tank but he and I both realise that he drives like an absolute bloody maniac So that doesn't really give me any idea lol

Even with the thrashing he gives it it has been quite reliable although the rear diff, transfer case, gearbox have all given up the ghost at some stage or another (yeah i know some people might not call that reliable but my last car i went through 7 diffs, multiple clutches and a couple of boxes... all relative to how they are treated i suppose )which he had replaced "professionally" at an exorbitant cost... but we did camchain and tensioners etc a while ago and they were f'ing expensive... over three hundred bloody dollars lol still better than the $1275 the garage quoted to do what we did in 2 and a half hours... amazing how they can quote for 8 hours labour when it doesn't take that long aye??!!

hi passtime, how are you? good to catch up again.
i just thought the v6 was far too heavy on gas than i was willing to keep shelling out for, for a really light-weight vehicle a v6 should have no trouble pulling it along and be easy on the gas but it wasnt.
my 1600 is much better and still seems to whistle along much the same.
weemsy

Pretty sure that there would be a big difference between Auto and Manual and Also 3 door to 5 door. We have a 5 door And 3 door and they are like chalk and cheese. I think the 5dr feels like a bus to drive compared to the 3dr as a sportscar. 5dr also heavier so that will chew more petrol. getting about 450km in 5 door and about 500 I think in 3 door (30 inch bigger tyres on 3dr). Both manuals

yeah, i think there must be. my 3 door only had 205/70/16 ht's on and i didnt get anywhere near that.
i have found the 5 door a softer ride. but got bigger springs now so will see.........

i managed to fit 15s on my v6 with a bit of help from my friend mr angle grinder

Fuel tank in earlier 3-doors is only 36 litre!! Once you have as many dings in the bottom of it as I have it's probably only 30. I always carry 20L jerrycan in the back when I go away. On 32" tyres it uses gas like a V8, but unless you're doing big kms the difference cost per week is less than you might think.

For V6 cam-chains and tensioners/idlers, we usually allow $1,600, and that's our trade cost! About 6 hours labour for the full job, and that's a guy that's done many dozens of them.

Personally I think the 4cyl 2L (J20 engine) is the Rolls-Royce of all scud motors. Good torque and much better reliability than the V6, for a start the heads are stronger and the cam chains don't slog out the same. Only trouble is, they're like hen's teeth and incredibly expensive compared to the other 'zuk engines.

'Cause I've got family it looks like I'm going to have to ditch the 3Dr project I have and go for a 5-door, which means 2L V6 because of the longer bonnet (more room for the re-power!)

lneil wrote:
'Cause I've got family it looks like I'm going to have to ditch the 3Dr project I have and go for a 5-door, which means 2L V6 because of the longer bonnet (more room for the re-power!)

I like your way of thinking!!
Before I bought my truck I was looking around at all sorts of suzukis and never came across a 4cyl 2L, infact never knew they existed until found out from ORE.

Tom.

lneil wrote:
'Cause I've got family it looks like I'm going to have to ditch the 3Dr project I have and go for a 5-door, which means 2L V6 because of the longer bonnet (more room for the re-power!)

i might be reading it wrong, but why would it have a longer bonnet because of the V6? wouldn't a V6 be shorter than the four cylinder...

Hi there there is no difference in v6 and the 4 cyl body . 4cyl just gives you more space around the motor. Yeah i paid about $7500 for my 97 of a dealer but they ended up doing a clutch/pressure plate on it for me week later for free.Only had 68000 on the clock an in very very tidy condition. I thought it was top dollar then you see what people are willing to pay for a 1990 1600 on trade me with about two hundred thousand on the clock and paying $4500 and so on.

The engine-bay on the 2.0L escudo / Vitara range is slightly longer than the 1600 models (only by about an inch or so) but that is why very few of the V6's find their way into the 1600 shells. Those that have required ditching the air-con or slightly modifying the radiator area.

the 2.0L 4cyl is in the same shell as the 2.0L V6, not the 1600 shell.

and Bigbear, $7,500 for a 1997 2.0 4cyl is a good price, you'll never regret it. If I had the coin that's exactly what I'd get for myself.

Lucky beggar!!

Hey Ineil,

Sorry mate wasn't trying to start a debate or trying to offend you;-)
Maybe we got an extra good deal (it was off TM but was all brand new in packet - don't remember what brand though?) and cost $362 or $364 for the kit... had the chain, a couple of pulley things (idlers?) and a lever with a spring thing on it (tensioner?) and it said on the label that it was the whole "kit" so assumed it was... seemed like the chain and all associated bits were new when we were finished;-)

I'm assuming that was the whole thing and wasn't just part of the job when i made my comment... but those things (the kit) that i mentioned were replaced my my mate and i in well under 3 hours from parking in the shed to driving out of the shed (ok, ok so that means just under 6 hours becasue i should have doubled the time for 2 people) but he was just standing and watching most of the time;-)

As i say, not trying to offend anyone so if what we replaced only sounds like half the job then i will shut up hehehe

Ike

Hell Ike,

I wouldn't take offence at anything another 'Zuk driver said. Unless, of course, it was along the lines of some other brand of vehicle being superior, LOL.

If you got the full job done for that, good on you, and I wish I had half your luck!