Tim replied:

I have heard a few reports that the 3L Diesel has a habbit of blowing its turbo, therefore I would look at the 4.2L.

johnsy replied:

luke are you going new or preloved ? Iv'e got the GU 4.2 turbo and I love it for it"s ability to pull from 600 rpm in sand and the bags of tourque down low.As a tourer on the dirt it rides flat ,stable and is neutral regardless of trailer .If buying new make sure they do something about the tyers look through this forum and www.overlander.com.au to make a decision .Another point is servicing costs the 4.2 has two oil filters and I change the air cleaner every 10,000 k's so if you stay genuine factor in those costs . And the only extras I put on mine was genuine snorkel towbar bullbar and light force lights .Thats my two bobs worth !

tim replied:

Luke, i am on my second 3.0 l patrol, please consider the following,
1 3litre is approx $5000 cheaper to purchase.

2 4.2 l has signifigantly lower resale at trade in time. refer glasses guide or red book for confirmation.

33 litre has approx 15klm higher top speed ie 145k/160k suggests 3l is better on highway under any conditions.

4 4.2l has better pulling power low down as per previous reply,but 3l still performs better than many rivals its just that the 4,2 is better again down low.its a question of what you really expect your vehicle to do for you.

5 some 3l are suffering overheating probs resulting in buckled head,note head cannot be machined it is a throwaway item cost several thousand dollars.ok if covered by warrenty but otherwise ????

shane replied:

the 3.0 L has a problem with pulley bearings when driven through mud so sand may also be a problem.
the 4.2 L has a better tolerance to dirty fuel that you are more likely to come across in the outback.
the 4.2 L has better low down torque for slow going over rough terrain and can be vastly improved by fitting a bigger exhaust.
the 4.2 L should last a lot longer as well.
shane

Andrew O replied:

Luke, I personally drive a 3.0 Patrol, which I've had for eighteen months. The car has never let me down, but I drive around mud not through it! (less cleaning that way too). The car is used pretty much as a family tourer through various regions - beach, desert, forests. We tend not to do anything extreme. I drive the manual, and the only real problem is the sensitive throttle in low gears, and that the engine revs at 3000rpm when doing 110kph. Both of these are overcome in the automatic, however I preferred the engine braking capability of the manual. Cheers. Andrew

troy replied:

Luke,

Check out the torque curves on both motors - this will show you in a pic what these above posts are talking about.

The 4.2 pulls across a wide part of the rev range. basically anywhere.

The 3.0lt has a more "peaky" torque curve, meaning if you are not in that narrow range, there is reduced torque.

The 3.0lt has an alloy head, the 4.2 a cast iron.

A mate has the 3.0lt and I have the 4.2 NON turbo, and i have better torque down low. A few thousand revs and slipping the clutch gets to the torque in the 3.0lt.

In short - if u want a race car, get the 3.0

If u want a fourby, go the 4.2.

tw