Rule, I normally agree with most of what you say but this time I would have to ask if you have ever actually worked on a Perentie. While they look the part they are as far as design and construction goes a giant heap of shit. Terrible build quality, horrific electrical wiring, very difficult to work on, crap layout, noisy and uncomfortable to drive, gutless, piss weak drive line components, difficult to maintain and no diff-locks. The only reason that they ran as long as they did was due to constant maintenance and parts replacement. The only good part about them is the huge tray on the six wheel drive models and the hand brake which is the best of any 4WD.

Compared to the 70 Series V8 Landcruisers, the Land Rover product and Army Perentie's are a joke. The build quality, electrical system, driveline strength, engine power, driveability and reliabilty are streets ahead of the LR product. Don't get me wrong, I love old Land Rovers for their looks and nostalgia but compared to a Land Cruiser they are complete shit. The 70 Series have their faults as well, mainly the handbrake (which can easily be fixed by a Marks Adaptors transmission brake) but on the whole the difference is chalk and cheese.

As for the G-Wagon, the current models are some of the worst vehicles for serious off-road work that MB have ever made, with so many problems of unreliability coupled with an air filter system that is so poor that filters are only good for 1500 KM's of bush work. Engines are needing to be rebuilt at 20000 km, very poor engine braking especially in reverse as they only have an auto transmission with no manual option, Diff-locks that disengage when the ignition is turned off and engines that go into limp home mode if they smell any smoke. Life threatening if you are fire-fighting or in a combat situation. They are nothing like a Uni-Mog which is a superb vehicle with exceptional reliability and driveabilty. You only need to speak to the people have been forced to use them and hear the horror stories. All of that coupled to a dealer network that only has outlets in the major cities, no ability to get them serviced or repaired in the country let alone the bush unlike Toyota which have dealers in every larger country town and most medium and even many small towns. Whoever signed of on those Army and government contracts either knew nothing about 4WD vehicle requirements or how they are used, or was paid very handsomely by MB for signing.

Nothing personal against you, however I work on four wheel drives every day and the worst vehicles by far after a Jeep are Land Rover defenders. Having said that the Defender is a shit load better than any Jeep.

The best by far are Toyota and Nissan.

Matt.