Drive a Wrangler Sahara to Chile...

mauricio_28

Adventurer
Thanks for your valuable input, especially the one about buying a diesel in Chile. I checked out the Jeep Chile website immediately, and sure enough they offer a torquey diesel engine, very similar in specs (297 ft.lbs. at 2,000 rpm underfoot) to the Nissan TDi engine on the Navara that I've got on order here in Indonesia. Regrettably, the diesel engine JK is sold with automatic transmission only, and I don't like to drive automatic. I like to drive, not be driven. That, I am afraid, is a deal breaker for me.

That led me to start looking for other diesel engine vehicles elsewhere in Latin America. A TDi Toyota HiLux or Nissan Pathfinder, for sale in my native Guatemala, might also do the trick.

The trans-continental trip would start January 2009, at least to Panama. Time and other committments allowing, I'd continue on to South America. I'd be going at it alone or with, at most, one other person. The dream destinations are highland Bolivia and Chile. Which brings me to a question: Which type of engine (diesel or gas/petrol) is more efficient at high altitude?
 

iExploreRubicon

New member
i dont know much about traveling into and through, different countries, but i have heard it can be a "scary" experiance. i do know that most people who buy 4x4 xterras, bassically buy the base model anyway. no extra thrills, no extra bills. i think the 4.0 in the xterra is much better suited power-to-weight-ratio, than the 3.8 in the 4door jk. and would def. be better for you on-road parts of the trip. ..... now that being said, i am a jeep man, and i think the experiance with the jeep would be more-so than with the xterra. driving in central america lowlands, top down crusing. but thats my opinion as a jeep owner. so onroad comfort, better power, probably better mpg. or soft top. thats what it would come down to for me.
 

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