Which Vehicle for South America ?

[pascu]

Hi,

We're a family of 4 with with 2 kids aged 13 and 11.

We are planning a trip to south america. The idea is to start in march in Argentina and finish in august in Colombia.

We currently have a land rover defender 110 with a RTT (iKamper) which works very well in hot countries. Actually, we are wondering if it is suitable for this trip. Would a van (e.g. vw t3 or mitsubishi l300) be more suitable? Particulary in Argentina/Chile were it is supposed be cold and windly.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance for your advice

Pascu

 

[willb123]

For that route (Argentina → Colombia) with 2 kids, I’d decide based on **living comfort in cold/wind** vs **off-road capability**.

Your Defender 110 + RTT can absolutely do it, but Patagonia wind + family of 4 in an RTT gets old fast.

A practical way to think about it:
- Keep Defender if your priority is rough-road capability and simplicity
- Move to van/camper body if your priority is weather protection + family comfort for long nights
- Try to keep total height/weight controlled for ferries, city access, and mountain roads

If budget allows, many families end up happiest with an insulated expedition-style setup (hard-sided living space + 4x4 base) because it balances comfort and capability.

This is one useful reference on expedition layouts and tradeoffs: 27North | Expedition Vehicle Manufacturer | Van & Trucks | Missouri