Hello, my family (myself, wife, and two sons) is about to begin a two year trek across North America. We will be travelling in a Bluebird Wanderlodge motor coach. We will be in need of a means to travel where the bus can't go. We will be doing some light offroad travelling but nothing major. I have definitely decided I want to travel with a Suzuki. Now for the questions.

Are to samurai and sidekick 4 door equally off roadable?

Does an automatic transmission affect offroad performance in a major negative way, as I see most Sidekicks are autos?

Are there any other Suzuki's that would be better options?

I also plan to do a diesel conversion on the vehicle at some point.

Hello, my family (myself, wife, and two sons) is about to begin a two year trek across North America. We will be travelling in a Bluebird Wanderlodge motor coach. We will be in need of a means to travel where the bus can't go. We will be doing some light offroad travelling but nothing major. I have definitely decided I want to travel with a Suzuki. Now for the questions.

Are to samurai and sidekick 4 door equally off roadable?
A bone stock Samurai should go more places than a stock 4 door kick due to it's lighter, weight, more maneuverable and higher clearance.. But not by much. And the Sami will be a tight fit for a family of four if you take gear with you

Does an automatic transmission affect offroad performance in a major negative way, as I see most Sidekicks are autos?
I actually like the Auto better than manual off road. It will not negatively impact your off road ability, just different driving styles.

Are there any other Suzuki's that would be better options?
Depending on cost, you can get more confort out of newer Vitaras but with less clearance and modification options
I also plan to do a diesel conversion on the vehicle at some point.
If you are looking at a Kit do do the conversion the Samurai would be a better bet, they are available for a Sami but not a Kick (that I know of)

Zig

Thank you for your quick response.

I've got a family of 4 and a stock 98 sidekick w/auto. I had an 86 Samurai too.  Go with the Sidekick. Its off road abilities are fine from the factory for a toad.  Good luck!

If you're just using it for offroading, I'd say the sammy,  but really thats a vehicle that BELONGS offroad too.

i think comfort wise the sidekick would be better however.... i learned how to drive a stick on a sami (and a cj-7 but thats besides the point) and its the one i own now, im nostalgic like that but either would provide incredible experiences for the fam, of that i am sure

I've also had both a Sammi, Tracker, and Sidekick. Go with the 1.6 Tracker or Sidekick, especially with 4 persons on board. AC will be useable with the extra HP of the 1.6 too. If you put a 2-1/2" suspension lift and 2" body lift on it you'll be fine everywhere you want to go.

Yes, you CAN swap a VW Diesel into a Tracer/Sidekick!

Check out http://www.acmeadapters.com/store.php

I would DEFINITELY choose a TracKick over a Samurai for a daily driver/mild offroader from a comfort perspective.  I drove my unmodified '02 Tracker 4-door 4x4 from Cottonwood to Prescott, Arizona on unimproved county roads without problems.  It wasn't a rock crawling experience but it was difficult nonetheless.

You may want to carefully research the flat-towing process for any vehicle before you choose.  While the Samurai might be easier to rig for flat towing, no vehicle is going to be a simple "hook it up and drive like crazy" flat-tow process.

All you need to know for the Suzuki/Tracker vehicles can be found in the owner's manual.  They are widely-used for flat-towing behind a motor home.

I hope that this helps!