I, nor the wife who is 5' 10"-ish, ever find the high loading a hassle with our Pajeros, even putting crap on the roof rails is easy thanks to the running boards and the side swingin' tailgate, there is loads of foot space on the rear bumper with treadplate to stand on. They are a bit higher than the X Trail. I much prefer leather to anything else with the dogs, kids and my usually manky clothing. Easy enough to clean, our cars are always leather and the Pajs are half leather with a shiny woven material otherwise that is easy to wipe. I had no idea the X Trail was so well rated until I got chatting to one of my neighbours about her's and she offered me a ride. I have been reading up on it since, and today took her up on it and went for a long drive in the hills with her. I would be cheeky to ask to trial it off road as she never takes it off road, but they have a very complex and clever system to ensure maximum traction. Like most people around here they have a Landy all kitted up for the real serious weather! Nothing beats ground clearance when the shit hits the fan. Even a two wheel drive with decent clearance beats a low slung 4wd.