4x4's Is yours any good

[Olz]

Where I live has been hit by bad snow and ice twice a year for the last three years now, right on the side of a large hill, and my street is another hill so we pretty much loose either way. So, coupled with the need to have a car with a large boot for the dogs, and the fact that the the missus has got into horse riding and I go diving and am getting into shooting we end up at sites that are down muddy tracks (not dogging honest). And we have two dogs to transport about.

So it seems sensible to change one of the cars for a 4wd.

Im looking for feedback on different makes, models and how they perform off road, and in the snow and ice, and what the reliability and running costs are like from people who actually have and use them not from some marketing blurb.

Looking at 4wd estates, 4x4's and 4wd pickups with full cabs not open backed.

 

[enduro]

Got a Mitsubishi l200 double cab, really good, very practical...But it's in the bloody garage waiting for a leaf spring so it passes the mot...and we have 10 inches of snow here...Wife not happy!!! Bit juicy on the fuel 22-25 mpg, but they are all the same, not very good for a tilers vehicle as they are high at the back so it makes it hard to get things in and out.

 

[Olz]

How many miles do you get to a tank of diesel mate, and how much to fill it up?

 

[Dan]

Any 4 wheel drive will handle the snow much better than rear or front, like 5 times better not just twice as good. It's worth noting that if you get a huge 4x4 that's heavy they're not brilliant when it comes to snow on hills, they can still struggle to get up and you can hardly even engine brake down a steep hill without doing a 4 wheel skid due to their weight. Though in mud they rock. :lol:

A lighter 4x4 with thin nobbly winter tyres on them will get you up and down your hill better when it's covered in snow as thin tyres cut through the snow to the (I nearly said substrate then! :lol tarmac!!! (tickled me that has) so you get good grip, but that's not the setup for mud. Soooooooooooo my advice probably hasn't helped you choose there but maybe just given you something to think about.

 

[Olz]

I've thought about one of the estates from subaru but what puts me off is the lower ground clearance.

 

[Dan]

What about a forester then?

 

[Olz]

ooooh, good call mate.

Been thinking about a freelander or an L200 mainly so far.

 

[Dan]

Both brilliant vehicles mate those are. Forester has good ground clearance but not as good as those. You'd probably get more MPG from the 4x4's compared to the forester too to be fair. Foresters are nice solid cars though with plenty of boot space that's low enough to handle tiles well etc.

 

[DHTiling]

What about a 4x4 ford transit, then more gear and ideal for tiling jobs..

[video=youtube;vCRI1kV90_A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCRI1kV90_A[/video]

 

[Deleted member 9966]

subaru have put a nice diesel boxer engine in their newer forresters. I always wondered why subaru never made it in a diesel as it would make it a tremendous 4x4 vehicle

 

[Olz]

subaru have put a nice diesel boxer engine in their newer forresters. I always wondered why subaru never made it in a diesel as it would make it a tremendous 4x4 vehicle

Just had a quick look on autotrader but they seem about 8k over our price range, only looking about 10k, been looking around the 2006 plate, but they didnt do the forrester in a diesel that far back.

 

[Deleted member 9966]

Just had a quick look on autotrader but they seem about 8k over our price range, only looking about 10k, been looking around the 2006 plate, but they didnt do the forrester in a diesel that far back.

I know. such a shame. subaru would have made a mint by now if they had

 

[BoldreChris]

I run a Landrover Discovery II commercial as my van (in white, of course !). It's big enough (just), very comfortable and great in the snow. Reliability has been fine - just one problem in 18 months so far - and I get about 26 mpg knocking about locally.

Nice flat load bay though the rear door is very big and heavy. Bought it on ebay last year.

Good alarm system and the self-levelling rear suspension means I can carry heavy loads safely without compromising the steering (big problem with estate cars and 20 bags of addy !). It's fairly battered so I'm not too precious about it and so long as I keep away from LR dealers, servicing is not too expensive. £299 for a full service including lubing all the 4x4 gear, an MOT and a few bits and bobs.

Easy to add a few hp to the engine too, if you feel the need.

Recommended!

 

[Lenny]

'99' T Jeep Cherokee Limited.......loves mine I does!!!

 

[Lenny]

What about a 4x4 ford transit, then more gear and ideal for tiling jobs..

[video=youtube;vCRI1kV90_A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCRI1kV90_A[/video]

Thats mint!!!