92.9 Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 I'm quite curious about the 4x4 versions of the Mercedes Sprinter, VW LT35 and Iveco Daily vans. Has anyone on here driven one of them, and if so, how do they compare with a Land Rover for off-road use and for use in difficult on-road conditions? I don't mean off-road as in something that would trouble a Land Rover, but things like muddy tracks, muddy fields, snow-covered roads and maybe sandy conditions. Thanks Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 a few of my rally recovery mates use these types of 4x4 vans, they don't have any problem on muddy tracks/fields or rough forest tracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92.9 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 I kept ending up looking at those types of vans as part of going round in circles trying to justify a Land Rover as being an ideal basis for a camper conversion! They seem to be a better choice for a versatile camper, but of course they aren't a Land Rover, so it's no good really! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 ex- airfield/battlefield Defender 130 makes a good 2 person camper. such as these Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92.9 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 Yes, a 130 is a nice idea. I couldn't bring myself to own an ex-ambulance though (they give me the creeps!) but the other options are good. The nicest one I have seen is that German coachbuilt Defender with the Vario-Mobil body, as mentioned in another thread on here. Something like that would be massively out of my price range though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciderman Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 The Azalia do a nice conversion for Land rovers , http://www.azalai.co.uk/ As for a VW , the only worthy 4x4 is the syncro , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 For the money, Volvo C304/306 are very heard to beat as a true off-road camper - vastly better space for very similar footprint, and more capable off-road than an expedition-laden LR. For rough track / unmade road work I'd imagine a 4x4 van would be a good option if you don't need the outright offroad ability / ground clearance that a "proper" 4x4 brings. The Russians have a lot of 4x4 "Transitskis" - copies of the old style transit. Mind you, they also have "bread vans" (as seen in Long Way Round) which look like an old commer van but are again 4x4 and get absolutely everywhere. Depending on what you're planning, I'd look at whatever the locals do where you want to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92.9 Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 I was looking at those Azalai conversions. Very nice, but expensive! My friend used to have one of those UAZ vans, which was a really fascinating oddity. I know of someone with a C306 so that might be worth a look. I'm mainly thinking of something that could deal with harsh on-road conditions (snow etc) but also the occasional muddy field and track. Something where I would be happy getting snowed in for a couple of days without dying from boredom or the cold. I wouldn't really want anything other than a Land Rover, but the lack of interior space makes some of the alternatives look a bit more practical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinny Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 what about a transit county theres a couple on ebay we had one at work would cross fields etc but thay do hold the price,chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92.9 Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 Yes, they look pretty good too. I remember seeing a thread about 4x4 Sherpa vans on here a while ago too, which must be quite scarce these days. If I absolutely couldn't have a Land Rover for this purpose then I think my next choice would be a Sprinter 4x4. I have been all over western Europe in a Sprinter and they are great for long distance work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy511 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 ive owned and run merc sprinters for a while now, theyre second to none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Tonkin Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 my next choice would be a Sprinter 4x4. I have been all over western Europe in a Sprinter and they are great for long distance work. I find them undergeared for on road work and over geared for off-road. I wouldn't want to do long distance in them. No worse than a defender though.. We have quite a few at work, they are a pain when they go wrong but not as bad as trying to get parts for a transit county. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Train Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 This thread reminds me of when I attended a Land Rover club trial in the early 90's. One chap turned up in a standard 2wd transit van and completed every section, albeit with a bit of extra shunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92.9 Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 Interesting to hear about the gearing and maintentance on the Sprinters. The one I have driven is a two wheel drive 412 with the coach axle (high-geared - low numerically), so that went really well on the autoroutes. It's difficult trying to decide what would be the most practical option. I think at least 95% would be road use, so that rules out a lot of the more dedicated off-road vehicles as it would just be a waste of fuel and a harsh ride. It's just that when the harsh conditions arise (snow and mud etc) that it all becomes worthwhile going for a good 4x4. Night Train, I bet that Transit caused a bit of a stir! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 I had a Sprinter 312 4x4 a few years ago, worked great! snowy roads and dirty tracks etc pulling a trailer, perfect, it even had an electric locking rear diff and selectable traction control ! Absolutely Great vehicle! Got a new 316 2wd now though. Better for 95% of my use but carp on muddy fields etc BUT I do have a Vito 115 4x4 long wheelbase to do those things with! spoiled I know Lara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 It's just that when the harsh conditions arise (snow and mud etc) that it all becomes worthwhile going for a good 4x4. Depends what you're doing with it really and what counts as harsh. As per Night Train's anecdote, with a bit of skill & practice you'll get a "normal" car or van into a lot of places. If you're overlanding rather than off-roading there's a lot to be said for keeping it simple. I recall an article in one of the car mags (top gear or PPC) about a couple of guys who did something stupid like crossed a desert in an old Merc diesel car (which Top Gear went on to recreate with their Botswana special). If I had to have a van, I would buy an Uaz bread van - they're still made like this brand new as far as we can tell and they turn up in the middle of nowhere even if you've just struggled through with winches and lockers: These make an excellent camper bus, acres of space and rather good off-road. Then again, for the price of a van... Slightly lower MPG but significantly larger grin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Soffientini Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Daily 4x4 are quite common here in Italy. Very good van in my opinion: ex ENEL (italin electrical national company) are easy to find and in good order, generally for sale at 5-7000€. I've even seen some UAZ 452 (van) around, they are both 2.1 and 2.5 naturally aspirated diesel (Peugeot) or petrol (original russian engine); they were imported directly in Italy since 1998. Czech Republic used them for years as ambulance, radio and general service; a sovietic 101 FC without V8 engine, fulltime 4x4 and much more! http://www.mortarinvestments.eu/list.php?t...jeep&page=1 If I had to have a van, I would buy a 101 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92.9 Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share Posted July 23, 2009 It would be tempting to go for something ridiculous, but with the likelihood of under 10mpg I'd be limited to the village boundaries for my trips! FridgeFreezer, when I said harsh I meant conditions that would stop a normal 2wd road car/van. Snow, mud and things like that. Nothing too ridiculous, but it would be nice to have the option to get into some more out of the way places and be able to deal with some of the winter weather. It would be for everyday use too, so that rules out some of the more desirable-looking vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 VW Synchro? There was an article in TOR about them a while back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Tonkin Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 I had a t4 Syncro with the 2.3 litre N/A diesel. That was nice. Was written off when a corsa hit me head on. When I say written off, I still see it being driven around the north east. It still has a dint in the wing and has had one new wheel and a new grill. The new wheel is easy to spot as 3 are red an there is one silver. Found a pick of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92.9 Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share Posted July 23, 2009 One of my friends had a Jetta Syncro, which was quite unusual. Philip, what was your T4 like on fuel? The only VW Syncro vans I have read about were the petrol-engined versions and they were apparently terrible on fuel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew9690 Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 My Brother in law has a merc 4x4 sprinter which he uses for his forestry engerneering company, he had a county transit as well before the merc but the merc is much better and comfier. Its always overloaded with tools and parts and travels on road really well and also does lots of heavy towing as well, It always seems to get around pretty well in the woods and they are always getting it stuck in stupid places were they shouldnt be going with a 4x4, The only issue i found was when it was empty it was like driving a nodding donkey along the road bit bouncy oh and finding decent tyres that will fit and are weight rated so they have more grip off road. He is thinking of selling it to get a newer one in the near future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Tonkin Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 To be honest I don't remember. At the time I never worked it out in MPG. I drove than and a Mini, I knew how far I could get on an amount of money in that and I had an overdrive card for the van so didn't pay any attention to it the fuel cost. I don't remember having to stop too regularly and the tank can't have been huge (no room!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bumpydog Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 Hopefully, I am fairly qualified to answer this having owned many Land Rovers, including a V8 Defender 130 (www.defender130.com), 101's, a Transit County and, now, TWO 4x4 Sprinter vans. If you want a pretty-much-go-anywhere vehicle with lots of storage spaces, there is little to beat the 4x4 Sprinters. I have both my vans converted to minibuses. You have to be careful which version you buy, as there are several permutations. There is a very rare version that has a lo/hi box, but only available with the rear difflock. Most of them appear to be Medium Wheel Base (3.5m) and permanent 4x4 with both centre and rear difflocks and many of them are ex-Utilities. I have a 1998 312D MWB and a 2002 316CDi LWB (the LWB is rare in 4x4). Mine are both currently fitted with BFG MT's and are very capable off-road (with the exception of the restrictions the 4m wheelbase of the LWB gives). Back in 2006, we took the 312D around a built off-road course that Club Land Rover Ireland built and it faired better than all of the shiny Land Rovers there, failing to get stuck once. Most photos I have of that event has a marshal in the background laughing!! (see http://www.sprinter4x4.com/clri.html) My 316CDi started out life as a 311CDi (2.2 litre 4 cylinder 109PS) and, to be honest, I found it underpowered. I had the engine replaced and, with ECU reprogram, is now 190PS. The 312CDi, whilst being the earlier model, has more torque than the 311CDi and feels quite a lot more powerful, despite similar BHP figures) The Ford Transit County is junk in comparison. Just be prepared for Mercedes parts prices though :-( When I changed the 4-cyl engine to the longer 5-cyl unit, the shorter gearbox to transfer box driveshaft cost over 700 euros!! Most service items are available on Ebay. Good luck. Malcolm. Co. Meath, Ireland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exmoor Beast Posted August 16, 2009 Share Posted August 16, 2009 We use a 4x4 VW minibus for access to an outdoor centre I manage on Exmoor. I've often followed it up out of the valley in the 110 and it struggles a bit with the axles twisty bits but generally copes OK given its on 'town and country' tyres. Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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