Jump to content

4x4 Quandry - what should I maybe buy ?


Hybrid_From_Hell

Recommended Posts

I looked at this over last few months too, and picked up latest purchase last week.

Freelander 2, in my opinion, is overpriced, lacking spec, mediocre engine and space compared to competition.

I ended up getting a Skoda Superb 4x4 Estate with the 170 bhp 2.0 TDI VW/Audi engine. I was planning to get a demonstrator, but ended up getting anew one for less at £22,750. Top Elegance spec with all the kit you need.

So far I'm very impressed, if you can get over the naff name.

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Range Rover & Sport are out a- costs b-have friends who have had them and they have been dreadfull

on relaibility, and have deprecaition that would scare a stunt man.

Freelander 2 - Hmmm still thinking , REALLY unsure that it would be unrelaible, can't seem to work out

the differences of pecs, and the 2 x engines TD4 (is I think a BMW Engine ) and SD4 ?? :ph34r:

Imprezza 4WD 0 Maybe maybe a XC60 Volvo ?.

Prob is the winters are getting more regaular in this hopless disruption, I'm fine in the 90 :) (apart from using £250

fuel in 1 week :blink: - but next year with the 5.2 JED this will of course improvebe lower :lol: ), but Suz MX5

is hopeless, and frankly my BMW is undrivable, taking to my MOT Tester he actually confirmed - Mercs and BMWs are the

most hopless in the poor weather, and so I wnat something fun 90% of the year (BMW is) and that Suz can take and be safe

to use for work and back while I play in the 90

Borrowed a RAV 4, horrible thing, but amazing in the ice and snow......so at some point the Beamer has to go, had me fun,

but had enough of over a months worth of disruption.

Good to Know the X5 / Merc Equiv are poor 4wd systems in the snow, they were on the list

don't like the X3, even the new ones, guessinmg anyway they will be the same as the x6

Audi Q7 is a maybe ? - views on them ? ....as for the Freelander, I quite like the looks specs etc but is a F LR and

much as though I am an enthusiast, I am scared s***less re general relaibility ............... :o

Nige

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Audi Q7 = just as bad in the snow/ice as an X5, it's down to the hoooogeness of the tyres unfortunately, not the 4x4 system per se.

You know BMW does 4x4 saloons/estates to special order? They are very common in Germany, but they still fit winter tyres for > 4 months of the year, it's pretty much the norm. A mate of mine over there has a 135i Coupe, and moans he is limited to just 135MPH on his winter rims, and they are ~ 50mm narrower(!), but they do work, they had 12" of snow in one night whilst we had similar amounts and he was in work on time in the morning with no drama.

So... basically forget anything with stupidly wide tyres, get a lightweight 4 wheel drive saloon/estate and if you really really want to drive rings round everyone else, get some PROPER winter tyres, M+S marked tyres are NOT winter tyres.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Range Rover & Sport are out a- costs b-have friends who have had them and they have been dreadfull

on relaibility, and have deprecaition that would scare a stunt man.

Freelander 2 - Hmmm still thinking , REALLY unsure that it would be unrelaible, can't seem to work out

the differences of pecs, and the 2 x engines TD4 (is I think a BMW Engine ) and SD4 ?? :ph34r:

Imprezza 4WD 0 Maybe maybe a XC60 Volvo ?.

Prob is the winters are getting more regaular in this hopless disruption, I'm fine in the 90 :) (apart from using £250

fuel in 1 week :blink: - but next year with the 5.2 JED this will of course improvebe lower :lol: ), but Suz MX5

is hopeless, and frankly my BMW is undrivable, taking to my MOT Tester he actually confirmed - Mercs and BMWs are the

most hopless in the poor weather, and so I wnat something fun 90% of the year (BMW is) and that Suz can take and be safe

to use for work and back while I play in the 90

Borrowed a RAV 4, horrible thing, but amazing in the ice and snow......so at some point the Beamer has to go, had me fun,

but had enough of over a months worth of disruption.

Good to Know the X5 / Merc Equiv are poor 4wd systems in the snow, they were on the list

don't like the X3, even the new ones, guessinmg anyway they will be the same as the x6

Audi Q7 is a maybe ? - views on them ? ....as for the Freelander, I quite like the looks specs etc but is a F LR and

much as though I am an enthusiast, I am scared s***less re general relaibility ............... :o

Nige

banghead.gif

It´s bugger all to do with the car or it´s drive system, possibly the driver.

It´s all about what is fitted to the vehicle and it´s contact with the surface it´s driving on.

There isn´t a car that can´t get around here with the proper tyres, if it wasn´t the case

we would all have to hibernate over here, or drive round in Hagglunds BV206.

Get a set og ekstra rims and proper snow tyres, swap in Oct/ Nov then back in Feb/ Mar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Freelander 2 TD4 is not the same as the old Td4 (stupid idea naming them both the same) - the old 2.0 Td4 was a BMW motor out of the 3 series, the new 2.2L one I think is a Ford/Peugeot collaboration or something, and I think it also appears in baby Jags. Much better than the old engine and I think feels good in the vehicle though low rpm torque is not that great, back off on a hill and a downchange is in order.

I'm not sure wide tyres are the problem, it's more to do with the patterns carved around the outside. Super wide road tyres tend to be on performance cars which are orientated towards normal driving not snow. I've always found that wide 4x4 tyres are fine and lowering the pressures to increase the footprint also makes a real improvement.

Keep the cars you have and get the Mrs a second hand Jimny for the winter :ph34r: (joking aside, Suzukis have always been really good in snow and ice... so were the old 4x4 Pandas).

Volvo XC sounds a good bet too :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

banghead.gif

It´s bugger all to do with the car or it´s drive system, possibly the driver.

Thanks for that, seems that 30+ years of 4x4ing, from timed trials, comp safaring, rtv & modified trailling,

a few years at motocross - marshalling, organizing running and entering challenge events, and even in my

yoof speedway for a few years, oh plus rallying in the 80s, means I am wrong. My BMW is superb in the snow and ice

and I actually need some lessons from Mr q-rover as to how to drive -

I am trully humbled with his god like condesending input :angry:

Nige

Link to comment
Share on other sites

By coincidence I just watched the Top Gear review of the X6, absolutely hopeless :lol:

I watched that also, hated the car before the show and now like it even less! Ugly flawed vehicle.

back to topic; I like the Ford Ranger and the new Freelanders are good, I was considering one as a second vehicle to the 90.. Or even a Qashqai (which i probably shouldn't admit to).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for that, seems that 30+ years of 4x4ing, from timed trials, comp safaring, rtv & modified trailling,

a few years at motocross - marshalling, organizing running and entering challenge events, and even in my

yoof speedway for a few years, oh plus rallying in the 80s, means I am wrong. My BMW is superb in the snow and ice

and I actually need some lessons from Mr q-rover as to how to drive -

I am trully humbled with his god like condesending input :angry:

Nige

Yeah whats wrong with high powered rwd cars that have a strong cam that swap ends in the dry if your not carefull :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Right

Much thought and angst has gone in to this, I have at the mo as my daily driver a 09 BMW M Sport

Lovely car, goes like '**** orf la Shovelle', but, in this weather it is only beaten into 2nd place in being completely hopeless

by Suz car an MX5 Convertible. In the snow ice the BMW is truly lethal, and the weather now seems to be a yearly occurance :(

Nige

Not sure why it is lethal, I have been driving BMWs (150bhp up to 400bhp) with out any major issues in the winter.

This year I drove in the snow covered lane on both the M1 and M40 as everyone else panniced in the cleared lane.

To me, my old boss who drove at 70 in his RRC because it could (but not stop) is lethal.

Since it is difficult to keep the BMW moving in the first place it can be safer than a 4x4 which gets going easily without thought (and therfore driven too fast) but cannot stop either.

Marc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

q-rover may offence some, but he has got a point, I often drive on icy roads in Sweden in my RRC, and the local swedes drives by in their old Volvo RWD´s much faster than my nerves allows me to.... But then, they have got Nokian Happaka...-whatever (crazy finnish name) spiked tyres, and I have "only" M+S-marked All-weather Michelin Synchrones... :unsure:

Really, this is the one part, that makes winterdriving possible, more valuable than 4-wheel drive. There is a lot of debate in Sweden about the negative polution effects of spiked tires (ripping particles up from the surface) - and they have been prohibited in some parts of inner-Stockholm. Out in the countryside, no-one would drive without spikes in the winter.

Regarding the choice between different new 4 WD´s, haven´t got knowledge of so many, but the Freelander 2 and Volvo XC60 shares many components (both were a part of Ford Premium Auto Group, remember?). IIRC the Haldex transmission, the petrol engines (from the Ford PAG factory in Kent) etc. The Volvo latest XC90 and the XC60 even got the Hill Descent Control from LR. Can´t remember if they re-named it...

Regards,

Bo - who used to drive around in a RWD Volvo 745 TIC - even in the winter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nowadays non-studded winter tyresare on a par with studded tyres in most situations, so studs are not necessary.

I only have studded tyres on the LR because it is a big heavy lump. I have tried various tyres and come to the conclusion

that for heavy 4x4´s you can´t beat studded tyres (where they are legal to use of course).

Nokian, Yokohama, Bridgestone make excellent winter tyres.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've offerred her the

keys to the 90 but no interested :lol:

Nige

My wife gave my 110 the honour of being the second worst car she's ever been in, the worst being a Reliant Robin. :lol:

I think if you went and test drove a Subaru Forrester you'd be impressed, my dad has a non turbo one and it goes wherever you point it, the handling is superb, they even do a diesel version now

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use my 1991 VW Golf 2 Country when my RRC won't start!

I haven't had a single problem in the foot or so of snow we have had a couple of times over the last year or two! And I use the same tyres all year round (Vredestein Quatrac). Even works on Green Lanes.

Ultra reliable, 30mpg (50+ with a TDi engine) and cheap Golf 2 parts.

Only problem is that good ones are not cheap (£4000plus if you can find one) ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By using our website you agree to our Cookie Policy