Which (smaller) 4 X 4?

[Skeet UK]

Evening all.

So, I have been toying with the idea of a 4x4 as a second car.  I wonder what people suggest?

I don't need a huge vehicle, so not really interested in Range Rovers.  Something smaller, Freelander 2 etc or similar, ideally fairly economical.

Quite fancy the idea of a Mitsubishi Warrior, but again these are quite large.

So what smaller 4x4 do you guys suggest?

 

[SoR]

Golf 4motion or audi a4 tourers

on my phone

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Audi Quattro A6 All Roaders get through anything and the inside button lets you jack it up to several heights.....as high as a range rover. Massive boot area as it is an estate.

When the weather is like now and we are snowed in my Towrag (sic) stays snowed up and the All Road is the one that gets me out. (Saves me putting the Towrag into the hedges to stop it sliding).

 

[Skeet UK]

So the Towrag isn't great with the snow / slippery stuff then?

Yeah.  See, initially when I thought about a 4x4...I suppose I did the same as everyone else who doesn't actually need one for off-roading...and thought of proper 4x4's.  But, you have reminded me that something like an A4 or A6 etc...are great.  You say "All Roader" yeah?

So long as I had some extra ride height, I don't need to be "Lording it".

 

[Hamster]

It's often the tyres that make the greatest difference with 4x4's, that and the vehicles weight, too heavy and it'll be hard to stop in a hurry when it's really icy for instance unless super tricked up like Range Rovers.

So much depends on your budget but mid price you'll go a long way to beat a 2-4 year old Rav :nyam:  , solid build quality and available either in automatic petrol or 6 speed diesel, more than good enough for most sensible off road escapades and snow, loads of room and nice to drive plus they hold their price and cheap as a regular car to run including tyres which are a pain to replace on image stuff. Try £230 quid a throw on run flats for the X5 :fie:  .

 

[Skeet UK]

Yep.  RAV4 I have heard is good too.  I heard pretty much anything Japanese would be a good idea, as it tends to be anyway.

 

[SoR]

Allroad thats the puppy!! Couldnt remember what they called it, my truck got stuck in snow , the coppers got stuck in snow the farmer who came to tow me in his pick up got stuck in snow..... his wife rocked upbin an allroad audi brought us tea and took farmer to get tractor!!!! So guess what im after now.....







on my phone

 

[RobertBeard]

I have a Volvo V70 2.4D5 All Wheel Drive.  4 X 4 is electric and comes in and out as required and suits me fine.  The V70 is the estate and it has plenty of room for all my shooting gear.  

I've had a Disco in the past with the low and high range but it's terribly agricultural and I didn't find it safe as a tow vehicle - far too much suspension travel.

 

[Fuzrat]

The Subarus are very good as a 4x4 car, even better now they do the boxer diesel engine, 45 odd mpg

 

[Skeet UK]

I suppose I should point out that I already have an "expensive" for me,car...so this ideally would be a cheaper 2nd car.  That Allroad sounds good, but they all seem to be new?

 

[SoR]

The allroads have been around for a while successor to the quattro I believe

on my phone

 

[** Pending Removal **]

The All Road is a 4x4 Quatro (well mine is) ...!

 

[Clanchief]

When you say 4x4 it usually means a truck with high and low ratios, a car with 4wd is kinda different such as an Allroader, Audi, Mitsubishi,Subaru and Volvo are all good an proven, maybe not as a second car as they are still Prestige, have a look at the Skoda Yeti as a second car. Also a small very capable little machine is the Jimny and Terios both have high and low ratios. Depending on how or where it may be used there is the Hi Lux Surf if you just want a truck that can go anywhere, better more car like gearboxes than the current crew cab fixations, be careful of the plate on your search as some 4x4's can be In the high road tax bracket which is not very nice to pay for the second car. I would look at the X -Trail before the Rav. Even though I am a Land Rover fan and love my Vogue I would have a Hi Lux/Navara before a Freelander.

 

[Jeremy Baker]

Any four wheel drive with the right rubber will be just right.

It's the tyres that are the key.

 

[** Pending Removal **]

Jem, tyres don't stop a slide due to weight of the vehicle in snow or ice sadly.

 

[Will Hewland]

Jem, tyres don't stop a slide due to weight of the vehicle in snow or ice sadly.

Absolutely. 4wd only works when driving (under power). In a corner or a braking situation, a big car is just a big load of energy to stop.

 

[Darkside]

Absolutely. 4wd only works when driving (under power). In a corner or a braking situation, a big car is just a big load of energy to stop.

That's the whole problem, in snow and ice you have to SLOW DOWN!!! Correct tyres, appropriate speed, correct gear to keep vehicle under power!!! Two years ago up here we were all driving on compacted snow and ice for three weeks, I was taking the farms Land Cruiser places nobody else could go, just had the right tyres on, don't get me wrong, you had to leave twice as much time to get there, be creative with the handbrake to bring the back end round corners a few times and even had to bang it into reverse then back into drive to get her going straight down a hill more than once. There were 4x4's with the wrong tyres stuck all round Cumbernauld, seen a guy in a BMW 5 series (rear wheel drive) with full snow tyres going back and forward to his work every day, no probs!!!

The correct tyres make a huge difference, that's why it's a legal requirement to fit them for the winter in Norway, Germany and a few other country's who get heavy snow fall...

 

[40UP]

An X5 on 10" rims entertained us all day last Monday with 4" of snow in Perthshire. Took six people to stop it sliding into a gully on one hillside. Got a film of a 200yd run up to get out of a field and then the engine shut down as it thought it would help.

 

[wylye]

Done 20 thou in an A6 Allroad and played like a child in the snow over the past couple of days. Fantastic car!