4X4 Ski Car Needed
Discussion
Hi all,
I am looking for any ideas on a 4x4 that can be used every day but will mainly be there for snow use. I drive down to Switzerland / France twice a year for skiing and fancy something a bit more sure footed than the BMW.
I’ve just got back from a weeks skiing and whilst the BMW is ok, being rwd (even with snow tyres on) it can be interesting in deep snow; I’d also like a bit more space.
Obviously whatever I get, a full set of winter tyres will go on it (as per the BMW) but I like the idea of increased grip plus potentially extra space to get all our kit in.
So far I have been thinking more along the lines of cars rather than full on off roaders, I have narrowed it down to these two:
Audi Allroad
Subaru Forester Turbo
Does anyone have any experience of either of these cars or any ideas of alternatives?
Ideally these are the key requirements:
- More luggage room then a 3 series BMW
- 4 or All Wheel Drive
- Relatively economical – I need to drive it to work each day (60 mile round trip) and 2 return trips to the Geneva region each year so I don’t want to be factoring in £ ‘00’s for fuel bills; I’d rather spend it on ski passes.
- No big alloys, I need a good clearance between tyre and wheel arch so I can put snow socks on if conditions are really bad (currently have to jack up the BM –not good in a blizzard!).
- Need to get the ski’s in or on it
- Budget around £5 - £14k (Can’t really make up my mind on this, for instance I can get a really nice Audi for my top end but could save almost £10k and settle for a good condition Subaru; given its going to be a work horse do I really care that much……).
Any suggestions gratefully received, I have also given thought to the following but don’t know much about them:
Freelander TD4 HSE
Volvo XC70
I am looking for any ideas on a 4x4 that can be used every day but will mainly be there for snow use. I drive down to Switzerland / France twice a year for skiing and fancy something a bit more sure footed than the BMW.
I’ve just got back from a weeks skiing and whilst the BMW is ok, being rwd (even with snow tyres on) it can be interesting in deep snow; I’d also like a bit more space.
Obviously whatever I get, a full set of winter tyres will go on it (as per the BMW) but I like the idea of increased grip plus potentially extra space to get all our kit in.
So far I have been thinking more along the lines of cars rather than full on off roaders, I have narrowed it down to these two:
Audi Allroad
Subaru Forester Turbo
Does anyone have any experience of either of these cars or any ideas of alternatives?
Ideally these are the key requirements:
- More luggage room then a 3 series BMW
- 4 or All Wheel Drive
- Relatively economical – I need to drive it to work each day (60 mile round trip) and 2 return trips to the Geneva region each year so I don’t want to be factoring in £ ‘00’s for fuel bills; I’d rather spend it on ski passes.
- No big alloys, I need a good clearance between tyre and wheel arch so I can put snow socks on if conditions are really bad (currently have to jack up the BM –not good in a blizzard!).
- Need to get the ski’s in or on it
- Budget around £5 - £14k (Can’t really make up my mind on this, for instance I can get a really nice Audi for my top end but could save almost £10k and settle for a good condition Subaru; given its going to be a work horse do I really care that much……).
Any suggestions gratefully received, I have also given thought to the following but don’t know much about them:
Freelander TD4 HSE
Volvo XC70
Depends on what you mean by "relatively economical". 4WD and economy are not good bed-fellows.
Don't Skoda do a raised Octavia estate? Otherwise one of those Nissan thingies that look like a 4wd but are really fwd with a bit more ground clearance - that's all you need for snow (+ winter tyres). If you look around you when next in the Alps, you will see that all the local cars are fwd hatchbacks; it's just the Parisians etc who are in the x5s and Q7s.
Don't Skoda do a raised Octavia estate? Otherwise one of those Nissan thingies that look like a 4wd but are really fwd with a bit more ground clearance - that's all you need for snow (+ winter tyres). If you look around you when next in the Alps, you will see that all the local cars are fwd hatchbacks; it's just the Parisians etc who are in the x5s and Q7s.
Something like this?
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1452614.htm
Seems perfect for what you need.
Edit - didnt realise you already suggested one.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1452614.htm
Seems perfect for what you need.
Edit - didnt realise you already suggested one.
Edited by 205jsy on Tuesday 26th January 17:10
B6 S4 estate???
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1358096.htm
Standard sounds like this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzhw_CQnTGU&fea...
With milltek or other sounds like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73dP_-GKv-w&fea...
with FI sounds like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1GaXC7ChLw&fea...
You would of course not want this ^^^^^^^^ on a daily
As for fuel f
k it you will only need to service it every 15-18k miles anyway and at 2k under budget you can spend the extra 2k to offset the fuel bill.
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1358096.htm
Standard sounds like this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzhw_CQnTGU&fea...
With milltek or other sounds like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73dP_-GKv-w&fea...
with FI sounds like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1GaXC7ChLw&fea...
You would of course not want this ^^^^^^^^ on a daily
As for fuel f
k it you will only need to service it every 15-18k miles anyway and at 2k under budget you can spend the extra 2k to offset the fuel bill.Tallbut Buxomly said:
B6 S4 estate???
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1358096.htm
Standard sounds like this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzhw_CQnTGU&fea...
With milltek or other sounds like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73dP_-GKv-w&fea...
with FI sounds like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1GaXC7ChLw&fea...
You would of course not want this ^^^^^^^^ on a daily
As for fuel fk it you will only need to service it every 15-18k miles anyway and at 2k under budget you can spend the extra 2k to offset the fuel bill.
I honestly did not realise you could tune/mod these so much.http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1358096.htm
Standard sounds like this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzhw_CQnTGU&fea...
With milltek or other sounds like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73dP_-GKv-w&fea...
with FI sounds like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1GaXC7ChLw&fea...
You would of course not want this ^^^^^^^^ on a daily
As for fuel f
k it you will only need to service it every 15-18k miles anyway and at 2k under budget you can spend the extra 2k to offset the fuel bill.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xL0yFacPJk&fea...
Roberts your fathers brother. (bks to the economy - you can tickle 25mpg out of this).
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/AUDI...
2004 04 Reg AUDI Allroad 4.2 V8 Quattro Tip
Price: £14,000
Features:
40,000 miles
5 Doors, Automatic, Estate, Petrol, 40,000 miles, Metallic Ebony Black. Audi Allroad 4.2 Quattro Estate 300 Bhp Navigation Plus Tiptronic Steering Wheel Auto Only 48,000 miles 04-Reg Metallic Ebony Black, Contrasting full Two-tone leather interior, Colour Audi Satellite Navigation Plus, Hands-free phone kit, Air-conditioning, Climate control, Cruise control, Electric windows/folding mirrors/sunroof/twin seats/memory drivers seat/rear blind, Side blinds, Heated seats, Power steering, ABS brakes, Adjustable suspension, ESP, ISOFIX Child seat preparation, Front and side airbags, Drivers info centre, Audi BOSE stereo, 6 disc Cd changer, 5x headrests, 3x three point rear seat belts, Walnut trim, Split folding rear seats, Load cover, Park Distance Control front and rear, Aluminium Roof rails, Twin exhausts, Headlamp wash, Front fogs, 18in Audi alloys, Remote Audi alarm, Immobiliser, Only 48,000 miles from new, Full Service History, 4 Years Extendable Warranty Available, Over 250 Cars Available, Finance Available, £NIL Deposit Available, Part Exchange Available, Have complete peace of mind, with the McCarthy Cars Promise, 4 Years Extendable Warranty Available, Over 200 Cars Available, Finance Available, ¿NIL Deposit Available, Part Exchange Available, McCarthy Cars, A Family Run Business Established Over 30 Years Ago 020 8688 8086 / 07966 248 547 www.mccarthycars.co.uk sales@mccarthycars.co.uk, £14,000
ks to the economy - you can tickle 25mpg out of this).http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/AUDI...
2004 04 Reg AUDI Allroad 4.2 V8 Quattro Tip
Price: £14,000
Features:
40,000 miles
5 Doors, Automatic, Estate, Petrol, 40,000 miles, Metallic Ebony Black. Audi Allroad 4.2 Quattro Estate 300 Bhp Navigation Plus Tiptronic Steering Wheel Auto Only 48,000 miles 04-Reg Metallic Ebony Black, Contrasting full Two-tone leather interior, Colour Audi Satellite Navigation Plus, Hands-free phone kit, Air-conditioning, Climate control, Cruise control, Electric windows/folding mirrors/sunroof/twin seats/memory drivers seat/rear blind, Side blinds, Heated seats, Power steering, ABS brakes, Adjustable suspension, ESP, ISOFIX Child seat preparation, Front and side airbags, Drivers info centre, Audi BOSE stereo, 6 disc Cd changer, 5x headrests, 3x three point rear seat belts, Walnut trim, Split folding rear seats, Load cover, Park Distance Control front and rear, Aluminium Roof rails, Twin exhausts, Headlamp wash, Front fogs, 18in Audi alloys, Remote Audi alarm, Immobiliser, Only 48,000 miles from new, Full Service History, 4 Years Extendable Warranty Available, Over 250 Cars Available, Finance Available, £NIL Deposit Available, Part Exchange Available, Have complete peace of mind, with the McCarthy Cars Promise, 4 Years Extendable Warranty Available, Over 200 Cars Available, Finance Available, ¿NIL Deposit Available, Part Exchange Available, McCarthy Cars, A Family Run Business Established Over 30 Years Ago 020 8688 8086 / 07966 248 547 www.mccarthycars.co.uk sales@mccarthycars.co.uk, £14,000
Edited by edo on Tuesday 26th January 20:03
Morningside said:
Tallbut Buxomly said:
B6 S4 estate???
http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1358096.htm
Standard sounds like this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzhw_CQnTGU&fea...
With milltek or other sounds like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73dP_-GKv-w&fea...
with FI sounds like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1GaXC7ChLw&fea...
You would of course not want this ^^^^^^^^ on a daily
As for fuel fk it you will only need to service it every 15-18k miles anyway and at 2k under budget you can spend the extra 2k to offset the fuel bill.
I honestly did not realise you could tune/mod these so much.http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1358096.htm
Standard sounds like this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzhw_CQnTGU&fea...
With milltek or other sounds like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73dP_-GKv-w&fea...
with FI sounds like this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1GaXC7ChLw&fea...
You would of course not want this ^^^^^^^^ on a daily
As for fuel f
k it you will only need to service it every 15-18k miles anyway and at 2k under budget you can spend the extra 2k to offset the fuel bill.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xL0yFacPJk&fea...
t with all the mods done?????? 
edo said:
Roberts your fathers brother. (bks to the economy - you can tickle 25mpg out of this).
2004 04 Reg AUDI Allroad 4.2 V8 Quattro Tip
Price: £14,000
Features:
40,000 miles
The other option is the 2.7TT and have it chipped to get the V8 performance without the extra running costs. I've just bought an '02 with 72K miles for less than half that V8 price. It's a cracking car and spec'd up to the eyeballs. The original sale price was £51K ks to the economy - you can tickle 25mpg out of this).2004 04 Reg AUDI Allroad 4.2 V8 Quattro Tip
Price: £14,000
Features:
40,000 miles
Very happy with it so far, it even sounds pretty good
What about a different Subaru: A Legacy Estate. I'm tempted to say Spec B version (I think they're very cool sleepers), but a 3l turbo engine with 4-wheel drive and an estate body may not be great on the mpg front.... But they also do a 2l. There's one in the classifieds that's been there for a while (Irish plates?) and could be worth checking out and making a cheeky offer on. Overall, the Legacy seems to get good reviews from the motoring press.
One thing I do know is that slightly older Subarus do need servicing more frequently than some cars these days, so check out the servicing intervals and costs if running costs is an issue.
Good luck.
One thing I do know is that slightly older Subarus do need servicing more frequently than some cars these days, so check out the servicing intervals and costs if running costs is an issue.
Good luck.
I'm no expert, but if you do go down the Allroad route then things to watch out for are:
1. The trick air suspension can be expensive to repair if the shocks are leaking. About £400 per corner isn't TOO bad for a replacement, but ignore a problem and the compressor can go too meaning a £1K+ bill instead. So make sure the car lowers and rises as it should and retains the selected height setting.
2. The Tiptronic gearbox is supposed to be quite weak so make sure it's working as it should. The one I bought had a new one fitted this year so I know I'm OK for the next two years at least.
3. The holes that drain the scuttle panel are awkward to get to and so often don't get cleaned out. This can flood the area around the battery which drains in to the passenger footwell through the pollen filter. This in turn can damage some electronics that live there and affect the alarm/central locking.
4. Cambelt should be done by (I think) 5 years or 80K. A good indy will do this, the water pump and associated pulleys for around £450. Audi charge around this for just the belt.
So far I've managed 21mpg which is nearly all local roads. Not tried it on a decent motorway run yet. Although the suspension is a potential problem, it does work well in practice. On level four there is bags of ground clearance and on level one the handling is pretty good - for a 4x4 that is. No problems whatsoever in the nasty weather we had recently.
1. The trick air suspension can be expensive to repair if the shocks are leaking. About £400 per corner isn't TOO bad for a replacement, but ignore a problem and the compressor can go too meaning a £1K+ bill instead. So make sure the car lowers and rises as it should and retains the selected height setting.
2. The Tiptronic gearbox is supposed to be quite weak so make sure it's working as it should. The one I bought had a new one fitted this year so I know I'm OK for the next two years at least.
3. The holes that drain the scuttle panel are awkward to get to and so often don't get cleaned out. This can flood the area around the battery which drains in to the passenger footwell through the pollen filter. This in turn can damage some electronics that live there and affect the alarm/central locking.
4. Cambelt should be done by (I think) 5 years or 80K. A good indy will do this, the water pump and associated pulleys for around £450. Audi charge around this for just the belt.
So far I've managed 21mpg which is nearly all local roads. Not tried it on a decent motorway run yet. Although the suspension is a potential problem, it does work well in practice. On level four there is bags of ground clearance and on level one the handling is pretty good - for a 4x4 that is. No problems whatsoever in the nasty weather we had recently.
Edited by benny.c on Tuesday 26th January 21:48
XC70 diesel.
I've got one of these as our family wagon. 2005 2.4D Auto.
Was good in the snow a couple of weeks ago - although the real test will be a trip to Switzerland and Austria in a couple of weeks.
Bags of space - much bigger boot than our A4 Avant.
Averages 40mpg in mixed use. High 40s on the motorway.
Very comfy relaxing drive due to auto box, softish suspension and fat tyres - but handling is a bit woolly.
The other choice when we bought the XC70 was an Audi Allroad. I discounted that due to it being too flash for my OH, complexity of the air suspension and poor relibility scares on the 2.5TDI.
2.7T Allroad has been suggested. Have had two 2.7T Audis - S4 and RS4. Could just about get 28mpg out of the S4 on a gentle run - but once you get a move on it likes a drink! I think that a heavier Allroad will be worse - especially as most are autos.
What about a 5 series beemer 4wd. Probably difficult to find but might suit.
Passats can be had in "4motion"
OR - just get some chains that are easier to put on. RUD do a type that you don't have to grapple behind the wheel for. Have a look on www.roofbox.co.uk
http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php...
I've got one of these as our family wagon. 2005 2.4D Auto.
Was good in the snow a couple of weeks ago - although the real test will be a trip to Switzerland and Austria in a couple of weeks.
Bags of space - much bigger boot than our A4 Avant.
Averages 40mpg in mixed use. High 40s on the motorway.
Very comfy relaxing drive due to auto box, softish suspension and fat tyres - but handling is a bit woolly.
The other choice when we bought the XC70 was an Audi Allroad. I discounted that due to it being too flash for my OH, complexity of the air suspension and poor relibility scares on the 2.5TDI.
2.7T Allroad has been suggested. Have had two 2.7T Audis - S4 and RS4. Could just about get 28mpg out of the S4 on a gentle run - but once you get a move on it likes a drink! I think that a heavier Allroad will be worse - especially as most are autos.
What about a 5 series beemer 4wd. Probably difficult to find but might suit.
Passats can be had in "4motion"
OR - just get some chains that are easier to put on. RUD do a type that you don't have to grapple behind the wheel for. Have a look on www.roofbox.co.uk
http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php...
Edited by duncansaunders on Tuesday 26th January 21:42
I had an Allroad 3.0tdi auto for a couple of months last summer and (despite it being a diesel) I really liked it, never tried it in snow but Quattro and air suspension should mean it would do well, it had a huge boot and according to the trip computer it was doing mid twenties MPG, which is probably not great for a diesel but it did pull like a train and didn't even sound too 'diesely', not sure I'd pay £40k for one though.
Edited by catso on Tuesday 26th January 21:44
Friend of mine who spends a few months a year in the alps swears by his impreza estate. We have a Freelander 2 SE which I can thoroughly recommend, excellent in snow, very comfortable on long trips. Boot isn't as big as you'd hope though and not exactly fun to drive - very nice place to be and safe though.
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