Do I Have to Buy a "Proper" 4x4?

[Benengo]

I'm lucky enough to be able to buy a new car, tax free. I'd been planning for ages (with Mrs Benengo) to get a landy disco sport, as DragonOps has always had 'orses and we're out in the sticks... plus i like the idea of a 7 seater.... However, as I started to look, I stumbled across the Skoda Kodiak which i really like the look of and the excellent value for money. It also appears that I am able to get a really, really good deal on a Touareg, bringing it in at about the same money as the Landy DS we speced.

I cant decide whether I should go down the purist Landrover 4x4 route for the horses or something more Chelsea tractor... Plan is to keep the car 10 years plus.

Thoughts?

[caelite]

D-max AT35 or bust:

[kambites]

Assuming you don't need serious off-roading capability, surely this just comes down to the towing capacity you need? I think a Touareg will tow just about anything, the Skoda seems to be limited to 2500kg which is still quite a lot.

Edited by kambites on Saturday 26th November 19:26

[Benengo]

caelite said:

D-max AT35 or bust:

mrs benengo would go nuts for this!

[sparkythecat]

What towing capacity do you need for your horsebox?

[willmagrath]

Personally, unless you need massive ground clearance, You don't need a 4x4. In this case I'd go for something estate (maybe a 3/5 series or audi a4/6) with 4 wheel drive. A 330/335d with x drive is one of the best all rounders going. It'll be a lot nicer, faster, more economical and just as capable out in the sticks. Although you'll only need the 4wd to tow on mud or something. Rwd will be fine on leaves etc

[caelite]

Benengo said:

caelite said:

D-max AT35 or bust:

mrs benengo would go nuts for this!

Their cheaper than a disco. Start at £35kish I think. Toughened up suspension, neigh unbreakable, simple mechanics. Big as hell though would be more than a bit of a laugh hooning around thin village streets. I'd love one .

[kambites]

willmagrath said:

Personally, unless you need massive ground clearance, You don't need a 4x4. In this case I'd go for something estate (maybe a 3/5 series or audi a4/6) with 4 wheel drive. A 330/335d with x drive is one of the best all rounders going. It'll be a lot nicer, faster, more economical and just as capable out in the sticks. Although you'll only need the 4wd to tow on mud or something. Rwd will be fine on leaves etc

I doubt any of those will tow a horse box very happily; at least not with a horse in it.

[willmagrath]

kambites said:

willmagrath said:

Personally, unless you need massive ground clearance, You don't need a 4x4. In this case I'd go for something estate (maybe a 3/5 series or audi a4/6) with 4 wheel drive. A 330/335d with x drive is one of the best all rounders going. It'll be a lot nicer, faster, more economical and just as capable out in the sticks. Although you'll only need the 4wd to tow on mud or something. Rwd will be fine on leaves etc

I doubt any of those will tow a horse box very happily; at least not with a horse in it.

This is true. They'll have the power but maybe not the drive train.

[tonys]

You're really going to be guided by the towing ability (weight) as your primary concern. A decent double horse box with 2 horses will probably be around 2000kg, which is likely to be outside the plated limits for most 'cars'. Personally, I'd want plenty of spare 'capacity' for performance and safety.

http://www.towinghorsetrailers.co.uk/towing_weight...

[Benengo]

tonys said:

You're really going to be guided by the towing ability (weight) as your primary concern. A decent double horse box with 2 horses will probably be around 2000kg, which is likely to be outside the plated limits for most 'cars'. Personally, I'd want plenty of spare 'capacity' for performance and safety.

http://www.towinghorsetrailers.co.uk/towing_weight...

Thanks for this!

[Floptimus Prime]

caelite said:

D-max AT35 or bust:

Wow, that's awesome!

[anonymous-user]

You want a 2016 Ford Ranger 3.2

Yes you need one. Trust me.

/Biased post

[Basil Brush]

A Touareg in Escape trim is as much of a proper 4x4 as a FF Disco.

As it's the last year of the current Touareg there must be some pretty good deals out there. I was offered a factory order 262 R line for 37k in Jan.

[margerison]

The caravan bods (no, I don't own one ) seem to like the X5:
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/x5/92948/best-tow...

[Harleyboy]

willmagrath said:

kambites said:

willmagrath said:

Personally, unless you need massive ground clearance, You don't need a 4x4. In this case I'd go for something estate (maybe a 3/5 series or audi a4/6) with 4 wheel drive. A 330/335d with x drive is one of the best all rounders going. It'll be a lot nicer, faster, more economical and just as capable out in the sticks. Although you'll only need the 4wd to tow on mud or something. Rwd will be fine on leaves etc

I doubt any of those will tow a horse box very happily; at least not with a horse in it.

This is true. They'll have the power but maybe not the drive train.

I've towed a horse box loaded with a 16hh 550kg horse with a 335d xDrive. The F31 BMW can tow a double trailer and one horse happily (1800kg). As mentioned, there's plenty of power and the drive train works very well (even did a brief spell with a 340i). The biggest potential issue is lack of ground clearance. Even a simple gateway into a field or having to park on a rough grass verge can see the car grounding. They'll do the job but to be honest a bigger car does it better! I now use an X5 which tows 3.5 tons so a horse trailer is a piece of cake. Never once come close to getting stuck regardless of conditions and it still does 25 mpg.

[jamieduff1981]

DoubleTime said:

You want a 2016 Ford Ranger 3.2

Yes you need one. Trust me.

/Biased post

I'm bias too. A Ranger really is worth a look. For £26k for a Wildtrak, you get a huge amount of capability and a 3500kg towing limit. It'll pull 2 tonnes up a steep snowy incline without much hassle (done it) and is comfortable enough to live with.

It's maybe out dated but I'd worry about the longevity of a Skoda over 10 years. I know many people with them, and they seem to break (like proper mechanical breakages) a lot without towing horses around.

If you want something that will put up with that sort of workload long term, it will need to be something built for the job. That does mean that handling and ride quality will suffer by comparison though.

[MoelyCrio]

We're getting a Skoda Kodiaq. In diesel form its a good match for our 1550kg caravan. Looks good and great value too.

[sparkythecat]

MoelyCrio said:

..... our 1550kg caravan.

[fossilfuelled]

Get a defender! Will be able to tow the entire stable and....it will break which inevitably means you'll d given a brand new Land Rover product of your choosing until the defender is fixed....best of both worlds for you it sounds like! When ours broke I was given a disco sport for four weeks....I couldn't wait to have the defender back!!!