Suggestions for off-roaders needed
Discussion
Lofty999 said:
Don't laugh,but go and try a Dacia duster,they're amazingly good off road and more than adequate on it! I laughed when a mate bought one to use for shooting but it truly goes anywhere.
They are adequate off road. The running gear is the same as a Nissan X-Trail and they have the same large plastic bumpers, compromised suspension, no low box and limited ground clearance. On slippery grass with the right tyres they should be quite good. But for anything tougher they are firmly in the crossover category.
LimaDelta said:
The Outbacks are good, but also thirsty (at least our petrol/auto one was). You are right about the Shogun, mpg low 20's and road manners leave a little to be desired but they really do come into their own in the rougher stuff. More of an old-school 4x4 with a definite off-road bias.
If you are involved in shooting then BASC do some good discounts - I have recently picked up a Hilux and absolutely love it. In no-frills farmer spec it is perfect for me. Quicker and, dare I say it, more refined than her Shogun, half decent OEM rubber on steelies (smooth ride with the smaller wheels too), keeps the dogs and dirty stuff out of the cab, not too thirsty and decent residuals.
I didn’t realise about the BASC discount. I’m new to the scene so will look into joining If you are involved in shooting then BASC do some good discounts - I have recently picked up a Hilux and absolutely love it. In no-frills farmer spec it is perfect for me. Quicker and, dare I say it, more refined than her Shogun, half decent OEM rubber on steelies (smooth ride with the smaller wheels too), keeps the dogs and dirty stuff out of the cab, not too thirsty and decent residuals.
300bhp/ton said:
mikeyb1987 said:
Thanks for the replies/comments.
I didnt realise the WK2s were that cheap and definitely somehting I'll look into if I decide to go down option 2.
To answer 300's questions, I've got no plans/need for towing and the majority of the time, it will be me, my GF and my dog in the car, so don't need a seven seater. A five seater would be handy as both of our other cars are Minis Some creature comforts would be handy and are a factor. I appreciate your comments re economy too. I do like Land Rovers and have many fond memories of dad's Discoveries when I was younger, but reliability horror stories put me off. If I had a good specialist close by, I'd maybe contemplate one, but I don't.
Are Mk1 Touaregs not too bad reliability-wise then? Other than gearboxes and prop shaft centre bearings, are they pretty reliable?
ETA: At around £5k , is a WK Grand Cherokee a better bet than a mk1 Touareg for reliability?
TBH I quite like the Touaregs, but I'd only want a 5.0 V10 one personally. I didnt realise the WK2s were that cheap and definitely somehting I'll look into if I decide to go down option 2.
To answer 300's questions, I've got no plans/need for towing and the majority of the time, it will be me, my GF and my dog in the car, so don't need a seven seater. A five seater would be handy as both of our other cars are Minis
Some creature comforts would be handy and are a factor. I appreciate your comments re economy too. I do like Land Rovers and have many fond memories of dad's Discoveries when I was younger, but reliability horror stories put me off. If I had a good specialist close by, I'd maybe contemplate one, but I don't.Are Mk1 Touaregs not too bad reliability-wise then? Other than gearboxes and prop shaft centre bearings, are they pretty reliable?
ETA: At around £5k , is a WK Grand Cherokee a better bet than a mk1 Touareg for reliability?
Off road they have traction systems which are good, independent suspension all round means they won't be as capable as some others. But for muddy field use they would be fine. Tyres will be important, some mild MT's or aggressive AT's are what you'll be wanting.
As for reliability, I think it's horses for courses really. All cars can and do go wrong. While LR's get a bad rap, I've been around them all my life. My Uncle has a D2 on a Y plate, bought new (2001) and it's only nearly 200,000 miles now. Used on the farm and as a main form of transport. A little scruffy now, but still going strong. Also have friends with a Disco4, L322 Range Rover's, L405 Range Rover Sports. In fact I must know at least 20 people who run Land Rover products and most have done for 20-30 years + and I honestly don't recall any real horror stories at all.
That said, for what you can pick a Jeep Grand Cherokee up for, I'd probably be looking at one of those tbh. V8 for preference, but diesel if not. The latter is still fairly pokey and gives genuinely good economy.
If you want something cheap to try out, have a look at the Jeep KJ Cherokee. Not as plush as a Grand nor as good to drive, but highly capable and practical without being too common.
I'd probably avoid the crossovers or car based stuff. Don't get me wrong I'm a big Subaru fan, but having a proper low range, sensible overhangs and good ground clearance is such a huge advantage off the road.
Thanks for your general advice- it’s been very helpful.
benny.c said:
I can thoroughly recommend the WK. I’ve just purchased an LPG’d Hemi for just over £5K and I can’t think of too much better for the price.
Being an owner of an LS-engines car, I am a big fan of American V8s, so I’m naturally drawn to V8s. Do the Hemis cope well with LPG conversions?From what I’ve read they seem to be OK with it. The earlier V8 in the WJ could suffer from valve seat damage I believe but the later V8s and Hemis are supposed to be OK. There are plenty of LPG Jeeps, 300Cs etc that have been converted and I haven’t read of any with issues. I had a Hemi Ram that wasn’t on LPG and I can’t feel the difference between the motors. It really is wonderful paying 52p/L though!
There is a thread here with a little info, but not much....
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
There is a thread here with a little info, but not much....
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Edited by benny.c on Sunday 27th January 21:43
mikeyb1987 said:
LimaDelta said:
The Outbacks are good, but also thirsty (at least our petrol/auto one was). You are right about the Shogun, mpg low 20's and road manners leave a little to be desired but they really do come into their own in the rougher stuff. More of an old-school 4x4 with a definite off-road bias.
If you are involved in shooting then BASC do some good discounts - I have recently picked up a Hilux and absolutely love it. In no-frills farmer spec it is perfect for me. Quicker and, dare I say it, more refined than her Shogun, half decent OEM rubber on steelies (smooth ride with the smaller wheels too), keeps the dogs and dirty stuff out of the cab, not too thirsty and decent residuals.
I didn’t realise about the BASC discount. I’m new to the scene so will look into joining If you are involved in shooting then BASC do some good discounts - I have recently picked up a Hilux and absolutely love it. In no-frills farmer spec it is perfect for me. Quicker and, dare I say it, more refined than her Shogun, half decent OEM rubber on steelies (smooth ride with the smaller wheels too), keeps the dogs and dirty stuff out of the cab, not too thirsty and decent residuals.
What about the Jeep Cherokee (KK)? Switchable 4WD so you get reasonable economy in 2WD with the benefits of 4WD (Hi & Lo) when needed.
Not many for sale (I couldn't find any on PH) and they do seem to fetch a premium price. The 'Limited' version is quite well spec'd (leather, heated seats, Sat Nav etc).
Take a look:
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/car-reviews/jeep/chero...
Not many for sale (I couldn't find any on PH) and they do seem to fetch a premium price. The 'Limited' version is quite well spec'd (leather, heated seats, Sat Nav etc).
Take a look:
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/car-reviews/jeep/chero...
t.
I’ve got a forester (5 years old now) with AT tyres fitted. It will handle everything you need to do with ease. Very capable with only 30mm less ground clearance than my old LC120. You can also use it everyday as it’s pretty refined, easy for long distances when required. Plenty of room for the dog with its nice tall and square boot. Averaged 44mpg over 63K miles and £150 a year VED. If you are doing any sort of mileage this makes a massive cost difference over a bigger 4x4 at mid 20’s mpg and £550 VED. Completely and utterly reliable with fantastic build. I was thinking of replacing it but just don’t see any point whatsoever.
troika said:
I’ve got a forester (5 years old now) with AT tyres fitted. It will handle everything you need to do with ease. Very capable with only 30mm less ground clearance than my old LC120. You can also use it everyday as it’s pretty refined, easy for long distances when required. Plenty of room for the dog with its nice tall and square boot. Averaged 44mpg over 63K miles and £150 a year VED. If you are doing any sort of mileage this makes a massive cost difference over a bigger 4x4 at mid 20’s mpg and £550 VED. Completely and utterly reliable with fantastic build. I was thinking of replacing it but just don’t see any point whatsoever.
Do you have a SJ petrol Forester, and get 44mpg average? We have a 2013 one and struggle to get low 30's...Have you looked into either a Land Rover Defender or a Jeep Wrangler. They are great offroaders, but I have no clue what they go for second hand nowadays. The Suzuki Samurai is also a great little offroader, but probably too small for you.
I do not know if this is viable for you, but some friends of mine have an absolutely not dailyable offroad, which they bougth for <1000 and use just for fun. You would need some space to store it off course, but then a buggy like vehicle might be a good solution.
I do not know if this is viable for you, but some friends of mine have an absolutely not dailyable offroad, which they bougth for <1000 and use just for fun. You would need some space to store it off course, but then a buggy like vehicle might be a good solution.
Edited by Dutchy00 on Monday 1st April 14:22
mikeyb1987 said:
Hi all,
I thought I’d update the thread- I’ve purchased a 2014 Freelander 2 GS. I’ve test drove quite a few over the North East but settled on a local car.
Many thanks for the suggestions. I’ll no doubt have questions on FL2s now!
Good vehicles. Petrol or diesel?I thought I’d update the thread- I’ve purchased a 2014 Freelander 2 GS. I’ve test drove quite a few over the North East but settled on a local car.
Many thanks for the suggestions. I’ll no doubt have questions on FL2s now!
Get some reasonable AT tyres on it and it’ll be just as good on road and very capable off. You might have to learn how to make the most of the traction control. It works brilliantly but best if you are smooth on the throttle. Don’t back off when it activates and flooring it in most cases won’t help either. Just roll into the throttle to make the system work as it activates. And you’ll be amazed at how capable they are on slippery terrain.
300bhp/ton said:
mikeyb1987 said:
Hi all,
I thought I’d update the thread- I’ve purchased a 2014 Freelander 2 GS. I’ve test drove quite a few over the North East but settled on a local car.
Many thanks for the suggestions. I’ll no doubt have questions on FL2s now!
Good vehicles. Petrol or diesel?I thought I’d update the thread- I’ve purchased a 2014 Freelander 2 GS. I’ve test drove quite a few over the North East but settled on a local car.
Many thanks for the suggestions. I’ll no doubt have questions on FL2s now!
Get some reasonable AT tyres on it and it’ll be just as good on road and very capable off. You might have to learn how to make the most of the traction control. It works brilliantly but best if you are smooth on the throttle. Don’t back off when it activates and flooring it in most cases won’t help either. Just roll into the throttle to make the system work as it activates. And you’ll be amazed at how capable they are on slippery terrain.
Cheers- looking at videos of them, it seems they’re pretty capable for a soft-roader. That was a crucial reason for buying one. The fact they’re good on the road and a nice place to be was also important.
It’s on 17 inch wheels (Goodyear Wranglers). I’m looking at some wheels for summer and putting some A/Ts on the 17s. Any suggestions for A/T tyres? I like the KO2s but they are probably overkill for what I need. I was thinking something like Geolandars would be a good compromise?
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