What type of rear door is best on a 4X4?

[Thin White Duke]

Hello.

I am on the look out for a 4X4 which will be shared with my mum.

Now putting make and model aside for a moment which doors are the best/safest to use?

I like the idea of a full lift up door - that is it does not have a separate drop down tail gate.

My mum on the other hand would prefer a traditional opening door (they usually come with the spare wheel on the door).

I think the lift up doors are safer, easier to handle in bad conditions and you can shelter under them.

She has a Mitsubishi Shogun in mind while I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee in mind.

Any advice would be welcome.

[Troubleatmill]

How tall is Mum? Can she reach the up and over door?
There is a reason she is asking for things.

Grab a coffee and talk to her.
Go see some and try them out.

Could be some good Mum and kid bonding.

And..most importantly - give a little... let her get what she wants.

[cure]

Odd feature to depend your car choice on. I like the Defender's squeaky door, as well as the double tail gate of a Range Rover. Both have their charm and usefulness. I'd say look further then the rear tail gate, and live with whatever happens to come with the car you end up with.

[vexed]

Pics of the mum?

[shambolic]

My dog mobile (Mazda tribute) has a full open up the way door, but the top window half also opens up separately for placing stuff in boot!

[Thin White Duke]

Transporting dogs is one of our needs. They don't seem to like jumping into the rear of a 4x4 with a drop down tail gate, hence the need for the door to be out of the way.

My mum is against the lift up doors for some reason, possibly thinking they are more prone to going wrong?

[shambolic]

The tribute is great upwards full opening door and a half upwards to just place stuff in the boot. May be best type of boot for you!