Which 4x4?

[Hudson1984]

Afternoon all,

we're now down to one car and weighing up options on what to add as number 2

I've been looking into greenlaning as something fun to do with my lad and tickering with the 4x4 afterwards/before seems like a fun thing to waste time on over the weekend too.

I'd be using the vehicle as my daily driver so want something that can handle a shop run, a motorway run and on occassion, putting through it's paces on a laning day out.

any suggestions?

circa £6k

I'd looked at Freelander 2, or perhaps a pickup? A defender always seems a good idea but I think the road side of life would be pretty uncomfortable.

[LimaDelta]

A Jimny will get you further off-road than most. Small, light, nimble, cheap, customisable. Pickups are big, Defenders are expensive (and cheap ones money-pits).

[300bhp/ton]

Hudson1984 said:

Afternoon all,

we're now down to one car and weighing up options on what to add as number 2

I've been looking into greenlaning as something fun to do with my lad and tickering with the 4x4 afterwards/before seems like a fun thing to waste time on over the weekend too.

I'd be using the vehicle as my daily driver so want something that can handle a shop run, a motorway run and on occassion, putting through it's paces on a laning day out.

any suggestions?

circa £6k

I'd looked at Freelander 2, or perhaps a pickup? A defender always seems a good idea but I think the road side of life would be pretty uncomfortable.

Defenders are fine on the road tbh, so long as you understand what they are.


As for a vehicle for you. Depends on a couple of things. Smaller vehicles are often better/easier off road. But less space and maybe not as refined or fast on road.

Laning is not normally all that challenging, but vehicles will be prone to getting scratched. Smaller is less likely to cause issues with damage off road too.

There are other activities you might find fun in a 4x4 such as trials events. But you may need a specific make/model to partake.


If you want to tinker and/or mod. You may also want to consider the aftermarket and if there are bits you can get for the vehicle.


Something like a Freelander 2 is an ok vehicle. Better off road than you may think, but they aren't a rugged 4x4. Trade off is good on road manners and more car like driving.

Personally I prefer something with low range, some lanes can be tight and you should never be in a hurry. Lots of the softroaders or crossover vehicles (like the Freelander 2) lack low range. I find they just don't have the control and low speed I'd want for many off roading situations.



Ultimately anything Land Rover is a good bet. Although watch for rust. Series, Defender, Range Rover classic, Discovery 1. All very easy to work on and maintain and loads of aftermarket parts for them. Although you will probably need to tinker a bit.

Range Rover p38, Disco 2 or even a Disco 3 are all highly capable too. But larger and more technical to maintain.


I'd also put a shout out for Jeep. Again loads of modding parts. Any of the older live axle models are superb off road, such as an XJ Cherokee, ZJ/WJ Grand Cherokees. The latter Grand is pretty good too or you might even find a Wrangler near your budget.


Suzuki Jimny's are proper off roaders too, watch for rust. But very good otherwise. The older Vitara can be made capable too.

Shoguns worth a look at this price point. Less bits for them, but good vehicles.


As for pickups. Nothing really wrong with them, but they are all very long and big. Which isn't ideal on a greenlane. And some aren't as good off road as you'd hope with stiff non flexy rear leaf suspension and compromised torsion bar front suspension. Apart from the hauling ability of the pickup bed a Cherokee/Range Rover would probably be a much nicer off roader IMO.

[Hudson1984]

good points all round.

I'm not really sure what I want to get involved with really, but greelaning seemed accessible.

Tbh I'm just wanting a fun hobby I can enjoy with my lad as he gets older, he's coming up to 5 and is really interested in mechanical things so something like this seems like a fun thing to bond with.

Being happy on the road is important as I'll use it for work trips (as long as it's not in bits!) so needs to be a bit of a jack of all trades which the Freelander or disco is, so I think Land Rover is the route to take.

Point taken with the pickup, look cool and probably decent at the job but doesn't seem the right fit.

[Pica-Pica]

Subaru Forester.

[ZX10R NIN]

Jeep Cherokee's are a good (you can get them a fair but cheaper than the links below) car for your usage:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202212312...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202301123...

3.2 Freelander:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107114...

[Bobupndown]

Freelander 2 is a surprisingly capable 4x4. I bought one 5 years ago after a Discovery 2. Rate it very highly. Great towcar too. Sd4 auto with 190hp is the pick of the bunch.

[Walter Sobchak]

If you want a Land Rover I’d personally go for a Disco 1/2, capable, and pretty basic and reliable, plentiful and cheap parts to mod.

Wouldn’t touch a Disco 3, or RRS, unreliable and can suffer numerous,expensive to fix problems.

Shogun or the smaller 3.0 Landcruiser D4D are also good picks and both reliable and capable but after market parts are less plentiful and more expensive than an old Disco.

Wether you go for something from Land Rover or Mitsubishi or Toyota check the underneath is solid and look for rust everywhere!.

[agent006]

Depending on where you live, it simply may not be possible to do any legal laning locally. It is well worth checking before you commit and find you can't actually use it anywhere. I'm in the Cotswolds and there's pretty much nowhere to go offroad on public lanes.

One thing to consider with 4x4 as a hobby is that the LandRover club scene is very strong in the UK and as such you'll have a lot moreTYRO and RTV type events open to you if you wanted to do something as well as green laning. If I still had my shogun, I'd be limited to 2 miles of lanes within an hour's drive, or pay and play sites that are also hours drive away. With a Landrover, I've got a local Cotswold club with frequent events, and neighboring clubs all running events regularly within an hour or so drive. There's very little club activity like this for non LR drivers. You might be lucky and have a non-LR club locally, but again, check before you commit to buying something.

[300bhp/ton]

I agree on Tyro and RTV trials. A lot of fun and probably the cheapest form of motorsport.



Land Rover scene is huge in the UK for this. Although a Jeep Cherokee (XJ) or Suzuki Jimny would be quite suitable, but less events and clubs.

If you want to get into laning, it is area specific. But there are a lot of good lanes still. Myself and some mates head off to Wales once a year for a few days.

[Hudson1984]

300bhp/ton said:

I agree on Tyro and RTV trials. A lot of fun and probably the cheapest form of motorsport.



Land Rover scene is huge in the UK for this. Although a Jeep Cherokee (XJ) or Suzuki Jimny would be quite suitable, but less events and clubs.

If you want to get into laning, it is area specific. But there are a lot of good lanes still. Myself and some mates head off to Wales once a year for a few days.

Looks awesome!!

does automatic gearbox kill the fun? I had a hip replaced and find an auto more comfortable on the road, which I imagine is a pain off road? but no experience to know

[agent006]

Auto is better in some ways offroad, easier to control the power at slow speeds etc, but they tend to have a higher low ratio in the transfer box and with the torque converter not being locked like a clutch they don't give as much control on descents. Some people rave about them, some people hate them. Just preference really.

[Hudson1984]

agent006 said:

Auto is better in some ways offroad, easier to control the power at slow speeds etc, but they tend to have a higher low ratio in the transfer box and with the torque converter not being locked like a clutch they don't give as much control on descents. Some people rave about them, some people hate them. Just preference really.

good to know, for me it's just more comfortable especially on a long drive. Left hip was replaced, so repetitive lifting and pushing on a clutch just aches so having auto is perfect.

[300bhp/ton]

Hudson1984 said:

Looks awesome!!

does automatic gearbox kill the fun? I had a hip replaced and find an auto more comfortable on the road, which I imagine is a pain off road? but no experience to know

Autos can be fine. My Range Rover above is an auto. I find manuals more fun, but no reason an auto couldn't work very well.

[300bhp/ton]

agent006 said:

Auto is better in some ways offroad, easier to control the power at slow speeds etc, but they tend to have a higher low ratio in the transfer box and with the torque converter not being locked like a clutch they don't give as much control on descents. Some people rave about them, some people hate them. Just preference really.

Probably depends on the make/model.

All traditional Land Rovers use the same low range ratio for auto and manuals. Internal gearbox gearing will be different.

Off road depends on the age of the vehicle. Older autos will have little to no engine braking. More modern ones like the P38a Range Rover or Discovery 2 onwards have the ability to lock the torque converter up in low range, which then gives more control and a lot more engine braking.

[Hudson1984]

300bhp/ton said:

Autos can be fine. My Range Rover above is an auto. I find manuals more fun, but no reason an auto couldn't work very well.

Should I be scared of a Range Rover? seems most people advise against them.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210090...

this is an option i'm considering, cheap thrills but looks smart enough for work life. The diff noise and window would need fixing but i'd hope for a relatively cheap repair....that being said, is it a can of worms with that mileage

[300bhp/ton]

Hudson1984 said:

Should I be scared of a Range Rover? seems most people advise against them.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210090...

this is an option i'm considering, cheap thrills but looks smart enough for work life. The diff noise and window would need fixing but i'd hope for a relatively cheap repair....that being said, is it a can of worms with that mileage

The Freelander 2 is a fine crossover SUV. But they are a bit limited off road. Its amazing where they can go, but they reply on electronics to do it. But they lack ground clearance, wheel travel and suspension flex. Making them very much a road vehicle that can go off road.

For me the lack of low range is really the deal breaker on something like the FL2. They have HDC (Hill Decent Control), but just won't offer the flexibility of a proper low range. For example, when laning we'll often just tick along in low 2nd. HDC will want you to go slower and 1st gear will be too quick.

That said, if this is the type of thing you have your heart on. I doubt much else will sway you.


The p38a Range Rover is IMO awesome and arguably the best variant of the Range Rover. But do go into ownership with your eyes open, they will need some fettling and maintenance. But offer a whole lot more than many vehicles.




Having said that. I do feel these are one of the best 4x4's all round.



Regret selling mine. 4.0 litre auto. Very comfy, fast, good handling. Very compact on the outside, but still a big boot and 5 seats. And capable off road. Had a 2+ budget boost lift and 31.10.50R15 mud terrain tyres.

[Hudson1984]

What i'm really after is something fairly cheap, ideally get 12 months out of it and re-assess. If I'm liking the offroading, I can go more off road bias, if not, go more road bias.

I don't want to commit loads into something I might not enjoy or use, we're actually going down to 1 car at the moment as we don't really need the 2nd one, I just fancy it to nip about in and hopefully something fun for weekends (I wouldn't use a sports car in all reality, weekend hobbies for me need to involve the family)

I do however want it to look ok when I rock up to the office. So need to be a little sensible which is what's leaning me toward the FL2, although I do get your view.

although I live in suffolk, we don't have too many hills here lol so don't need too much clearance.

[300bhp/ton]

Hudson1984 said:

What i'm really after is something fairly cheap, ideally get 12 months out of it and re-assess. If I'm liking the offroading, I can go more off road bias, if not, go more road bias.

I don't want to commit loads into something I might not enjoy or use, we're actually going down to 1 car at the moment as we don't really need the 2nd one, I just fancy it to nip about in and hopefully something fun for weekends (I wouldn't use a sports car in all reality, weekend hobbies for me need to involve the family)

I do however want it to look ok when I rock up to the office. So need to be a little sensible which is what's leaning me toward the FL2, although I do get your view.

although I live in suffolk, we don't have too many hills here lol so don't need too much clearance.

In that case, give the FL2 a go. Both my Aunt and cousin have FL2s, one a manual and one an auto.

I'd be tempted to rear up on the drive system for them. They use a Haldex based system I think. I've not really done much with the FL2's myself. I do part own a Td4 Freelander 1:


A very good all round vehicle.

[Hudson1984]

300bhp/ton said:

In that case, give the FL2 a go. Both my Aunt and cousin have FL2s, one a manual and one an auto.

I'd be tempted to rear up on the drive system for them. They use a Haldex based system I think. I've not really done much with the FL2's myself. I do part own a Td4 Freelander 1:


A very good all round vehicle.

what are your thoughts on the one I posted? Cheap thing, but it's round the corner from me.

I guess i'd be in for a new diff and some window repairs but looks an option