Modern 4x4 are quite rubbish?
Discussion
Hi!
I'm looking for a compact sized suv for proper use. I was surprised how utterly un-usable new cars are.. This is little bit of general rant too. I'm not looking for a proper off roader, more like winter beater, dog carrier and good car for very bad roads.
Few things are must haves for me:
- Highly and easily adjustable cargo space
- Compact size
- Fairly comfortable
- Good ground clearance and good bad road manners
- Economical
Nice to have but not must:
- Good 4x4 system
I have looked a lot of small suvs and almost every model is rubbish. They have a too small cargo space/rear hatch, ground clearance is too low and they are quite bad to drive in gravel etc. I wonder why these cars are so popular, i mean like Toyota CH-R, Q1-Q3, Mitsubishi ASX etc etc.
I did find a few good ones, namely Suzuki Vitara/S-Cross, Dacia Duster and Citroen C3 Aircross. C3 Aircross was a big surprise for me, it is comfortable, has a good ground clearance and there is a plenty of usable room. Very clever car. It doesn't have a 4x4 but that doen't matter that much, good ground clearance is much more important to have.
What are other highly usable options? New Suzuki Jimny?
I'm looking for a compact sized suv for proper use. I was surprised how utterly un-usable new cars are.. This is little bit of general rant too. I'm not looking for a proper off roader, more like winter beater, dog carrier and good car for very bad roads.
Few things are must haves for me:
- Highly and easily adjustable cargo space
- Compact size
- Fairly comfortable
- Good ground clearance and good bad road manners
- Economical
Nice to have but not must:
- Good 4x4 system
I have looked a lot of small suvs and almost every model is rubbish. They have a too small cargo space/rear hatch, ground clearance is too low and they are quite bad to drive in gravel etc. I wonder why these cars are so popular, i mean like Toyota CH-R, Q1-Q3, Mitsubishi ASX etc etc.
I did find a few good ones, namely Suzuki Vitara/S-Cross, Dacia Duster and Citroen C3 Aircross. C3 Aircross was a big surprise for me, it is comfortable, has a good ground clearance and there is a plenty of usable room. Very clever car. It doesn't have a 4x4 but that doen't matter that much, good ground clearance is much more important to have.
What are other highly usable options? New Suzuki Jimny?
dme123 said:
If all you want is a normal car with an extra couple of inches ground clearance then look at things like the Volvo V40 Cross Country, or the Dacia Stepway models. No need for a fashion victim fake 4x4 look.
I like v40 xc quite a lot but it has way too small cargo space. It is tiny. Dacia Stepway is a good shout and i have never thought that...Thanks for replies guys. This is our 3rd car so i want to keep cost as low as possible.
I did test drive new Dacia Sandero Stepway + Duster and used Suzuki Grand Vitara models.
Sandero is a half good for small car. Plenty of space for it size (too small for me tho), good engine and good suspension for bad roads. However it is too nervous when driving in highway and in the end i propably want that 4 wheel drive for winter. It is true that FWD car is good in snow, but we live in the country side, so sometimes roads are not plought in the morning.
Dacia Duster was a good and honest car. Engine was good, ground clearance was good, suspension is comfortable etc. It is little bit of agricultural, but that doesn't bother me. It has adjustable 4 Wheel drive which is handy when you need it. It was surprisingly fun in gravel too.
Suzuki Grand Vitara diesel. This particular one was little bit of rough around edges. However it did have a low gearing 4 Wheel drive which is nice to have. Being an old diesel i'm not sure how reliable it is... Interesting option for sure. Fairly expensive car to buy. Any comments on this model? I know that diesel engines are not Japanese car makers strongest assets,,,
What about Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD? I looked one in my local shop. It is a big car with merc diesel engine. It feels solid, dependable and comfortable. Does anyone know how ruinous are these to own?
I did test drive new Dacia Sandero Stepway + Duster and used Suzuki Grand Vitara models.
Sandero is a half good for small car. Plenty of space for it size (too small for me tho), good engine and good suspension for bad roads. However it is too nervous when driving in highway and in the end i propably want that 4 wheel drive for winter. It is true that FWD car is good in snow, but we live in the country side, so sometimes roads are not plought in the morning.
Dacia Duster was a good and honest car. Engine was good, ground clearance was good, suspension is comfortable etc. It is little bit of agricultural, but that doesn't bother me. It has adjustable 4 Wheel drive which is handy when you need it. It was surprisingly fun in gravel too.
Suzuki Grand Vitara diesel. This particular one was little bit of rough around edges. However it did have a low gearing 4 Wheel drive which is nice to have. Being an old diesel i'm not sure how reliable it is... Interesting option for sure. Fairly expensive car to buy. Any comments on this model? I know that diesel engines are not Japanese car makers strongest assets,,,
What about Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD? I looked one in my local shop. It is a big car with merc diesel engine. It feels solid, dependable and comfortable. Does anyone know how ruinous are these to own?
I know it is too big for our 3rd car, but it is cool as hell. I wan't to keep costs as low as possible, but i don't need to, if you know what i mean. Interesting car anyway.creampuff said:
^ Have you figured out if you want 4x4 or if you want all wheel drive?
Only the Jeep and the Vitara are 4x4. There seem to be more negative reports about Grand Cherokees than other cars once they are a few years old, but I've never owned one so that is just what I've read. OTOH you get a lot of car for the money and at the moment if you buy new you get 0% APR and about £8,000 off before you even ask for more discounts.
No, i don't necessarily need to have a proper 4x4. They do have a few tricks in their sleeves which could be useful in tight spot, but i'm not sure do i ever need those... I have been in off road driving course but i don't drive off road in my free time. Mainly bad or really bad roads and maybe easy trails. So i think AWD with good ground clearance could be good enough for me.Only the Jeep and the Vitara are 4x4. There seem to be more negative reports about Grand Cherokees than other cars once they are a few years old, but I've never owned one so that is just what I've read. OTOH you get a lot of car for the money and at the moment if you buy new you get 0% APR and about £8,000 off before you even ask for more discounts.
ZX10R NIN said:
The Grand Cherokee is a good car as you already know it has the Mercedes ML running gear they're very capable & good cars.
Yes, 4 Wheel system, gearbox and engine should be a very reliable? Can you tell me what kind of car it is to own? And what to look when going to test drive?As i said earlier, it is a very cool car which feels quite rugged. MPG isn't great, but what i read it isn't complete hog either. I believe i can achieve 31mpg on the run. I don't drive in city that much which helps a lot, but on the other hand i drive almost 20k miles in a year in our 3rd car.
Edited by LasseV on Sunday 29th July 15:07
Slushbox said:
The current G.V. AWD gets good reviews but Suzuki UK have dropped all diesels. The new Jimny AWD is imminent, but is very compact. Also, Suzuki UK prices are a bit too high for many models. They often reduce them in the winter.
There's also the SsangYong Korando which is 'much better' than previous cars, says the press.
A lot Dacia Duster owners seem happy with them. I had a Sandero for a few months which was cheap, but not lovely, whereas the Logan estate DCi is one heck of a bargain. But not AWD.
The current Renault 1.5 DCi engines are very good but need a cam-belt, about £600 or so every six years.
Used Duster DCi models tend to hold their prices. There might be a few more on the market now the 2018models are here. Laureate DCi spec gets you the Nav unit, electric mirrors and so on.
New Jimny is interesting, old one is good too. Strong maybe. Being a really compact car is not that big problem, because Jimny can be modified to carry a lot of stuff. Need to thing about this. There's also the SsangYong Korando which is 'much better' than previous cars, says the press.
A lot Dacia Duster owners seem happy with them. I had a Sandero for a few months which was cheap, but not lovely, whereas the Logan estate DCi is one heck of a bargain. But not AWD.
The current Renault 1.5 DCi engines are very good but need a cam-belt, about £600 or so every six years.
Used Duster DCi models tend to hold their prices. There might be a few more on the market now the 2018models are here. Laureate DCi spec gets you the Nav unit, electric mirrors and so on.
Edited by Slushbox on Sunday 29th July 07:46
I will skip south korean ones. I know that they are good cars, but sometimes it is quite difficult to find spare parts etc.
Is there any other weak spots in Duster than cambelt? Cambelt is not that big problem for me, because i think i can change it myself. Or does it need some special tools ala Alfa Romeo?
Btw, i live in Finland. Our car prices can be quite crazy
And real winter etc etc...Edited by LasseV on Sunday 29th July 15:24
ZX10R NIN said:
There really isn't a lot to look for but check for oil leaks around the front of the sump as the gaskets sometimes leak.
Yes, i think i'm loosing my control about this… Does anyone know which is better choice for daily driver, WJ 2.7CRD or WK 3.0 CRD? I can do little bit of maintenance by myself and i know good yank motor specialist if that helps.Man maths: from Duster to Jeep.
I have decided that i buy either WK 3.0 CRD or KJ with 2.4 gas engine or 2.8 CRD. Now i just have to decide which is better for my needs. WK feels MUCH more ground up, like Mercedes or something. That is a good and bad thing in the same time. Strong engine.
KJ feels more toy, in a good way. 3.7 v6 was a peach but it does drink too much. 2.4 is guttless but not hopeless. 2.8 CRD engine is made by VM and thats the scary part TBH. Insanely expensive parts but fairly reliable i think.
Interesting times i have to say….
KJ feels more toy, in a good way. 3.7 v6 was a peach but it does drink too much. 2.4 is guttless but not hopeless. 2.8 CRD engine is made by VM and thats the scary part TBH. Insanely expensive parts but fairly reliable i think.
Interesting times i have to say….
Well, it seems that i have an 3rd option too. It is Jeep Patriot with a 2.4 gas engine. It would be the most economical to keep and drive. I have no idea how good 4wd system it has, because European model is little bit different than USD models. However, i think it is at least as good as Duster. Anyone here who have driven it or owned one?
Edited by LasseV on Friday 17th August 20:31
kurt535 said:
Find a mK2 honda crv 2.2 and don't look back.
my one got written off yesterday by a muppet of a driver and i'm absolutely gutted. by far the best medium 4x4 out there. mpg excellent; tows 1.5 tonne; carries everyone in comfort. reliability 100%.
am now praying a decent one comes up on auto trader because i will definitely buy again.
Yes, CRV is a great car but i don't like it that much as an SUV. Ground clearance is too low and 4wd system is not that good in the snow. It is too fwd biased system in my opinion. my one got written off yesterday by a muppet of a driver and i'm absolutely gutted. by far the best medium 4x4 out there. mpg excellent; tows 1.5 tonne; carries everyone in comfort. reliability 100%.
am now praying a decent one comes up on auto trader because i will definitely buy again.
I did test drive Patriot with 2.4 and CVT transmission. She was high mileage one, but i liked it a lot. 4wd system did work on gravel very well and cargo room was good. Tows 1.5 tonne so it is enough for me. I was little bit of impressed tbh.
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