4x4 but not a pickup.

Munty_Hunter

Well-Known Member
I'm looking to change my car and 4x4 for an all rounder. Due to still needing to do some quite long distances I've decided rather than a pickup I'm going to go for either a CRV, Xtrail, Rav4 or similar. I intend to be able to use the whole rear area for a large dog box or carcass tray and just replace the rear seats when needed.

Does anyone have one of the above or similar and be kind enough to give their opinion with this use in mind?
 
I test drove the Jeep compass,, Honda CRV,, VW Tiguan, Kia sportage, Ford Kuga and a few others last week.
Best of the bunch was the Jeep compass

Then I bought a Mitsi L200
 
X-Trail = Nissan
CRV = OAP
Rav4 = Hairdresser

....so the RAV is perfect for you.

X-Trail, yes, Mitsubishi Outlander is another option. All depends on your other requirements of price, age, mileage, budget - and just how capable an off-roader you want. Suzuki Grand Vitara is meant to be very good off road for example - has proper low range/diff I believe
 
Have a look at a freelander 2,

the wifes does 40 mpg tows well, (not at the same time) and has room in the back for several dogs/deer.
 
I haven't driven one, but everyone I know who had says the CRV is the best to drive on-road. Does 40 plus mpg and handles like a "normal" car. Nice big boot in there too. I'm trying to convince the wife we should get one...
 
I am sort of there. We inherited a Renault kangoo with snow and mud tires - works a treat around the farm. 4x4 version would be brilliant. We also have an Audi a4 allroad - awesome machine. 40mpg with roof box and full of skis 3 adults for a long trip to the alps. Will go happily up muddy tracks etc. and reasonable load space. If I was going to be carrying lots of deer I would get a tow bar box. Subaru Forester is also well worth a look now is a diesel.
 
Mitsubishi shogun swb go like S*it off a shovel, pulls like a train, and handles well..... but still a defender 90 pick is much better.....

charlie
 
Have a look at a freelander 2,

the wifes does 40 mpg tows well, (not at the same time) and has room in the back for several dogs/deer.

My wife has a Freelander 2 and it is a cracking vehicle, before i got my Defender I used it on the shoot a few times and was impressed by the traction on road tyres and it drives superbly on the road, IMHO much better all round than the X-Trail. Best mpg we ever get is about 34mpg and that is with my wife driving it like a, well, girl.

Martin
 
I bought an X-Trail for similar reasons - looked at a serious off road vehicle but decided that the truth is that in 99% of situations you are either on the road or a decent(ish) track or else 1% of the time you are on ground that no "normal" 4X4 will cross anyhow. I've found that my X-Trail will take me almost everywhere I've needed to go and the places it can't go nothing but an argo/quad can go. Of course there is ground "in between" that a hilux or similar will cope with but it is just that I don't encounter it in my fishing/stalking often enough to make owning such a vehicle worthwhile.

The rear load area is huge once you put the seats down, even with them up the boot holds all my stalking gear and a dead sika and with them down my carcass tray and Bushwear portable highseat easily fit in the back.

One big drawback of the X-Trail was that there were almost no all terrain tyres available to fit if it had 17 inch wheels but this situation has now been resolved. I run mine on Yoko AT-S and find them great with no down side in normal on road driving.

I do about 15000 miles per year, with about 20 miles per week being "off road" on forestry tracks, peat roads and the like. My current average MPG is showing 38.9 but the AT tyres seem to hurt it a bit and with differences in size plus rolling resistance I'd guess they knock maybe 5 MPG off what I was getting on the factory fit Dunlops. On a long, easy, run I can average over 50MPG. Even a main dealer service is relatively inexpensive and it has every comfort and gadget that I'll ever need, the pull out drawers below the boot look like a gimmick at first but now I couldn't survive without them.

I'm seriously disappointed that they are releasing a new X-Trail which looks a lot softer and less roomy in the boot department and to be honest, after looking around, there is nothing out there that quite serves the same purpose as the X-Trail. I usually change my cars on a regular basis but have kept the X-Trail for 4 years now and can find nothing better or nothing that will replace it and so it is staying.







 
Thanks for that Caorach really useful stuff. the X-trail sounds like the best off road option while the CRV best on road.

As for you Eric, even if I was a hairdresser I wouldn't want to deal with that ginger/grey mop of yours :D.
 
Avoid landrover at all costs

Freelander is possibly the worst 4x4 I have ever owned, it swore me off landrover altogether, but mind the rest were crap as well.

Kangoo 4x4 is a good shout.
 
Thanks for that Caorach really useful stuff. the X-trail sounds like the best off road option while the CRV best on road.

As for you Eric, even if I was a hairdresser I wouldn't want to deal with that ginger/grey mop of yours :D.

Then that, at least, is something we can both be grateful for!!

Since the RS6 doesn't have quite enough ground clearance, sounds like X-Trail might be just the job.
 
what about a nissan terrano ,think they stopped making them in 2006
good ground clearance and a proper low/high box
 
Shogun 4work LWB for me as well, can get over 30mpg on a run up to the Borders-room to sleep in back as well if necessary!
 
Our Freelander has been no trouble whatsoever, the only issue is fuel consumption which is about 34 local and 38 long distance with the auto box. Had several disco's prior to that and never had any major issues.

Phil
 
I have had my CR-V for just over 3 years, I seriously considered a defender and a Freelander but the CR-V won on all counts, it drives like a car but has enough off road capability for my needs. It is brilliant in snow and I have never got it stuck even in deep mud in fields.

Really comfortable, will cruise at motorway speeds (and above if you were so inclinded) with the cruise control on all day. Loads of room in the back and a big boot with a really useful shelf dividing it halfway which means my dogs sit on the shelf and I still have a lot of boot space. Easily fits all my shooting or fishing gear in for a trip, including beach rods with 8ft tips as the 3 rear seats all fold down independently, can be slid forwards or backwards or can be folded down and flipped forward.

36mpg commuting into town for work and 40+mpg on a run (2.0L petrol).

I keep being tempted to change it, but can't really justify it as it does everything I need it to, it's full of mud, filthy on the outside and there is a small(ish) pool of blood in the boot somewhere under pairs of boots, coats, dogs training dummies and empty cartridge boxes...probably not quite how Honda intended it to be used but it suits me! I may even wash it this weekend!

In the whole time I have had it, apart from replacing a dodgy battery and usual maintenance it has needed nothing doing to it, it now has 70K on the clock.
 
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