OT: 4wd Recommendations

[sparoz]

Hi guys

I know this is a BMW forum, but my wife decided we should get a 4WD. Thought this is my most trusted forum, might as well ask the question here.

We would be doing some offroad work, like getting to Double Island Point etc.

I am currently looking at either a Freelander or a Disco but really don't want to spend as much as the Disco, but probably somewhere in the vicinity of the 125i.

Any suggestion would be great!

[Richard135i]

My folks recently purchased a MY10 Freelander SE (3.2 6cyl Petrol) and they absolutely love it.

They haven't done much bush bashing yet, but what they have done the Freelander has taking it in its stride. A real 4WD not like the sorry to say X3. They compared it to the BMW X3, AUDI Q5 and VOLVO XC60.

The price was $52k ish on road, to help out with pricing and comparo. They have an SE Petrol with Metallic & Sunroof as the only options.

They were quoted around $72k (X3), $85k (Q5 V6 TDI), $70k (XC60 T6).

Good luck I hope this helps out a fellow 1er.

[RadiuM]

Nissan Patrol!

[Zen]

Freelander 2 diesel. I've drove one recently, and I'm in love with it. The engine is pretty responsive imo and sips about 7.5l/100km.

[WAY]

What sort of off-roading are you after? Just gravel etc or more serious stuff? Range Rover Sport Supercharged is what I would buy if I ever need to take the SUV off road. Oh wait, you said the price of a 125i...maybe not the Rangie then lol.

[Lukkyphil]

Toyota.... If you plan on actually using it as a 4WD.

If you are talking new then Prado. Else S/H Landcruiser 100 series.

I don't know about QLD, but over here up north its Cruiser or Patrol. The mines use mainly Toyotas so they make a pretty safe bet for parts / repairs in remote regions.

[d3syd]

Yes the LR Freelander is a pretty good choice. At least it has a bit more off road ability than the swag of soft roaders out there. Pretty spacious, relatively good on road handing, equipped with LR's brilliant Terrain Response off road system. I'd go for the diesel.

As for Disco, love it. Brilliant off road, great on road. The new D4 3.0 litre V6 diesel is a beauty. 600nm of torque. Yes Landcruisers, Prados, Patrols, Pajeros are all good plus probably super reliable, but they are a little too agricultural for me.

My D3 (and my previous D2) were as reliable as any car I've owned. So don't believe the talk of Land Rover making lemons.

[CeeJay]

Best bet for beach and soft sand is deisel auto to start with.
If you are looking new, SR5 Hilux or St-X Navara dualcabs or similar will do the job in the mid 60k price range.
Second hand ,low kays deisel Prado or Cruiser/Patrol will also suit budget ,but need to be careful on what off-road they 've done, plus the Cruiser and Patrol are a lot thirstier and more expensive to run. Stay away from petrol as resale is terrible and they are extremely thirsty.
I speak from bitter experience there!
As D3Syd said Toyota/Nissan and to a lesser extent Mitsubishi are super reliable and thats what you want/need in a 4WD.
Landrover has very poor resale and not a good reputation ,so if you go that way do your research.
There's a reason why the Hilux is the top selling car in Qld although the other models mentioned above have closed the gap in recent times.
If you do minimal 4wd then you may get away with a soft roader which opens up options far further than this post covers.
Any of the 4wd magazines will give you good info as well ,and also internet forums. Hope this helps a bit.

[takahashi]

I vote for Disco Diesel for style

Land cruiser diesel for an absolute off road beast.

[takahashi]

I vote for Disco Diesel for style

Land cruiser diesel for an absolute off road beast.

[Zuzu]

You only get ONE vote Taka...

[sparoz]

Originally Posted by WAY

What sort of off-roading are you after? Just gravel etc or more serious stuff? Range Rover Sport Supercharged is what I would buy if I ever need to take the SUV off road. Oh wait, you said the price of a 125i...maybe not the Rangie then lol.

This http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brb9xWV5L3U

serious - or may be more .

I wouldn't mind a vogue - but I think the sport would suit you better . That would compliment the x5m very well.

[sparoz]

Originally Posted by takahashi

I vote for Disco Diesel for style

Land cruiser diesel for an absolute off road beast.

Yeah... except I would have to swap the 135 over for the Disco... instead of the 125.

The cruiser is just a little too big for my wife to drive around.

Just looking to see if the Freelander might do the trick but the clearance is a little low.

[ND40oz]

I'd go with the Prado if I were in your position, especially if you want to do any real offroading and not just driving up a hill with a little mud.

[d3syd]

Originally Posted by sparoz

Yeah... except I would have to swap the 135 over for the Disco... instead of the 125.

The cruiser is just a little too big for my wife to drive around.

Just looking to see if the Freelander might do the trick but the clearance is a little low.

Nice video. I agree, the Freelander clearance might be a tad low for that. How about a Disco 3 S? Base model without air suspension or terrain response. Still a formidable off road machine and closer to your price range.

New Prado is smaller than a 200 series LC. But boy is it ugly. I'd go for a Pajero for that reason if the Disco is too expensive.

[WAY]

Originally Posted by sparoz

This

serious - or may be more .

I wouldn't mind a vogue - but I think the sport would suit you better . That would compliment the x5m very well.

I would suggest you go with a Prado/Disco for that as I don't think the Freelander is going to do it. How about a used Rangie? They are well priced. Check out the Topgear Bolivia special for some inspiration.

[sparoz]

Originally Posted by WAY

I would suggest you go with a Prado/Disco for that as I don't think the Freelander is going to do it. How about a used Rangie? They are well priced. Check out the Topgear Bolivia special for some inspiration.

The episode is awesome. I had a look at all the cars on the weekend, and pretty much down to the Freelander 2 or Disco 4 now. The only thing is if I am getting the Disco, I might have to trade in the 135i instead of the 125i . I am told by my wife I am not allowed to spend more on cars.

The Disco 4 S actually have the Air Suspension, and it should come pretty close to the value of the 135i.

What I have negotiated is that I can get the M1 to replace the 125i when it comes out. Well, at least for now anyway, she might change her mind later.

[MarkFC]

Sparoz

I had a close look at new Prado yesterday to replace wifes TD Prado. Yes they are are a bit hard on the eyes but that will change when more are seen on the roads. We use ours off-road, nothing extreme though, and I would only have a Toyota or a Nissan. As much as I would love a LR D4, I can't shake that bad reputation that still follows them (unfairly I reckon). The new Prado is getting up in price these days also, about $67 for TD GXL. You know that Toyota is screwing you, but I can trust that truck any day of the week, it is as tight now as what it was on the showroom floor 3 years ago. I would actually prefer to have less of the electronic stuff on a 4wd that all the aids they seem to have these days, less to go wrong. It doesn't make sense to me that the top end models have all the 4wd aids, and they are the vehicles least likely to use the technology?

[sparoz]

Originally Posted by MarkFC

Sparoz

I had a close look at new Prado yesterday to replace wifes TD Prado. Yes they are are a bit hard on the eyes but that will change when more are seen on the roads. We use ours off-road, nothing extreme though, and I would only have a Toyota or a Nissan. As much as I would love a LR D4, I can't shake that bad reputation that still follows them (unfairly I reckon). The new Prado is getting up in price these days also, about $67 for TD GXL. You know that Toyota is screwing you, but I can trust that truck any day of the week, it is as tight now as what it was on the showroom floor 3 years ago. I would actually prefer to have less of the electronic stuff on a 4wd that all the aids they seem to have these days, less to go wrong. It doesn't make sense to me that the top end models have all the 4wd aids, and they are the vehicles least likely to use the technology?

Yes, I was looking at the price again and the topline Prado has everything for the same price as a basic Disco. The main concern for me with the Prado is the engine and I can't shake the thought that it has a similar performing engine to my wife's ex-car the 120d but it is pulling twice as much weight.

And stepping into a Prado, just isn't the same no matter how up market they try to be. A base model Disco feels so much better than the same price Prado.

The electronic stuff would probably help us out as we will be new to offroading, so a 4wd for dummies will help.

As size is not a major concern, and if we are getting a crappy engine anyway, I might as well go to a Freelander. From everything thing I have read and see on the net, it is very capable as long as you take your precautions and it actually have a similar approach angle and better departure angle than the Prado.

In summary - every car has its good points so I need to refine my needs more. BTW, which Toyota dealer do you normally deal with?

The other option I have been looking at is a used Rangie Sport

[sparoz]

Originally Posted by Richard135i

My folks recently purchased a MY10 Freelander SE (3.2 6cyl Petrol) and they absolutely love it.

They haven't done much bush bashing yet, but what they have done the Freelander has taking it in its stride. A real 4WD not like the sorry to say X3. They compared it to the BMW X3, AUDI Q5 and VOLVO XC60.

The price was $52k ish on road, to help out with pricing and comparo. They have an SE Petrol with Metallic & Sunroof as the only options.

They were quoted around $72k (X3), $85k (Q5 V6 TDI), $70k (XC60 T6).

Good luck I hope this helps out a fellow 1er.

Thanks Richard - that would give me some idea of what their margin is.

[d3syd]

Originally Posted by sparoz

And stepping into a Prado, just isn't the same no matter how up market they try to be. A base model Disco feels so much better than the same price Prado.

The electronic stuff would probably help us out as we will be new to offroading, so a 4wd for dummies will help.


The other option I have been looking at is a used Rangie Sport

I'd have to agree there. Somehow Japanese 4WDs just don't have the feel of a Disco/RRover no matter how they try. A bit like comparing a Lexus to a BMW I suppose. The Lex has all the quality and appointments but somehow feels soulless and "Japanese".

As for off road ability, few 4wds can surpass a Disco straight off the showroom floor. Off roading is LRs forte and they are always in the forefront of innovation. They were the first to come up with hill decent control - now everybody has it. They also developed Terrain Response and now the Prado has copied the idea.

As for reliability, I have had no major problems with either my Disco 2 or 3. No doubt Japanese 4WDs are more reliable, but I would rather trade this off for everything else the Disco offers.

Would you rather drive a BMW or a Lexus?

BTW love the RR Sport. Smaller than a Disco, but very classy.

[MarkFC]

I totally agree about Toyota and Land Rover, I would have a D4 any day if I could justify the $$ they ask and get past their questionable resale value. Make no mistake, driving the Prado is like driving a bus, there is NO sportiness to it at all, and that's what appeals to me about it - as I said earlier it feels unbreakable. I haven't driven a D4 but from what I have read it is a good bit of gear and off road would leave everything else behind in most situations.