Which large 4x4 would you recommend?

[Andrewbutcher]

Hi all, we currently have a Sorento XT (58), we are looking to swap sometime in the next 6 months for a larger 4X4, Discovery, Touareg, Grand Cherokee, X5 sort of size.

We have had 3 sorento's without any problems what so ever, however, we have heard good and bad reports about all the above vehicles.

Any ideas or suggestions please?

Thank you for any advice,

Kind regards Andrew & Sally.

 

[Philspadders]

why swop if the sorento is fine and the others have bad reports.

Check out the DVLA sites for Recalls. Landrover are way up there at the top.

The x5 is just a tarty road big wags road car with zero offroad ability and a dire resale price.

The Touareg would be good, but on a 58 plate id stick with the Sorento.

 

[MikeA]

Hi Andrew and Sally,

When we looked around about three years ago we tried all the ones you mentioned but eventually bought a Volvo XC90. We have been very pleased with it and certainly feel we made the right choice for us.

We might well have bought a Touareg but for the second time in a couple of car purchases the local VW dealers were not interested in selling to us (said they would get their Touareg expert to ring us and we are still waiting). We also liked the X5 but at the end of the day we couldn't see where the extra cost was going so we couldn't justify it to ourselves.

You will find good and bad reports of all vehicles - the perfect one has yet to be made.

As part of the process I made up a "Three Year cost of ownership" spreadsheet and factored in realistic fuel costs for our lifestyle, quoted service costs from all the suppliers and road fund tax. That helped, but in the end what tipped it was how much my wife enjoyed driving the XC90 solo.

Just enjoy the selection process - it's always fun choosing a new car but sadly it comes too rarely in our life these days.

Cheers

Mike A

 

[Del_374232870]

I have been towing with a Grand cherokee 3.0 V6 CRD for 5 years and it is the finest tow car i have had. Yes the sorento is a fine vehicle but it cant compare on torque or hp. Comparing a straight 4 to a V6.

I tow a 1700kg delta 640, fuel consumpution is betwen 21 - 24 mpg and this is at a constant 60mph (dual cariage ways and motorways) which the GC will hold constantly even climbing the A30 to Sourton it has plenty in reserve, hit the bottom at 60 and cross the top at 60. For me the GC is the finest tow car yet.

Some may sa the sorento is the ultimate but how can you compare a straight 4 with a V6?

 

[Mikey1]

Philspadders do you own or have you ever owned an X5?

They tow superbly immense power the diesel is great and will get you off a grassy field serious off roading no but would you take a 50k car?

Others cant match its on road manners which dont change with a van on the back

As resale values go you are looking at 55-60% after 3 yrs which is very good because people want them.

Toureg not as good and residuals not great either,i would have a look at XC90's

 

[marlot]

I tried the cars you mention, but went for a landcruiser because I wanted reliability (and valued it over ulimate driving experience)

Loved the Toureg, which came a close second.

 

[rosebery]

We have recently purchased a Mitsubishi Shogun long wheel base diesel automatic not easy to find but is totally up to the job of pulling our twin axle ace jubillee van with no problems

 

[VIP640]

Ever considered a Landcruiser? second to none on reliability...

 

[emmerson2]

Like Philspadders, I cannot see the need to change if you're happy with what you've got. But, to each his own......

Have you noticed, though, that we all have "the best towcar we've ever had?"

Personally, old Classic V8 Range Rovers do it for me. I know they don't have "golf club" staus anymore, but after having five of them over twenty or so years, I now know them inside out, and by the time I buy them (the most recent bought in February, at 16 years old)all the problems have been sorted. Generally a bit of rust to sort out at each MOT, but a couple of hundred quid usually covers that.So I've got a supremely comfortable, capable towcar that will take me anywhere I want to go (like my 5 week euro-jaunts every year, mostly without even opening the bonnet), reasonable economy (LPG), no finance payment drain, and no huge depreciation cost.Oh, and of course they can be bought for about the annual service cost of a new 4x4, and usually last me about five years.

Unfortunately, though, the supply of good old RRs is running out, so I don't know what I'll be driving in five years time.

There is a very nice one on ebay just now though. I could buy it and moth-ball it for five years ..............

 

[MichaelE]

Why do people presume that just because you have a 4x4 you want to go off roading?

I have a road biased 4x4 and the first thing people say is "that is c**p off road"

I drive 25-30,000 miles a year around 3,000 of them towing,i never go off road,i bought the car for weight and stabilty and the all wheel drive assurance,why dont i get the same comments from my Audi quattro this is to a 4x4??

Wags car ,well you can put most 4x4's in that bracket!

 

[thursdays child]

I am of an age that NOW thinks,if the car is reliable and does the job and you have spent time and money to keep it that way, why take the chance of getting something you MIGHT have problems with?

However in the past I have enjoyed changing vehicles regularly.The searching and planning was always the best part as after a time the novelty wore off and I was looking AGAIN.!!! It all depends on the circumstances for each individual.It is fun tho!!

Thursdays Child

 

[Philspadders]

Mikey, yes and yes to your question. Its an overated very expensive WAGS car.

Its only any good on a slight grassy slope.

If fact , 2 years ago at Woodland Country Park in Devon chap wih an x5 had real problems getting up a graasy slope in the wet with his van and gave up.( no grip)

I hitched up my cheap little korean sportage and pulled his van up the slope without any difficulty whatsoever.(lots of grip).

 

[Philspadders]

when you drop 50% of the cars value within 3 years , and when you consider how much the x5 costs new, that is one heck of a lot of money to chuck away. So no, the residiuals are dire.

 

[Philspadders]

and depending on which model you buy from new then you could lose anywhere between

 

[Mikey1]

Grip on grass is related to tyres and the run flats arent great as they are road biased,but as already said i didnt get a 4x4 to go off road.

Many people tow with RR,Disco's,Sports, Ml's,XC90's and Touregs so im afraid alot of people arent putting their feet up in the Bahamas and are caravanning and you dont always have to buy new?

Yes it is alot of money to chuck away but they sell plenty hence the waiting lists so lots do chuck their money away.

 

[Martin_374319553]

I was looking for similar a few months ago.

However, performance on the road (in terms of engine) and good road handling as well as a small amount of off road ability were my main criteria. I had a soft roader once and absolutely hated it as it was rubbish on the road.

In the end I went for a 3.0 V6 TDi Touareg. Initially I looked at the X5 as I really don't need much off road ability and 4x4 alone with decent ground clearance is plenty. I owner a 530d before and really liked the performance and the X5 was just a beefed up 4x4 version. However, I was looking at 3 year old cars and the X5 was just way too expensive, under specced and not many had factory fit tow bars.

Then I stumbled upon the Touareg. Not quite as good on road handling as the X5 (but close enough), not as good fuel economy (not a serious issue otherwise you wouldn't look at large 4x4s), extremely capable off road should you want to (low ratio and locking diffs), very highly specced and quite easy to find one with factory fit detachable tow bar. The Touraeg also has a towing limit of 3,500kg. The clincher was that a 2007 X5 was

 

[Martin_374319553]

One thing I meant to say was that the low range gear box can actually be very useful when manouvering a caravan, especially on slopes. Where I store my caravan it's up a steep slope in reverse. Had the clutch burning on my wife's manual S-Max trying it once and the auto box on my 5 series was getting very warm too.

In the Touareg I just stick it in low range and it goes up backwards on tickover. I also don't have any worries about getting stuck on a muddy field (with the right tyres of course).

You'll find most X5's have massively wide tyres which really don't do it any favours in mud or snow.

A friend of mine lives in Yorkshire in quite a remote location. She said when it snowed everyone was out in their 4x4s and all the X5s kept getting stuck. Big wide run flat tyres ar enot good in those situations.

 

[Mikey1]

What an excellent comment to add to this topic

 

[ChristineandAlan]

Hi andrew & sally,

if you havent got any problems with your sorento keep it dont waste money ,you wont get a better tow car for value for money.i bought mine 2008 new ,i tow a twin axle its brilliant.All the Best Alan P/T

 

[Andrewbutcher]

Hi all,thank you for your comments and suggestions.....i think we are going to keep the Sorento for another 12 months, then have another look around, we are still quite taken by the Discovery 4 or the Touareg 3 ltr.

Martin, with reference to the Touareg, its only the 2.5 ltr version i have heard bad things about, (noisy underpowered engine) mainly.

Thank you again all,....Andrew & Sally.

 

[jmg12]

Philspadders its inverted snobs like you who really annoy me, you clearly have a stuck up attitude towards people who can afford to buy nice things. I'v owned several of the "wag" cars you mention I had a 2001 mercedes ML270 CDI, 2003 BMW X5 3.0d, 2007 audi Q7 3.0 tdi and now a 2010 Range rover TDV8. The X5 is an excellent car it drives brilliantly and towed as well as all my other towcars apart from my current range rover and I was never once stuck on any site with it and I'v been on some really muddy sites. If I ever wanted to go off road I'd buy a land rover defender, The range rover might be good off road but who would be mad enough to take a

 

[DomDom]

Quote: The range rover might be good off road but who would be mad enough to take a £60,000 car off road?

Erm, I do. That's what it was designed for. Maybe not the deep mud that Defenders revel in but some mud, green lanes and the odd deep ford. All in 100% comfort and luxury. Also used to do the same with my D3 V8 HSE.

 

[Mikey1]

Its down to choice what you want to do with your car,just because its a 4x4 doesnt mean you have to take it off road,funny though any signs of off roading in your 4x4 and your used value will plumment that includes the likes of RR and Disco's.

 

[jmg12]

Personally the money I paid for the range rover I wouldnt dream of taking it anywhere more extreme than a muddy campsite. I see It more as a car than an offroader, I would hate to think of any mud or rocks touching the underside of my car. I would have still bought it even if it had been rubbish off road, the reason I bought it is because its the best comprimise between a 4x4 and a luxury car and tows the caravan well

 

[Mikey1]

Well said