J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Now I am not a hater of 4 by 4's, they have their place and I do support the right of the individual to have the choice, but I am increasingly thinking they have had their day.

Anyone else think that Cayenne's, Range Rover Sports, X5's, Touaregs, XC90's etc just look a bit old hat and irrelevant these days, there are so many about and fuel is expensive (not as expensive, but it will go up again thanks to OPEC). Very few go off road and are generally rubbish due to the wrong tyres, in France I watched a 25 year old Renault 5 on snow tyres drive past a brand new British registered X5 which was stuck in six inches of snow.

Are people still buying them in their droves or are there fields full of them ? are a fair proportion of those driving them doing so because they cant sell them on ?

Am I bang off the pace in thinking a Range Rover sport on 22 inch rims doesn't look the slightest bit cool any more, it kind of did for about a month three years ago but now just looks a bit naff ?

What will the people who bought them buy now, if I am not talking out of my **** ?

Steve vRS

I support them wholeheartedly. I want to see plenty sold and to see the press call them gas guzzlers.





As long as they do this, the greens will fail to spot that performance cars emit CO2 as well. And I do care about them.

Steve

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Yes, I do think that once the 4 by 4's are dealt with it will be anything with superfluous horsepower that will come in for stick. That said, the Tesla looks ace and emits 40g/km and runs on volts.

paulwrxboro

i loved my RR SPORT and it did 27 mpg compared with the 17mpg of the scooby and was cheaper to insure than my scooby

id have another tomorow not cos it looks cool,because its a great luxury car

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

How come you got rid, 27 mpg isnt bad, I had been told it was much less than that.

scarey

also these cars have a high profit ratio for the manufacturers so if you kill them off to stay profitable they will have to put the price of the "basic" models up making motoring more expensive for everyone.

Same with the "halo" models of any manufacturer.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

fuel gauge was bust

Torquemada

My step-mum has a RR Sport. I told her it was bleedin nice but also a ******* stupid car for her to own as all she does is drive around town.
My dad loves it, spends more time driving that just to be a **** rather than his S4 (he still drives like a to55er in that too though ).
Ah, you can take the man out of Castlemilk.....











For the southerners Castlemilk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

dpb

I can sense your falling for an X5 J4cko - for your days off.

dont do it , instead parade aroud your neighbourhood in your bell-bottom purple plus 4's and jacket to match '

or buy a land rover , if your serious about off -roading

Wenker Man

As a driver, who likes driving his cars I have never understood what the draw is to want one of these prestige 4x4/SUV cars over a decent car.

Its not because they drive any better. In general comparison with a similar engined car, they are slower, don't handle so well, don't stop as well, they are heavier, use more fuel, and unless you like cars that drive like boats, generally not as nice to drive.

Its not to be unique as they are almost all the same drab colours with tints and big wheels. And its not to blend in either, as its not exactly a Mondeo.

I suppose its all down to fashion. But then if women all want to be seen in a in the same SUVs, then why do they go mental if they turn up to a posh party in a nice expensive dress to find some tart has turned up in the very same dress? If the car is part of the fashion statement, then why on earth drive the same car as some cheap tasteless footballer's WAG? Maybe I've hit the nail, some probably do want to look like a footballer's tart?

Meanwhile, I'd rather waft along in a XJR/XJ8 or E55/65 AMG than a Range Rover, both better built, cheaper and better on fuel (presuming I had a petrol engined RR). And if I needed a boot, a E55 Estate or 530 Touring. Need 4 wheel drive? A6 Allroad or H6 Legacy. Diesel? well that option exists in most guises too.

Sadly they don't have the driving position of a Ford Transit which the market seems to demand these days, nor the image. I say sadly, when really I mean fortunatly, because the used prices for those cars I just mentioned are peanuts in comparison. So that is another point over a four wheeled fashion accessory.

tath

They're driven by complete and utter burks.

I've got an old Disco because I need it tow the Scooby and so I don't get stuck in the winter/rain/sheep blizzards. I live in the country so it's ok, ok?

Klaatu

A FIAT Panda 4x4 also get slugged with that "4x4" tax. Gas guzzler that it is (Isn't).

When I got my brand new spanking LandRover Discovery in 1994 I was invited by the dealer to an "off road" day. There were about 6 customer "Disco's" including mine. My one was the only one scratched and covered in mud!! The only clean bits were where the windscreen wipers cleared the mud off the screens.

GC8

Tath, this will help you to avoid getting stuck in the sheep in future:

tath

Curses 2:32am, if it wasn't for you I'd have a witty response

r32

I still think the consumer is King. Let them buy whatever they want. Fear the day when free choice goes out the window ...........
4 X 4's have the image of wasting fuel and high emissions. When they've banned them they'll start looking at other high emission vehicles .......

lozgti

We've got an X Trail.

Ok,baby 4x4 but great.Wipe clean inside for the kids ,lovely comfy ride,heated seats,leather.Worth about a £1 mind so we will be driving it now for the next 10 years..oh,and about 30+ to the gallon

The emissions thing is a load of nonsense.If people subscribe to it and continue to do so it will be like a chap said on the radio last night.............. "It's like five to midnight for cars in the western world"

This is not about 4x4's.Its an attack on all motorists until we all drive the dreaded 1.2 or worse,don't drive at all.

Talk about mankind going backwards.No cars,no streetlights and save the seal people taking over the world (note...I do like seals)

Gordo

kids is often the driver - we were coming back off holiday the other day with 3 cases and a push chair (two adults, one toddler) - mercedes E class couldn't fit all 3 cases in the boot - one case and the push chair ended up sandwiched in the front passenger seat. back home we chucked the lot in the boot of our 4x4 at the airport with room to spare. with another child I don't see there's an option except for a 4x4. Hence lots of them on school runs etc.

Ours is a honda crv (so not the biggest 4x4 but only just big enough for the 3 of us) - does 37mpg vs my P1 on a bit less than that

I keep saying it, but population control is the answer, not CO2 emissions!

Gordo

Wish

iTrader: (2)

I have just part exchanged my wife 56 plate X3 2.0d sport. It was a fantastic car, returned 44mpg on a run and between 34 and 38 around town, it was better on fuel than her previous C class 220d estate.
It never went wrong, and did the shopping run well. It was lovely to drive and made the occupants feel safe.
Why did we sell, it was time for it to go, it was coming up for 2 yrs old, and had done 14,700 miles. I would have bought another one in a second, but it was all down to value .... the X3 dropped its price like a stone in the second year of ownership ............ I have never lost so much money on a car.

Second hand wise, its a no brainer .... for £15k - £17k its an ideal car and will last years and years with out a problem. The dealers are also excellent.

So what have we replaced it with ?? well virtually the same car, without the 4x4 system (the PC model) a 320d M Sport Estate with the new stop start engine (efficient dynamic engine)

If you want a 4x4 go for it ..... she enjoyed hers

stilover

Agree.

TBH, I'd love an X5. 3.0TDI is the one I'd have.

pwhittle

I've recently bought an ageing Mitsubishi Challenger, mainly for towing, winter trips to the Lakes where the Modeo gets a bit sketchy, and when I need to cart the studio around (the boot's even bigger than our old V70).
It'll only do about 4k a year, just as well at 25mpg.
It's slow, handles like a boat, smells of fried chips, and at nearly 17 foot long not hat great to park, but I prefer it to the Mondeo. Much more relaxing to drive, great visibility, the little 'un can see out of the window for the first time, and as I bought it trade for £1600, it isn't going to loose much.

Still un-pc though, and due to a parking shortage, currently sinking into the front lawn.

For the first time I can see the attraction of RR / X5s etc, though I'd never buy something which dropped in value so quickly - I'm far too tight!

Devildog

What 4x4 tax does a panda get hit with?

Its all co2 emission based.

We run a SWB 3.2 diesel shogun that gets better MPG than wifes last car that was 2 tax bands lower.

Why? Because we live in the highlands where a foot of snow doesn't mean life grinds to a halt. Quite the opposite infact.

The big question is, though, would we keep it if we moved to somewhere where 4wd and good ground clearance wasn't so useful?

Absolutely. Bags of space, brilliant for the dogs (and much safer than any estate car if we get rear ended by anything smaller than an HGV). I can't fault the thing and its a laugh a minute to drive with massive torque from tickover, especially on todays overcrowded roads. Importantly, although its not an issue where we live, other road users just don't take the **** with cuttion out/cutting in/right of way, etc, etc, etc when confronted with over 2 tonnes of Shogun.

Would I have a luxo barge 4x4? Probably not, but then I wouldn't waste the money ona luxo barge "ordinary" car either. But if I had to, I'd go big 4x4 any day, and have a caterfield/exige etc for fun days out.

Trying to convince yourself that something like an AMG/M5, etc, etc is a drivers car as a reason to buy one rather than an X5 for example, just demonstrates that you don't actually know what a true driver's car actually is.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

I don't get this at all. How was it 'time for it to go'? It's still under warranty, the engine is barely run in, you even said you'd have another one in a second - so what possible reason could you have had for selling the car you already have?

Wish

iTrader: (2)

I dont tend to keep a car for too long. The new X3 is due sometime soon.
This is the longest car we have kept, we normaly change around 9 months to a year old and 6 or 7k on the clock.
It works for us....

Skoobie Dhu

iTrader: (3)

I've an 07 X5 3.0 Diesel.

Plus points over my Sti

1) Fuel consumption, typically 31 mpg, have managed 36.5 mpg while touring
2) Tyres last between 20 and 25k miles
3) First service was 19k miles for an oil change
4) Most comfortable car I've driven - getting on a bit now (44yrs)
5) Potholes not a problem (destroyed a rim on my Subaru)
6) Higher driving position - unless you've experienced this you won't appreciate how much safer it feels especially on rural roads
7) Autobox in heavy traffic makes town/city driving bearable.

Tried the Q7, Touareg and XC90 but the X5 handles and drives like a big sporty estate, all the other just feel clunky and unweildly.

Luan Pra bang

Cars are all about how they make you feel and for some a luxury 4x4 makes you feel special how ever vain that may be.
I drive a friends porsche a fair bit and while its nice I struggle to drive it in a sensible way it seems to want to go quickly all the time and hold ups make you impatient. Step into a Rangerover and you feel more relaxed and patient.
I actually have a ten year old Omega v6 at the moment and in terms of smoothness and a nice drive it was better than the new range rover I was driving last week but I know which I would rather own.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Interesting responses, I can sort of see the point from what a lot of you are saying, I do actually like the X5, big handsome beast, just in Cheshire its a bit of a predictable purchase, we went for a traditional people carrier and got a Ford Galaxy Ghia, could have gone for an XC90 or X5 but it didnt do anything extra that we need.

Sometimes I do get p1ssed off at four by four drivers, most are driven ok but when you are on a bike they are that bit more intimidating so perhaps thats my issue, also some of the crew cab pickups and Range Rover Sports etc are driven very badly round our way, saw a woman fly past our kids school, so fast she overshot the turn and went onto the unmade road and reversed without looking, I see them aiming between lines of parked cars at 40 mph with no regard for safety as long as they are safe, so perhaps the problem is the drivers, not the cars as they would behave badly in anything, its just that these things weigh up to 3 tonnes and have a lot of easily accessed power, long travel suspension so it allows you to fly over speed bumps safe in the knowledge that if you hit something you will bash it out of the way. I think they are a bit too isolating, high up, well insulated and very simple to operate, a Land Rover 110 requires several miles, a slight slope and a tail wind to reach 60 wheras some of these things will do it in six seconds or not much more just by flexing your right foot, all very quiet and serene from the cabin but alarming from outside, nothing like a faceful of turbo diesel fumes when on a push bike.

Flatcapdriver

Nail. Head. Hit.

Unfortunately, this is the thin end of the wedge which was tapped into by HMG via the classic British envy syndrome for which Blair & Co saw as an easy way of raising taxes.

Get the population all riled up about yummy mummies swanking round in their 4x4s, unveil new taxation levels aimed at said Chelsea Tractors and watch the gullible electorate swallow it completely like good little sheep.

Fast forward a couple of years and said electorate suddenly wakes up to find their own cars have been included in the new tax bands and whammo - watch the Exchequers' coffers fill up to the brim.

I didn't have much time for Blair but I take my hat off to him in terms of manipulating the population because he played a few blinders in his time.

Klaatu

Well, the 4x4 version of the "Panda" is at least 20 pounds more costly than the "normal" version, given that the 4x4 version is hardly a "gas guzzler". The point is that focusing on "4x4's" really is a "pollitical point" scorecard for the greenie types. I get better ecconomy out of my 2.0l 4x4 Impreza than I did out of my 1.6l 2x4 VW Golf! Better ecconomy = lower Co2 emissions (Not that Co2 is really an issue anyway form an AGW PoV anyway).

Torquemada

Tell that to Wenker Man. His posts are plain hilarious and he has delivered yet again
It is all about choice, as ya say. If ya don't like them, don't buy them, if ya don't like what's on telly, don't watch it, etc. etc.