which 4x4 to choose
 

i keep finding myself looking at 4x4's so im gonna treat myself to one but the question is.........which one?

i really like the range rover vogue around a 54 plate BUT ive read absolute horror stories regarding reliability etc which i was surprised to hear considering its a prestige marque, it was the petrol v8 i was looking at as i only do short trips so a diesel would be no good for me as it would just clog up and prove un-reliable

are they really that bad? airbag suspension giving up/v8 blocks cracking around the liners/auto-boxes giving up/ electrical problems including battery going flat after 2 days etc

all these things really put me off to be honest but it is the car thats at the top of my list.

next one would have to be the jeep commander 5.7L v8 around a 2006 plate but i would consider a cherokee 4.7L v8

also considered a bmw x5 v8 and a mitsubishi shogun sport

i wont do any off-roading and i only do around 5k a year so mpg doesnt interest me,i dont have kids or dogs so rear room isnt an issue although being a shade over 6 foot 8 means im needing quite alot of cabin room

i can budget anywhere between £5k-£9k

can anybody give their experiences with any of the above? is there a decent 4x4 forum i could use?

cheers guys

The cracked block/liner issue was only really on the original Rover V8 (and only ones bored out from the original 3.5ltr)

I believe they were last used in 2001 - in the face lifted P38

think i read of head gasket issues aswell

My mate had a range rover sport on a 2008 that was nothing but trouble, suspension and rear diff trouble, but my gaffers got a vogue on about a 2006 and its been a good motor, that said my mates not really mechanically minded and just gets in and drives it whereas my gaffers runs a garage so does look after his and hes not had much trouble with it.

I suppose it all boils down to how you treat and look after them. If you do get one change the rear diff oil as i believe the issue is land rover decided to paint the inside of the diffs before assembly and over time the paint flakes off and deteriorates the oil which eventually leads to diff failure.

The d40 navaras are descent but theyre diesels, the only major issues they suffer with are timing chains, however if you get one thats had the duplex chain fitted theyre pretty much trouble free, avoid the ones from 2005-2006 as the chassis on the rear passenger rail split, it wasnt as much an issue on the later ones as i believe they fitted reinforcer plates.

Navaras are to small inside.........in called shrek for a reason lol :D

I know your a big lad i saw your bodybuilding expo thread:lol1:

Have you sat in a d40, i found them to be about as big inside as a range?

Land Cruiser Amazon:thumb:

Would not touch any single car in the Land Rover/Range Rover line up despite gagging for a Range Rover as a dream car for me.Just my personal view and stories I have heard from friends who have them

To be honest no I haven't I'm just basing my guess on it being the same as a hi-lux/ranger which are pretty small inside.

as it's a pick-up truck I'm guessing they are all similar inside size wise

Try one out, i think you'll be surprised:thumb:

I have some time off work soon so I will try and get a few test drives sorted.

Any other recommendations on a 4x4?

I like the commander v8

Ford F-150 supercharged:D

BMW X5 unless going off-road, Range rover if going off-road.

No 4x4's are reliable IMO

yes, but I think it was related in some way to the "liner" issue

I don't think the Amazon would suit such low mileage tbh and I suspect its road manners are not in the same league as the competition (off road and on the rough different story)

Hi mate I've just bought myself a 2004 facelift Mercedes ml350 petrol/lpg, I was looking at td5s and x5s and jeep cherokees, the merc is more like a car that a jeep driving wise, acceleration is like a car too, I won't be doing any offroading, plus it has 7seats and fully loaded
Just to add I've owed a td5 s2 and had no end of problems, my friend has a l322 that's sat on his drive with a electrical alarm fault that nobody can diagnose

Nissan Pathfinder, both diesel and petrol variants. I have the diesel and have done lots of short journeys and it's been a fantastic 4x4 for me. I'm a short ar$e compared to you at 6'3 but I find it very spacious inside, i'd highly recommend you look at one just for comparison if nothing else.

We have two X5's in the family. They are 4x4 but not off road! On road they have amazing handling, much better than any other apart from Porsche. Ours are 3.0 diesels, remapped they go better than you'd think, 26mpg from mine no matter what you do with it.
The wife's has 130,000 miles completely reliable. Mine has had rear suspension issues, fixed with sensors, and the heater fan plays up. I chew through tyres and she doesn't. I wonder why?
A 2006 3.0 SD twin turbo has 350 bhp and 500 lbs ft when mapped stage one!
Personally I wouldn't bother with a petrol V8.

thanks for your input, its such a shame about the range rovers as they look great in my opinion

will check them out thanks

one more thing is that i dont want something really really slow hence the v8 petrol 4x4's on top of my list

thanks alan

i do like the x5's, do they have the airbag set-up like the range rovers? any issues with autoboxes?

cheers

Shoguns are pretty good, the diesels can be made pretty quick for not much money.

i do like the shogun sports

I think you need to trawl a few 4x4 sales pitches and drive a few, itll help make your mind up:lol1:

Ok, I'll throw in the wild card - Volvo XC90! However, if you go for the diesel automatic, you'll be best with a remap to eliminate the lag when pulling away from standstill.

I've just gone into the 4x4 thing..

Got a 62 plate X5 M50d..

Handles a dream considering the size and goes like stink...

Must say I'm very happy with it..

Alan..

They do a 4.4 V8. It's the engine Noble use in their 200mph+ weapon (albeit with a couple of turbos added)

http://www.carpages.co.uk/used-cars/...79466_16329873