Any reccomendations for 4x4's that have 7 seats?

code-a-holic

I currently own a citroen grand picasso which can not handle the terrain i live in!! At just 11 months old the suspension packed in and the dealer decided to mention then (not when i bought it from him) that it might not behave as well as it should in the welsh mountains using farm tracks often. Grrr!
So im having a look at 4x4 7 seaters. I have 4 children under 7 and about to be a emergency foster carer so need the seats. Also needs to be econmical as possible on diesel, i do about 20k miles a year on side roads so handling is also a big factor. The citroen has been awful on the ice here - never owned anything iv been scared driving on ice - want better in the next car.
Any suggestion to help in my search would be great!

Markyt

A 4x4 won't make any difference on ice. If anything, the extra weight will make it more likely to slide for further.

delain

I don't know much about cars but OH loved his Isuzu Trooper and that's what he'd suggest if he was here!

Good luck, and you're doing a great job with the fostering :T

code-a-holic

Markyt wrote: »

A 4x4 won't make any difference on ice. If anything, the extra weight will make it more likely to slide for further.

I think anything would be better than the picasso, 4x4 or not! I followed my neighbour home the other day, her in a santa fe, over ice and inches of snow. She was doing 40mph and had no problem, any time i went over 20mph the traction light was flashing, back end wiggling and wheels spinning. Tyres are all 3 months old too.

Lurchtheengineer

I don't think that 4x4 and economy can be said in the same sentance......I looked at a Discovery, a Toyota Landcruiser and a Range Rover,all do about 20-25mpg,i cant think of anything that has enough seats and good economy.
Sorry to hear the Citroen was so bad,good luck with your search.


Lurch.

Lum

As above, 4x4 will make no difference on ice, though it may help if you get stuck in the snow.

If you want something a bit less pretentious than the Range Rover type 4x4, have a look at a Mitsubishi Delica. It's based on the same platform as the Shogun but is more family oriented and less showy, but still just as capable off road as the Shogun.

Oh, and it's usually advised to turn the traction control off in snow and ice as it doesn't help. Check your car's manual to be certain though. I'd probably spend my money on a set of decent snow tyres before I spent my money changing my car. For convinience a set of cheapo steel wheels and some snow tyres should last you through a good 10 or 20 UK winters for an initial outlay of a few hundred quid and the hassle of swapping the wheels over when it snows and swapping them back a month later or whatever.

HO87

I've had both the Shogun and the Delica and driven various models around Scandinavia and the Baltic States for extended periods over the last 10 years or so - including during the winter. Personally, I'd always go for the Shogun but its horses for courses. You can sit 7 in some comfort though you may find that the slightly limited luggage capacity a nuisance but, don't get me wrong, there is still quite a bit of space its just relative compared with the acres of luggage space when you're only sitting 5. It has proved to be sure-footed (better than a Disco any time (and I hate being disloyal) and solid. The biggest drawback, from a family perspective, is the restricted internal access to the rearmost seats.

The Delica may well have been built on the same chassis as the Shogun/Pajero (although the newest model is based on the same chassis as the Outlander - none in this country that I've seen yet) but it is not as agile and nor does it cope with the worst weather as well as the Shogun. IMO it also has a decidedly top-heavy feel if it starts to go out of shape which can be slightly disconcerting. That having been said the conditions I've driven them in have been far worse than we see here even in Wales or the Highlands and it still copes well - just not as well as the Shogun. The upside is the better internal access which makes it far more family-friendly although it tended to be slightly thirstier than the Shogun.

As for switching off the traction control I would suggest that that would be a recipe for disaster for the majority of Average Joes. For keeping you going in a straight line its just the ticket and getting you over ice or snow is exactly what it was designed to do. The only time I've switched it off is when I've got stuck on a snowbank or manoeuvring on a large sheet of ice. Unless you're reasonably experienced in driving in these conditions then I'd suggest leaving it switched on and forget about it.

Snow tyres are excellent but they are designed to be driven just on snow and soon get ripped to shreds if you drive them for long on normal dry roads. Studs are even better and have seen me through all of the winters in Scandavia but are even less practical in the medium term than snow tyres. Chains, IME, are a waste of space and hugely expensive for what they are and should only be fitted for very short-term use. In situations where I may have considered using them I've simply deflated the tyres (not completely you understand) but then there aren't the same long hills and mountain climbs in Sweden or the Baltic as you may find in the Alps, for example.

Finally, as one more suggestion for part of the emergency kit in the boot a bag of cat litter (the granular type not the wood-shaving variety) is brilliant for improving grip in ice/snow and if that doesn't work try a couple of metre or so lengths of hessian-backed carpet (the foam backed types tend to break up whereas the hessian-backed ones will usually just crease).

MrsE_2

Markyt wrote: »

A 4x4 won't make any difference on ice. If anything, the extra weight will make it more likely to slide for further.

Lum wrote: »

As above, 4x4 will make no difference on ice, though it may help if you get stuck in the snow.
.

A woman I work with has a Lan Rover Disco & it has a special setting for ice;)

It makes it grip:D

marlot

If you really want a 4x4, the best is probably the 'smaller' landcruiser, which has 8 seats, but the rear 3 are really children only.

jeannieblue

My vote would go for the Land cruiser, biggest one if you can afford it! Avoid the Mitsubishi's - parts are horrendously expensive. And Land Rover haven't quite got their act together yet, which is a shame..

Premier_2

jeannieblue wrote: »

... And Land Rover haven't quite got their act together yet, which is a shame..

Well I wouldn't hold your breath.

Probably the most well known company to first produce off road vehicles, and still doing so today, and one which in independant tests usually beat all the competion for durability. (e.g. did you see Christmas top gear?)

Yeah stick with the cheap, foreign copies :rolleyes:

Land Rover - the best 4 x 4 x far!