SUV / 4x4 recommendations

loskie

dacia duster
they are running one on the Pistonheads fleet worth looking at that thread.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1667647

Or a Ssangyong Korando

RichardD1970

If you want to keep to the same sort of sized car, how about the Fiat Panda 4x4.

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/fiat/panda-4x4-2012/

They are meant to be excellent.

Nasqueron

I've driven engineer cars at work, the CX-5 and Kia Sportage are both nice cars to consider, though I must emphasise this is not based on day to day driving. I drive a Mazda 3 which is a similar cabin setup to the CX-5 and can recommend that end, always worth a look even if you ultimately reject it

vikingaero

Tyres. In Nordic countries the mantra is winter tyres first, 4WD second. Obviously the cream will be a 4WD on winter tyres.

If I lived in Scotlandshire I would also get a spare set of alloys/steel wheel for the winter tyres. Sites such as oponeo.co.uk sell cheap steel wheels/winter tyres.

Have a look at some Youtube videos of shopping trolley SUVs with 4WD - some of them are appallingly bad especially with Haldex clutches that engage the 4WD system. You may as well not have 4WD on some as they fail to even get going.

Gloomendoom

My wife has a 3rd gen FWD Sportage. It's now due for replacement and we are looking for something with 4x4 simply because we need some genuine off-road (as in fields, not unsurfaced roads) capability. With winter tyres the FWD has been no trouble at all on snow covered roads, it just doesn't do soft ground.

ali-t

I have a freelander 2 which is ok but only 27mpg so not a good choice if you want something cheap to run.

JP1978

vikingaero wrote: »

Have a look at some Youtube videos of shopping trolley SUVs with 4WD - some of them are appallingly bad especially with Haldex clutches that engage the 4WD system. You may as well not have 4WD on some as they fail to even get going.

A few of the videos I have seen were staged - in other words not real world scenarios, but 'tests' designed to show weaknesses in the system that in real life wouldn't happen, or be rare. Seen them for a few different brands of SUV that dont have the proper 4wdLow transfer box.

Having said that, I dont see much difference in driving in snow between a Fiat Doblo van I had with winter tyres Vs my current Skoda Yeti 4WD with all seasons (Mich Cross Climate) - the van on winters was pretty impressive.

Couple of friends of mine have Dacia Dusters (just the cheap rent ones) and use them for work - they visit sites on hills, farms, rough tracks and often see pics of them on site - They rate them very highly - basic 4wd system but do have a better ground clearance than many others which at least does mean been able to keep some momentum going.

wba31

+1 for a CRV. Dependant on your budget the latest model has a 1.6 Diesel engine.

Do you even need 4x4? Not just decent winter tyres in the winter? I once went to a demo at Tamworth snow dome with a mate who works for a tyre company and watched a 3 series with winter tyres drive up the slope like it was bone dry piece of Tarmac...

Apodemus

vikingaero wrote: »

Tyres. In Nordic countries the mantra is winter tyres first, 4WD second. Obviously the cream will be a 4WD on winter tyres.

If I lived in Scotlandshire I would also get a spare set of alloys/steel wheel for the winter tyres. Sites such as oponeo.co.uk sell cheap steel wheels/winter tyres.

Have a look at some Youtube videos of shopping trolley SUVs with 4WD - some of them are appallingly bad especially with Haldex clutches that engage the 4WD system. You may as well not have 4WD on some as they fail to even get going.

Agreed! Perhaps the greatest problem with modern cars in the snow is the big fat tyres that don't maximise the grip. (I remember, years ago, gleefully overtaking a 3L Capri on a snowy hill in my 980cc mini!).

So while I am happy with good all-season tyres on my aged Volvo, if I was driving something newer with wider wheels, I might go for a set of narrower winter wheels, sized to accommodate a suitable winter tyre. Got to remember, though, that the two sets of wheels will show a difference in handling and adjust driving style accordingly. Probably also worth informing the insurance company if you are changing wheel size from manufacturer' recommended.

Shaka_Zulu

RichardD1970 wrote: »

If you want to keep to the same sort of sized car, how about the Fiat Panda 4x4.

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/fiat/panda-4x4-2012/

They are meant to be excellent.

You hardly need the 4x4 version 99% of the time. As said before tyre choice is important.

We are on our third Panda, it's a wee tardis.