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lomb · 11-01-2005, 10:18

exactly subarus are great except they still dont look right.
also the interiors are designed by cartoon characters. i was in a top spec wrx imprezza and to say the least i thought it was ugly, with a crap interior.
this is not to say its isnt suberbly engineered which it is but it still doesnt look right.
ur right about the pajero, handles like a pig and goes like one as well.

**unkel** · 11-01-2005, 11:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Interceptor

The Freeloader

LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by lomb

exactly subarus are great except they still dont look right

doh don't like the look of any myself - please don't kill me Scooby fans

Shank · 11-01-2005, 11:23

Lomb: only have bout 16k on it, but know a couple of people with 30k + on theirs no probs for them either.

Interceptor: what do ya mean under engineered, are you mistakingly thinkin that a freelander is supposed to be a fully fledged offroader. On the Subaru's 4x4, I have no idea on these other then there not being many about.

lomb · 11-01-2005, 11:38

no offense but theres a hugh difference between 30000 and 100000+

Shank · 11-01-2005, 11:54

True enough but like I said if this was a problem vehicle it has more then likely been sorted by now, as Land Rover are generally good in sortin stuff out.

thetourist · 11-01-2005, 12:27

a guy i know had a frontera for a few years and loved it - thought it was a great jeep - he changed to a freelander and had that until it was about 5 or 6 years old - never caused him any trouble - his next car was a pajero which he had for about 2 months before he got rid of it because he hated it ???

freelander 1.8 petrol vs 2.0D -- i have researched freelanders a lot and practically every review i have read of the petrol is bad and of the deisel is good !!!!

Quote:

Your post that you feel the Honda doesn't look like a 4WD really prompts an answer to above question...

i suppose i mean that it doesnt look right in general. - like it's a car pretending to be a jeep. i dont know if i would trust it offroad anymore than i trust my present car .i know that the forrester is a bit like this too - but i like subaru a bit -- and they have good reviews --- I have many reasons for wanting a 4*4 - i live halfway up a mountain and the roads are ok but not great -- potholes etc and also i want to feel a bit more confident pulling into the ditch every time i meet a tractor or somthing which happens 20 times a week. also i want to feel a bit safer wrt snow and ice - on top of that even though im not exactly into off roading ( though i might if i had something that could handle it ) i like taking back roads/scenic drives and i have a couple of times in the last year ended up on a road which was undrivable by a normal car ( at least when i'm driving ) -- also my work often means driving up country lanes etc etc .....

anyway - is this enough reason or am i a plonker

cerebus · 11-01-2005, 17:57

I'd recommend a Forester as well - currently on our second, and still loving it. (I fear we have been assimilated into the Cult of Subaru - my wife is talking about waiting for Subaru to produce a minivan before we have another kid)

Great performance - and you grow to like the looks. We have driven it in all kinds of conditions, including logging roads in the winter where we have had to pull over for snowmobiles. Never had a problem.

Maybe check out the Forester XT for some turbo-charged action - more or less a WRX with a boxy body.

ambro25 · 11-01-2005, 21:24

IMHO and from reading the thread - you're looking for 4x4 driving benefits w/out however absolutely requiring 'boxiness' (size) - and you're also style-conscious.

Just get an impreza, a legacy (I'm biased, love my Scooby -

lomb) or, if you can find it, an 3** iX-series BMW: car fuel economy and handling, full-time 4x4 benefits.

Simple

**unkel** · 12-01-2005, 02:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by ambro25

if you can find it, an 3** iX-series BMW: car fuel economy and handling, full-time 4x4 benefits.

Extremely rare in these parts of Europe, ambro25. I'd doubt there is even one in this country. Same goes for 5 series 4WD

alias no.9 · 12-01-2005, 10:32

Sounds like a subaru is the car for you, they always have been aimed specifically at the kind of driving you're talking about, rallying is only a sideline that boosted their image. As for a forrester v's a HRV, the HRV would find damp grass tough going, whereas the forrester will climb mountains.

I'd also steer well clear of any 3** iX or 5** iX BMW's. I know of a guy who goes to auctions for a trader in the UK who picked one up on the cheap (he didn't know the X was 4wd and thought it was a bargain), anyway, the trader made him send it back round the same auction the next day cos when they go wrong, they go horribly wrong.

thetourist · 12-01-2005, 11:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by ambro25

IMHO and from reading the thread - you're looking for 4x4 driving benefits w/out however absolutely requiring 'boxiness' (size) - and you're also style-conscious.

Just get an impreza, a legacy

yes your about right there - and i did consider the impreza - however one of the reasons i want a jeep is ground clerance - i just want a bit more than an ordinary car - i often end up on country lanes/potholed roads that i would just like to drive over as opposed to crawl over - what's the impreza like in this reguard ( low enough i suspect ) - also i was sort of hoping that in getting a jeep i might end up with a differential lock or lsd of some kind so when both wheels on one side end up in the rough they wont spin quite so much - admitedly i havent researched this a lot but i know that some of the jeeps have this facility - afaik even the frontera which doesnt have diff lock has front and rear axles locked so that if one axle spins the other one is likely to stay solid - any idea about the impreza - traction control etc
another thing is the tyre widths - is it possible to get wide deep groove tyres on it that would allow me to get up a grassy hill etc

..... really though .... is the impreza meant for this sort of thing ???? --- i mean i will be pulling a small trailer too - it seems a bit funny ???

does anyone know what the forrester does to the gallon --- i've heard reports that it's as low as 12-15mpg --- true ???

ps thanks everyone for your comments etc - very helpful

ambro25 · 12-01-2005, 13:09

The ground clearance is decent for a saloon, and some models have undercarriage fenders (mine has). I suppose you could always up the suspension by an inch or so if you really needed it on a regular basis (I'd be careful of the effect on road handling, though).

Don't know about diff locks and all that stuff, but I know mine has auto-locking clutch in reverse (brake while you're reversing with clutch depressed = same as if you'd put handbrake on, well handy for parking on inclines).

Re. trailer, unfortunately, Subaru doesn't do diesels, which would be handy for the torque. Depends how often you tow + how heavy.

I've seen some Scooby with some rather rugged-looking tyres on, over the years (mostly around North Yorks farmland), though never something as extreme as you'd see on some Land Rovers.

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11-01-2005, 10:18	#16
lomb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4,973 Adverts \| Friends	exactly subarus are great except they still dont look right. also the interiors are designed by cartoon characters. i was in a top spec wrx imprezza and to say the least i thought it was ugly, with a crap interior. this is not to say its isnt suberbly engineered which it is but it still doesnt look right. ur right about the pajero, handles like a pig and goes like one as well.

11-01-2005, 11:23	#18
Shank Registered User Join Date: Feb 1998 Posts: 71 Adverts \| Friends	Lomb: only have bout 16k on it, but know a couple of people with 30k + on theirs no probs for them either. Interceptor: what do ya mean under engineered, are you mistakingly thinkin that a freelander is supposed to be a fully fledged offroader. On the Subaru's 4x4, I have no idea on these other then there not being many about.

11-01-2005, 11:38	#19
lomb Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4,973 Adverts \| Friends	no offense but theres a hugh difference between 30000 and 100000+

11-01-2005, 11:54	#20
Shank Registered User Join Date: Feb 1998 Posts: 71 Adverts \| Friends	True enough but like I said if this was a problem vehicle it has more then likely been sorted by now, as Land Rover are generally good in sortin stuff out.

11-01-2005, 17:57	#22
cerebus Registered User Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 434 Adverts \| Friends	I'd recommend a Forester as well - currently on our second, and still loving it. (I fear we have been assimilated into the Cult of Subaru - my wife is talking about waiting for Subaru to produce a minivan before we have another kid) Great performance - and you grow to like the looks. We have driven it in all kinds of conditions, including logging roads in the winter where we have had to pull over for snowmobiles. Never had a problem. Maybe check out the Forester XT for some turbo-charged action - more or less a WRX with a boxy body.

11-01-2005, 21:24	#23
ambro25 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Dublin's bust, back to Blighty! Posts: 4,358 Adverts \| Friends	IMHO and from reading the thread - you're looking for 4x4 driving benefits w/out however absolutely requiring 'boxiness' (size) - and you're also style-conscious. Just get an impreza, a legacy (I'm biased, love my Scooby - lomb) or, if you can find it, an 3** iX-series BMW: car fuel economy and handling, full-time 4x4 benefits. Simple

12-01-2005, 10:32	#25
alias no.9 Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 3,395 Adverts \| Friends	Sounds like a subaru is the car for you, they always have been aimed specifically at the kind of driving you're talking about, rallying is only a sideline that boosted their image. As for a forrester v's a HRV, the HRV would find damp grass tough going, whereas the forrester will climb mountains. I'd also steer well clear of any 3 iX or 5 iX BMW's. I know of a guy who goes to auctions for a trader in the UK who picked one up on the cheap (he didn't know the X was 4wd and thought it was a bargain), anyway, the trader made him send it back round the same auction the next day cos when they go wrong, they go horribly wrong.

12-01-2005, 13:09	#27
ambro25 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Dublin's bust, back to Blighty! Posts: 4,358 Adverts \| Friends	The ground clearance is decent for a saloon, and some models have undercarriage fenders (mine has). I suppose you could always up the suspension by an inch or so if you really needed it on a regular basis (I'd be careful of the effect on road handling, though). Don't know about diff locks and all that stuff, but I know mine has auto-locking clutch in reverse (brake while you're reversing with clutch depressed = same as if you'd put handbrake on, well handy for parking on inclines). Re. trailer, unfortunately, Subaru doesn't do diesels, which would be handy for the torque. Depends how often you tow + how heavy. I've seen some Scooby with some rather rugged-looking tyres on, over the years (mostly around North Yorks farmland), though never something as extreme as you'd see on some Land Rovers.