4x4 with engine up to 2.0?

prq

Hi,

Apologies in advance if this is being asked in the wrong place. Which 4x4s do people recommend (purely based on 4x4 features/capabilities) with an engine up to 2.0?

TIA!

tomtucker81

Have a 04 Santa Fe. It's awd, 2litre. Has been in mucky fields a few times, no problem to it. Nothing too hectic mind. On the road it's grand, obviously for the size of the vehicle and engine it doesn't give great acceleration but it's a grand drive.

I had a 04 freelander too, disaster for reliability. When it was working it would be very comparable to the Santa Fe, capable off road, very comfortable but just terribly unreliable.

The newer models of both are 2.2 litres, so other than them you are looking at a grand vitara, which I'm led to believe has the benefit of a low box, and smaller again are the Suzuki jimy or daihatsu terios. For a 2 litre, from my experience, I'd say go for the Santa Fe.just bear in mind that if towing more than a single axle you may struggle for power and shorten the life of your clutch!!

prq

Thank you tomtucker81 ! I should probably have added that I'm not looking to tow, just driving on more "boggy" roads.

Apologies for the silly question but what does "low box" mean?

TIA!

the_syco

I think the "low box" means a low gearbox?
From wiki;

Low range gears slow down the vehicle and increase the torque available at the axles. Low-range gears are used during slow-speed or extreme off road maneuvers, such as rockcrawling or when pulling a heavy load.

May be totally reading it wrongly, though

visual

prq wrote: »

Thank you tomtucker81 ! I should probably have added that I'm not looking to tow, just driving on more "boggy" roads.

Apologies for the silly question but what does "low box" mean?

TIA!

Low box gears down the drive to the wheels thus increasing torque at the wheels. Its a bit like using first gear to go up a hill.
if your climbing steep muddy banks with 4 wheel drive engaged as the jeep bogs down more power in lower gears is required to make progress. By using low all your gearing is reduced for better torque off road.

It can also be used under limited circumstances to tow very heavy loads.

If your off road in a 2 to 3 ton jeep and its stuck in mud pass its axles its stuck weight can be 2 or 3 times the weight of the jeep. Another Jeep will pull it free. Its only able to do this because it has both traction and torgue (pulling power)

If you are planning on off roading then you need high low box if its just for road and lanes its not needed

tomtucker81

Ah, I was just about to paste that exact same paragraph. Heres the link anyway.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer_case

A low box basically slows the vehicle down, increases torque. Extremely useful for off road in very muddy circumstances.
An awd vehicle is fine for fields, lanes, tracks in bogs. But going off the beaten track in very soft ground may get you stuck. A low box would get you through 9 times out of 10.

Eg. Snow there last year up dublin mountains. I was driving a landcruiser at time.3.0diesel. (Different beast to a 2litre jeep). Came across a car stuck in snow. Hooked up tow rope and couldnt get traction myself then. Put it into low box and towed car about 400m in reverse back to tarmac.

For want of a better way of describing it, its like turning the jeep into a mini tractor!

prq

Understood! So for muddy terrain, a low box is a good advantage.

So besides the aforementioned Santa Fe and Grand Vitara, any other options with a low box? There are so many options out there (X-Trail, Tiguan, X3, CRV, etc) that I wish there'd be a place with this sort of information on each

tomtucker81

prq wrote: »

Understood! So for muddy terrain, a low box is a good advantage.

So besides the aforementioned Santa Fe and Grand Vitara, any other options with a low box? There are so many options out there (X-Trail, Tiguan, X3, CRV, etc) that I wish there'd be a place with this sort of information on each

Santa fe doesn't have one! Neither does xtrail. I think only the grand vitara, of the smaller jeeps, has one. Normally when looking at an ad on line they should state that the vehicle has it. On others you can see the second smaller gearstick in photos. Others its a push button mechanism So not as obvious

prq

Sounds good, I'll keep an eye on that detail. Thanks!

jetfiremuck

I have a discovery mpi 2.0 pet. Love it

101sean

I have a discovery mpi 2.0

That's a rare beast, only produced for a while as a tax dodge but didn't sell well, torque band is in the wrong place for a 4x4 and is reckoned to be gutless. The Italian Carabinieri had Defenders with the same engine.

OP, if your just looking for something to mess in and aren't going to be driving too far, look at the various small Suzukis like the Jimny and Vitara.

prq

101sean wrote: »

That's a rare beast, only produced for a while as a tax dodge but didn't sell well, torque band is in the wrong place for a 4x4 and is reckoned to be gutless. The Italian Carabinieri had Defenders with the same engine.

OP, if your just looking for something to mess in and aren't going to be driving too far, look at the various small Suzukis like the Jimny and Vitara.

Looking for something fairly comfortable/spacious as well: it's actually the missus who likes me to drive through more dubious places to admire the landscapes Hence why I was considering brands/models with more availability.

101sean

In that case any 4x4 SUV will do you if you don't get too adventurous, you only need low box for mug plugging, ridiculously steep hills and manoeuvring heavy trailers as others have said. Having good tyres will make as much difference, you'll go nowhere on a grassy verge with worn out road tyres.

You do need to be aware that several models had 2wd versions as well as 4wd

pete4130

Subaru Forester 2.0 petrol. It's better than a Santa Fe off road, drives like a car, more comfortable, good ground clearance for an AWD estate, roomy, easier on fuel than a big full size SUV like a Santa Fe. It's got a very capable AWD system and the non turbo and/or manual models have a low range box as well.

visual

101sean wrote: »

That's a rare beast, only produced for a while as a tax dodge but didn't sell well, torque band is in the wrong place for a 4x4 and is reckoned to be gutless. The Italian Carabinieri had Defenders with the same engine.

OP, if your just looking for something to mess in and aren't going to be driving too far, look at the various small Suzukis like the Jimny and Vitara.

Those Jimmy's are some machine off road and cheaper to modify. I was and still am impressed with their capabilities. Plus when your finished playing in the mud for the day you can throw on a trailer and bring it home. Wouldn't fancy it as a daily driver

bigroad

Suzuki grand vitara xl7 is the motor for you op.Good and spacious vehicle with the bonus of 7 seats if you need them.It rides ok on the road and has peugeot 2.0hdi engine with possible 40mpg on a run.It also has a high low gearbox.

JohnBoy

pete4130 wrote: »

Subaru Forester 2.0 petrol. It's better than a Santa Fe off road, drives like a car, more comfortable, good ground clearance for an AWD estate, roomy, easier on fuel than a big full size SUV like a Santa Fe. It's got a very capable AWD system and the non turbo and/or manual models have a low range box as well.

you're the first person I've ever heard claim them to be easy on fuel.

I looked into them a couple of years back and the dealer told me that the non turbo would do 30mpg tops, driving miss daisy style.

Driven half right a santa fe should be capable of mid thirties.

You havent mentioned a budget and I dont know how fixed you are on the 2 litre bit, but I've been driving a 2.2 rav4 since christmas and it's a grand yoke to travel in. Way more refined than a vitara.

It's not as cabable offroad as a vitara probably is, but I use it for a bit of part time farming and it's able to pull itself out of a mucky gap or through wet grass.

Had a discover before it and expected it to be useless by comparison but I've been pleasantly surprised.