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Hi, first post - so hello! Just moved to the country and quickly realised the need for a vehicle more rugged than what we've got at the mo' (Jazz 1.4 SE Sport). The need for 4WD seems a priority especially with this snow and ice...and probably mud and floods! Priorities would be 3ish years old (I assume to get best value), good MPG (40+ as I commute 200miles a week), reasonably cheap to maintain i.e not a Roller! Does this vehicle exist? Thanks for any advice PS forgot budget but somewhere in the £6-8K category though preferably less :)
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FWD with winter tyres
or a Skoda 4*4
Or a diesel Subaru
or a Panda 4*4
plenty of choice
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Panda! Skoda! OK, I hadn't considered them, used to have a panda many years ago and I can't imagine they're much bigger than the Jazz I have - I have been doing some research and been looking at the CR-V which seems pretty good; rugged, 40+MPG on the diesel, pricey mind but it seems you get a lot for your money. Shame the latest model is 2007, may wait till next year when more hit the market.
Thanks though, I'll take a look at those suggested.
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Skoda Octavia Scout?
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Consider CR-V II (2002-2006).
Few grand cheaper than the newest model, but uber-reliable and just as practical.
Not quite as good on-road but perfectly acceptable, especially on decent tyres.
Also comes in diesel flavour for 40ish mpg.
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Pity we don't get the 4WD Jazz here - they sell it Japan, and of course it's RHD driver there.
Having said that, it's ground clearance might be a bit of a limiting factor.
I would have thought the old model Jazz on 14" steel wheels with winter tyres would be pretty effective. As you've already got one then might be worth giving it a try before splashing out loads of money (unless you want to, of course!).
We just swapped our 6yr Jazz SE for a new one and I'm not sure I've done the right thing - I reckon the old one will last for ever!
Edited by Bill Payer on 22/12/2009 at 16:40
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I second the CRV II idea. It's a "do everything" car, unless you really want a sports car or more than 5 seats. Very roomy for its footprint, fast enough, comfortable, as reliable as just about anything, and decent economy with the diesel, which should be within your budget.
I've been hankering after a new car for the last few months, but I just can't find anything I like better - including the CRV III.
While you don't need a serious 4x4 for a couple of snowy days a year, with the CRV having more route options on days like yesterday is a bonus - I was able to get home instead of spending several more hours in the car by taking to the uncleared hills, literally.
A FWD Octavia may be very good, but most don't have winter tyres on, and I have passed a lot of abandoned FWD cars in the last 24 hours. It's quite possible I could have come home via a very snowy and hilly Beacon Road, Ivinghoe in such a car, but I didn't see any (or anybody at at all, come to that).
Edited by Manatee on 22/12/2009 at 20:07
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I thought of an Octavia Scout too but I'm not sure how long they've been around and whether you'd get one within budget.
Honda CRVs are good but they drink petrol: diesel ones too new for your budget I think.
Try looking around for a Toyota RAV-4 or Subaru Forester - these are less of a gamble (i.e. whether or not you get a good one) than a Freelander.
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Subaru Forester - very solid and reliable!
Edited by Jcoventry on 22/12/2009 at 18:18
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I really do wonder what sort of use this car is going to get...
Back to the OP, what sort of use are you going to use it for, as for normal country and urban roads in the vast majority of this country you don't need a 4x4, as said earlier a FWD would be sufficient - I'd suggest that traction control would be a useful alternative to winter tyres... so, where in the country is it going to spend its life? Ben Nevis?
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I remember driving my newly bought Discovery in snow for the first time, smugly assuming that 4WD meant I could easily travel on roads that were barely passably to 2WD cars, and sliding across the road into a shallow ditch on a corner. Road tyres on 4WD's don't give a great advantage over 2WD.
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The driver of certain Kia / Daewoo / Hyundai (who cares anyway?) 4x4 probably thought the same as M'Lord once did, until her stately slide was stopped by Mrs dB's Verso, which had approached the T-junction in 1st gear and was waiting (handbrake on) to emerge. No injuries, no dispute over liability, and no damage to her car, only ours, which will require a couple of new parts and some spraying when the bodyshop has a slot in three weeks' time. The damage was worse because parts of her car were too high for our bumper and hit the tailgate.
So let's not have one more buyer thinking that 4WD comes with a certificate of exemption from Newton's Laws. Even if 4WD can get you going better on poor surfaces, you've then just got more to stop, with no more capacity to stop it. What's the point?
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>>you've then just got more to stop, with no more capacity to stop it.
This suggests a heavier car is harder to stop. Not true - friction is proportional to weight, so stopping distances should be similar, other things being equal - though they aren't, as the 4x4 probably has M&S tyres.
Only a fool would think that 4wd automatically confers more grip for stopping, or cornering; but the M&S tyres may well do, on snow at least. A part time 4x4 like the CRV is a good compromise in my opinion, and experience. But chacun a son gout. I don't understand the hostility from a couple of posters in particular to cars constructed for more reliable traction.
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Hi first post - so hello! Just moved to the country and quickly realised the need for a vehicle more rugged than what we've got at the mo' (Jazz 1.4 SE Sport). The need for 4WD seems a priority especially with this snow and ice...and probably mud and floods!
[bangs head against wall] I was brought up on a farm, and have worked on farms all my life and can honestly say I have never even contemplated getting anything more rugged than the car you already have. Up untill 2005, my dad had a herd of cows, the farm vehicle was a Skoda Foreman Pickup. Mum has a Fabia
My car has neither ABS or traction control and this weeks snow and ice has presented no problems at all. My bike also has neither ABs or traction control and I managed to get to work on it in the snow without falling off.
If you are driving on tarmac roads, a covering of mud will be no problem for you Jazz. Flood however will cause a problem whether you drive your Jazz, a Range Rover or my £60,000 company tractor. Flood water will finish it, so keep a cheap on or park on higher ground.
Skill think you need a more rugged car? No, nor do I
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>>Skill think you need a more rugged car? No, nor do I
Well, there endeth the discussion. I hope your head's OK.
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some of us can read through the haze Manatee :-)
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