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I'd say a benchmark of 200bhp would be the minimum I'd be looking for when buying, unless it was a little lightweight buzzbox with an awesome power to weight ratio. I find it more relaxing as you're not thrashing a small engine all the time. Mate bought a 535d Msport - now that shifts! Sounds good too, but the economy isn't much better than a mid size petrol
One solution nobody seems to have mentioned is the Zafira VXR. loads of room, and very quick; seems to handle pretty well, better than any truck anyway.
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One solution nobody seems to have mentioned is the Zafira VXR
There appears to be a reason for that... Now if you had had 350bhp of Zafira, then we'd be talking.
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[/img]10X better than an L200 on the road, but gets spunked all over when the going gets tough. 😉
where's Mr T?
I find it more relaxing as you're not thrashing a small engine all the time
That's what diesels are for 🙂
Ha ha zafira vxr, one of the prime candidates when dads on his own who'll try and race anything from the lights!!
Just to add a scrap of balance to this thread....I drive an old pickup and love it. I find most cars bland, anonymous and uninspiring. My truck might be a piece of sh*t to most but to me it's got character and I like the way it looks. It's easy worked on, parts are pretty cheap and it'll run on pretty much anything. I can get about 28mpg from it. I never worry about scratching it or getting it dirty inside or out. To me it's comfy, people complaining must be soft as.
With regards to specific criticisms in this thread:
It'll carry 4 bikes with ease, 7 at a push.Get a pad, throw them over the tail gate ffs. In and out in seconds not days. Bikes can be secured by chaining them to the bed meaning it'll take a grinder to steal them. They are fun in the wet not lethal, rwd, power over steer.
Off road performance is far greater than most people will ever need, I've yet to find the limits, even in 6 inches of snow up a tractor trail over a mountain. Perhaps in comparison to a modified defender, maybe, but anything can be modified.
They are slow though, but that's not the point.
I drive an L200. Yes its pretty slow and the back seats are cramped, but I don't have to sit in the back, so I don't really care. I find it more comfortable than most other things I drive. I've lost the back end about twice on wet roundabouts, but that was on the awful standard tyres, probably going a tad too fast. Fitted Cooper S/T's and not had a problem since. Goes well offroad, keeps up with all the other 4x4's fine (low range box with centre and rear diff-lock). Only bad point offroad is the mahoosive rear overhang with towbar, which causes the odd bang as it drags the towbar down a steep drop or something 😆
Main reason I bought it is to tow my boat. It's cheap to tax and cheaper for me to insure insure than a 'normal' 4x4. I do about 10,000 miles a year in it, probably 50% of that is towing on longer trips. Gets about 28mpg on a long run, 21mpg towing 1500kg with the back full of camping gear, fuel and wakeboard stuff for 5 people. But I usually run it on veg oil on the longer trips, which saves a few quid. Service it myself for about £40, takes about an hour tops. Bit more if I do the gearbox, transfer case and diff oils.
I've got a rack bolted across the front of the bed behind the cab with a few QR fork clamp things and 20mm bolt through ones, front wheel off and clamp up the fork, chain around the frames through a tie down eye. Just as secure as being on a tow bar rack. Fits about 4 bikes on, but could probably get more on if I wanted.
I've lost the back end about twice on wet roundabouts
😯
I've never lost the back end on any car ever, no matter how hard I try and push it.
Flat bed Transits used to be good for that. 😀
3 bikes, 3 people, no hastle Ian. Add a weeks camping kit for 3 and its a bituva squeeze but has been done.