Looking for a car with ground clearance

Hi

Bit of a long shot am looking for a car with decent ground clearance. I dont need a 4×4 just the height, does anyone know what cars over say 15 years old do the job? Or if there is a list somewhere with the ground clearance listed?

How big a car? Fiat Panda 4×4, Audi A4/A6 Allroad, Volvo xc 70, Subaru spring to mind, all have more ground clearance than a regular car. All 4×4 I know but your probably going to have to look at cars like this to get the ground clearance.

If you’re looking at older vehicles the first generation Berlingo / Partners have pretty good ground clearance – I’ve been scrabbling up and down highland stalkers tracks in mine recently. Side by side in the carpark the various dusters, kuga and other smaller 4x4s on the same job didn’t appear to have more clearance than I did and didn’t go anywhere that I couldn’t follow them.

Skoda Yeti? Yes there mainly 4×4, but they also did 2 wheel drive versions. The standard yeti has 180mm of clearance, though I don’t know if it’s slightly less on the 2WD (I thought they weren’t ‘quite’ as tall.. Carwow suggests 155mm on GreenLine II).

oh and the original cheap and cheerful 2wd off-roader is the 2CV, but I think there now classic xD and are no longer cheap

Dacia duster or Skoda yeti. Available as 2wd or 4×4. Neither are quite that old yet, but still fairly inexpensive.

In the second generation Berlingos a version called the ‘TREK’ has increase ground clearance and a limited slip differential.

We have a property on the coast at the end of a deeply rutted farm track. The only car which was terrible was a merc A class. All my cars from old Citroens and Renaults to more modern Volvo v60 and Skoda Karoq have been fine. Some have ploughed a little furrow along the middle (particularly those with tow bars). I look for low hanging parts on all my cars and where the brake and fuel lines run. Not killed anything yet on the track but have had a few dented sumps! Speed and positioning of the wheels is key. If you are not too precious about the sides you can get at 1 side out of the rut by hugging one edge but you do get a few pinstripes.

What about some SUV like a Duster? 2wd (or 4 if you want it) and big clearance.

What are you looking to spend and how big do you need?

oh and the original cheap and cheerful 2wd off-roader is the 2CV, but I think there now classic xD and are no longer cheap

The reason I mentioned the Berlingo is French cars of certain generation tended to have great clearance for off-road and the Berlingo seemed to continue in that tradition, at least to begin with

To my mind the coolest car ever built, and the best off road vehicle by far in the Renault 4. As demonstrated by motoring consumer  journalist Danny Devito in the documentary ‘Romancing the Stone’

Which were the last citroens to have hydropneumatic suspension? Xantia maybe? I think it was only optional on  C5s.

They were able to vary the ride height – I remember the old BX’s were poplur with the boating crowd as they could wade into quite deep water with a trailer in the highest setting

Don’t buy a Mk7 VW Golf if you have a habit of hitting the underneath. They have a plastic sump which will split in a major way if nudged. Although you can get sump protectors from the Allroad version that fit the other models.

Pay for a man and a digger to grade the track and buy any car you want

The 2wd dacia duster we hired in morocco seemed to have good clearance and handle some pretty rough offroad driving…..

Suzuki Jimny – OK, it’s a 4×4 but it will be better than any soft roader. 2CV is awesome for offroad, plus wading through deep water – lack of distributor, just a contact breaker and coil mounted on front of engine meant you’d be floating before they conked out.

Unimog😁

Thanks everyone. I was thinking of a berlingo as cars here in Spain are 2-3 times the price in the UK. At least rust isn’t a problem, i did have a Renault 4 once but that might be a bit old, so it’s a berlingo and the 1.9 non turbo is the right engine?

Oh Spain, in that case an airport hire car is the best option. They go anywhere.

If you’re looking at older vehicles the first generation Berlingo / Partners have pretty good ground clearance

+1, especially unloaded as the multispace used the higher capacity axle/suspension setup from the van options so it sits really high.

Thanks everyone. I was thinking of a berlingo as cars here in Spain are 2-3 times the price in the UK. At least rust isn’t a problem, i did have a Renault 4 once but that might be a bit old, so it’s a berlingo and the 1.9 non turbo is the right engine?

I was advised to go with the 2.0 HDi, and don’t particularly regret it. It has all the subtlety and refinement of a 1950’s landrover, but once you’re in a gear it’s pokey enough, the 1.9 by all accounts is a bit slower.

No idea what availability and your mileage will be like, but the petrol ones are often even cheaper and lower mileage.

Any berlingo apart from the 1.6hdi

Though if your religious with oil changes it’s not terrible.

1.9 goes for ever which is good as it take you forever to get anywhere.

90bhp 2.0 hdi are a good unit.

Rover streetwise with 2.0l diesel fitted with SDI injectors