New car time – which 4WD estate/hatch?

After a new (s/h) car.

Needs: 4×4/4WD/AWD (live on an unclassified road in Scotland plus have a sloping drive), estate/hatch, like decent sized cars

Not fussed for: economy, brand, insurance group is pretty irrelevant, age of car

Currently driving around in an old Passat.

Been looking at Subaru Outlook, Volvo XC70 and Passat 4-Motion – don’t really fancy a ‘proper’ 4×4 (the wife has one anyway) – any others?

Audi S4, some v8 action?

A4 allroad, very good, I tested A6 but too expensive, so got the A4 and don’t regret it.

Octavia 4×4, loads cheaper than the Scout version.

Mondeo 4×4?

Don’t allroad’s have eventual problems with the air suspension?

Will be watching this with interest.

I also looked at the A4 allroad and liked it. What’s the difference between the A4 allroad and A4 quattro other than body styling?

yeti 4×4 ?

my neighbour has one and its been fair good.

I thought All Roads were a no no.

What mileage are you doing? Diesel or Petrol? Age of car you’re looking to buy?

Going by what estate cars the farmers drive round here, it would be either a Scoob Forester or Outback.

I’d highly recommend the Octavia 4×4. I’ve been really happy with mine and would buy another one.

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The only car in Blanchland car park[/url] by ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr

be careful with the older allroads, if the air suspensions goes you will need to win the lottery to fix it, parts are only available from the states.

Jag

Don’t want to spend too much, in fact don’t need to spend too much (we will be replacing the wife’s Freelander soon with a new one, so only need a run-about).

I should’ve said budget – looking at £2-3k.

Found a 04 Outlook and 02 XC70 for £2k so far. But will look at the Octavia.

£2-£3k – how about a Jaguar X-Type. The 4×4 version had really good reviews at the time.

For that budget i’d say Octavia 4×4.

Previous model petrol Legacy estate? Had one for a while and it was a cracking car, huge boot, tough as nails, reliable, good to drive and chuffing brilliant with winter tyres on.

EDIT: A lot of them come with heated leather seats as standard too which is nice!

Octavia 4×4 is a good call.

Older X-type isn’t a bad idea, based on a Mondeo and parts availability/price isn’t too bad, especially if you don’t mind the odd used part from breakers.

Octy. Or a B5(.5) Passat 4-Motion.

BR

in scotland pay serious attention to the rear arches on the subaru.

i looked at a few local to me last year before deciding not to bother

rear arches were failing pretty spectacularly. Infact id be willing to travel down to south of england to pick one up instead especially from where you are

Trail Rat – agree, and seen that already with the cheap AWD X-Type I bought locally last year – couldn’t believe how bad it was underneath.

I liked my X-Type last year, but haven’t seen estates cheap enough (yet).

Surely this is a tyre issue, and reverts to the winter tyre arguement. A sensible 2WD vehicle, preferably with decent clearance, will be fine, unless you are doing serious, actual “off-road” driving.

Do you ever foresee having to use diff-lock?

Audi S4, Quattro, V8! 😯 OMG! OMG! Perfect biking car!?

Subaru Outlook,

Is that the city version of the Outback?

Have a look at a Subaru Forester.

A few more inches of clearance than a car but not full-on 4×4 height. No point having 4×4 if you are going to ground it in the snow!

We had the Passat/Audi/Skoda debate and the Audi won out as it’s proper permanent 4WD rather than the part time hydraulic doobywatsit that things like Octavia run.

An older A4 Quattro should be pretty bomb proof, my mother in law had an A6 quattro (not allroad) and it tackled all that mid-wales could throw at a rural GP.

The A4 allroad is quite a new model so probably out of your price range, but all it has over the standard quattro is 25mm more ground clearance and slightly different shape to avoid clanging the chin into the ground. The A6 allroad has all the bells and whistles (ride height adjust etc) but the older models are known to be problematic and expensive to fix.

Showing a massive lack of originality but another vote for the Octavia here. We have the Scout which is excellent in the snow. The basic 4×4 is more or less identical mechanically – we’ve just got a few extra MM ground clearance and some rufty tufty trim.

With a decent set of tyres I was getting through stuff in it last winter here on Dartmoor which was defeating “proper” 4x4s.

“Surely this is a tyre issue, and reverts to the winter tyre arguement. A sensible 2WD vehicle, preferably with decent clearance, will be fine” – i have a FWD berlingo diesel with winter tires – and its good but its still out of its depth when it comes to real snow….. snow with me is measurable in feet instead of inches and your man BR lives in the borders and gets similar.

Diff lock and low box would be absolute essentials for me in at least one of my vehicles but being knowledgable in how to use them are essential , they are not a get out of jail card for being a retard and if used wrongly will just get you even more stuck as friends of mine found out when they visited my old house 😀

With a decent set of tyres I was getting through stuff in it last winter here on Dartmoor which was defeating “proper” 4x4s.

Zokes. Yes, I admit it, I made it up completely. Premium 4x4s with slick road tyres which weigh the same as a small planet are actually really great in the snow.

but you used the prefix “proper” infront of 4×4 which evidently was a lie.

what you meant to say was faux x faux.

doesnt matter how many wheels are driving if your using the wrong rubber.

Octavia 4×4 owner and I think its great. A bit “wobbly” on motorways and the 2.0ltr petrol NA engine is thirsty – but 4wd will always drink more.

Very capable car, although winter tyres are a must. Before we put them on it was as rubbish in the snow as any other car on summer tyres, but with winter tyres it really will go anywhere. We have just left them on through the summer with no negative effects.

I’d love to change to the Scout with the PD140 diesel engine.

If you aren’t overly worried about fuel, look at Subarus as above, there are loads about and since they are reliable there are older ones that are cheap.

Very few B5 Passat 4 motions around imo, and Scouts, Yetis, Octavia 4x4s could all be too new.

There are also quite a few 4×4 Mazda bongos around, could be useful as a utility vehicle if it’s not doing many miles. Probably lots of Freelanders about too.

Probably lots of Freelanders about too.

If it’s FL1s you’re talking about, then there’ll be a reason for that

doesnt matter how many wheels are driving if your using the wrong rubber.

..Which was kind of my point? 🙄

Very capable car, although winter tyres are a must. Before we put them on it was as rubbish in the snow as any other car on summer tyres

tbh The AWD Jag I ran last year was on pretty bald standard Pirelli’s and coped admirably – so I’d only be putting winter tyres on if I was keeping a car, and it needed new tyres.

If it’s FL1s you’re talking about, then there’ll be a reason for that

Currently 110k on my wife’s, and only swapping it for a FL2 as it’ll soon not be worth enough for a sizeable p/x.

..Which was kind of my point?

Well, yes to a point, but you were trying to compare a car with a ‘proper’ 4wd. The definition of ‘proper’ 4wd in most peoples’ books does not include low profile tyres.

and only swapping it for a FL2

We have one. Yet to not get anywhere a ‘proper’ 4wd has got to in it 😉

Have a look at a Subaru Forester

We’re now on our second – great cars, happy on everything from autobahns to green lanes and tough with it. If you’ve got your own oil well, get the turbo XT version which will give an Evo a run for its money.

A4 allroad suspension is higher 39mm I think, and a far better ride quality that the standard Quattro for some reason, I’ve tested both, it’s also got a wider track, Stronic gear box is also good, they are expensive though but like the OP I didn’t want a ‘proper’ 4×4. I didn’t even consider one until I test drove one, and was won over at that point.

Honda CR-V, big, comfy, cavernous, totally reliable, not great fuel economy, handles like a battleship. Was spending a lot of time down a dirt track in Perthshire ad never had any problems- bear in mind winter before last was bad.
4*4 is not permanent, switches itself on when the car thinks it needs it – i’d perfer to do that myself.

4*4 is not permanent, switches itself on when the car thinks it needs it – i’d perfer to do that myself.

Never worked out why car makers do this. Single most stupid way to make what would have been a reasonable 4by with a bit if car absolutely awful. By all means be auto as well, but a switch wouldn’t cost more than 5p

Never worked out why car makers do this.

Fuel economy. And it’s not exactly ‘switched on’ in electrical or mechanical terms, as I understand it, it’s a sort of clutch system that means the front wheels aren’t driven unless the back ones are almost losing traction, kind of like a freewheel is only activated when you pedal.