4x4 love or hate?

Jez · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:11

I love 4x4's, i dont know what it is about them. Their size, the driving position, the excess feeling of luxury from the high view combined with cabin space, the fact they can be thrashed over roughish ground (my s-class can barely make it through a puddle) - i dont know, i just like them. I like big things, this includes cars, and 4x4's are generally big.

As a result, tomorrow or at some point this weekend i will be collecting my first 4x4 as a family friend is offloading one, i dont even know why i am getting it really other than pure want of one which has been brewing for a while, combined with the fact i will make a few quid on it come sale/boredem time. I will no doubt be looking to do some very light offroading, more driving on fields perhaps, with where i live (middle of nowhere in the Berkshire countryside) it should be pretty cool.

Friends of mine have mixed feeling. As i am sure everyone here does too. Some of them think they are pointless and use too much fuel and are dirty, i point out that it will probably use no more fuel than my "normal" saloon which no-body moans about, but they wont have it and are simply blinded with the OMG 4x4 stereotype.

Others share my love for big cars and think i was silly not having one.

Whats OcUK's opinion on the matter? If you do hate them, why do you hate them, have you driven one, or do you simply not like big cars?

Sone · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:16

range rover?

Dup · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:17

Drove the bosses Range Rover Vogue. V8 automatic. Just not my cup of tea in some respects. It was like looking from one end of a house to the other end with french windows when looking back and I felt very wary due to the blind spots.

Granted I wasn't in it for long but I did like all the toys and the comfy solid interior but I'd probably fall alseep in there if I had to drive it for long periods. I don't think 8mpg is my thing either though! His Vanquish S gets at least 12 lol!

If I was to 4x4 it, it would be for pure offroad hoonage in something like a Landy Defender or if I'm fluch, a Bowler Wildcat

G_D · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:17

Well which one are you getting? Im not anti 4x4s as such, have a Land Rover 110 with a rover V8 in but other 4x4 like X5s etc do get to me from time to time when you see a mum drop their kid off at school it it even though they live 500meters away in the same village. Ive always failed to see the point of a X5 over a 5-series touring.

Lashout_UK · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:17

I got nothin' against 'em at all. I love my mum's Jeep, I loved mine......Would have another. The Jeeps are much less bulky than RRs mind, at least they feel it to me from experience - much lighter on their feet too.

Saying that, neither of them had a larger footprint than any normal saloon, in some instances a bit shorter - but obviously taller. Who cares about that though! I've never once thought "Damn, if that 4x4 in front was a bit shorter I could see past it, how inconsiderate!".

I entirely agree about the stereotyping that goes on - obviously in some instances, yes but as always there's always exceptions to the rule.

Scottland · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:18

I like the more...agricultural ones like Defenders, Land Cruisers etc. But I don't really get on with "SUV's" like the X5/Cayenne/Range Rover to name a few, mainly because of the type of people that buy them [sweeping generalisation].

What are you getting?

Lashout_UK · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:19

Oh no, I really don't like the Porsche Peppers and their ilk - forgot about them. Obscene bits of kit.

Sorry to those who own them

Thanks for reminding me Scottland!

olv · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:20

Not fussed either way really. Nothing about them appeals to me to want to own one but I can see why people like them. I'm certainly not going to have a go at anyone for having one.

iraiguana · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:20

Defender is the only 4x4 that I would want, a nice kitted out old-ish one

Jez · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:21

G_D said:
Well which one are you getting? Im not anti 4x4s as such, have a Land Rover 110 with a rover V8 in but other 4x4 like X5s etc do get to me from time to time when you see a mum drop their kid off at school it it even though they live 500meters away in the same village. Ive always failed to see the point of a X5 over a 5-series touring.

Out of interest, would someone dropping a child off in a BMW X5 stir this annoyance any more so than for example a Saloon such as a Mercedes S600?

mattpc · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:24

I think they are utterly pointless and much prefer luxury saloons. However, if you think you will actually use it for offroading then fair enough.

Jez · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:29

Lashout_UK said:
Oh no, I really don't like the Porsche Peppers and their ilk - forgot about them. Obscene bits of kit.

Sorry to those who own them

Thats what i am trying to understand, why people have the opinion that they are "obscene". In the scheme of things they use no more road space, and no more resource, than a large luxury saloon would, yet these seem to avoid the stereotype.

Morba · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:30

G_D said:
Well which one are you getting? Im not anti 4x4s as such, have a Land Rover 110 with a rover V8 in but other 4x4 like X5s etc do get to me from time to time when you see a mum drop their kid off at school it it even though they live 500meters away in the same village. Ive always failed to see the point of a X5 over a 5-series touring.

but if they dropped them off in their 1.1 fiesta it would be ok? odd much?

to the OP: I love them, would love an X5 sport or range rover sport tbh :]

Dup · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:37

Jez said:
Thats what i am trying to understand, why people have the opinion that they are "obscene".

Personally, these luxuary 4x4s get on my wangle becasue of the people that own them where I grew up.

I grew up on the edge of a village out in the sticks to some and dow nthe road they made a mssive development when I was about 12. The houses were priced to suite the higher than average earner to commute to Manchester and Preston etc. Their wives drive around badly in their X5's purely as a status symbol and a lot of the kids that come out of that estate are banging chavs because the parents are too far up their own rear to bother paying them any attention.

They're just a status symbol to some, much like most luxuary cars are, but when you overhear them down the local banging on about how they love their X5 and all the other mothers are jealous even though it'll never go offroad, a fork to the eye just feels rather appropriate.

It's a means to prove you can afford inefficency to some people and in that sense I dislike them. At least when you buy a supercar you buy it to drive it and have fun which it is intended for. Wit ha 4x4 this just seems pointless where there are better alternatives. The whole safety factor is a selfish non-issue.

Dandle · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:42

Jez said:
Thats what i am trying to understand, why people have the opinion that they are "obscene". In the scheme of things they use no more road space, and no more resource, than a large luxury saloon would, yet these seem to avoid the stereotype.

It could well have to do with the fact that a lot of women seem to have them as a status symbol for the school runs etc but then a lot of them can't park them properly and seem to have major problems with judging the size of their cars. They cause mayhem and just seem to rely on barging through with a "my cars bigger than yours" attitude taking up much more room than they need to.

G_D · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:43

Jez said:
Out of interest, would someone dropping a child off in a BMW X5 stir this annoyance any more so than for example a Saloon such as a Mercedes S600?

Yea it would and i understand the contradiction. Like i say i am not against 4X4 especially not seeing as i use one most weeks. Its just i have to drive past a school to get anywhere from my house and that includes some narrow streets and none of the mums seem to be able to thread their 4x4 down there and equally i feel they should all be walking no matter what car they owned so its just one of my pet peeves.

Having spoken to a few as well they mention safety. I don't know how good a range rover is but i know the freelander is group 3 in the Euro NCAP so they would be better of with as good as all new family cars instead which ruins one of their main reasonings. They just seem an ill advised choice to me for mums. Much better more suitable cars out there.

Jez · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:44

I think we are getting to the bottom of this, its the reputation that the target market has given them, rather than an actual problem with the vehicles themselves. Consider that a large saloon may use even more fuel, and have an even larger footprint than that of the 4x4....

Do we think that saloon cars would have the same reputation if those had been the car of choice for the school run wags?

Morba · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:51

G_D said:
Having spoken to a few as well they mention safety. I don't know how good a range rover is but i know the freelander is group 3 in the Euro NCAP so they would be better of with as good as all new family cars instead which ruins one of their main reasonings. They just seem an ill advised choice to me for mums. Much better more suitable cars out there.

i thought most were great for safety for the people inside but not for those outside, which has dropped them in the groups.
i know which safety element im more interested in ;]

G_D · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:51

Possibly. I find all the rich wives are very badge sensitive and have the OMG its over 3 years old its gonna blow attitude as well, which also annoys me. I guess i just don't like snobs lol

G_D · 24 Jul 2008 at 14:53

Morba said:
i thought most were great for safety for the people inside but not for those outside, which has dropped them in the groups.
i know which safety element im more interested in ;]

No they perform worse in general. The example i can remember is from top gear when they have a freelander, a fiesta and something else which i cant remember. The freelander was the worst on there at the time. It had the most deformation around the roof line and the door and the pedals protruded the most.