Just seen a Range Rover Evoque

[Arch]

Whilst lashing you with the thin end of a labrador

Do Labradors ever have a thin end? I thought they ate anything that couldn't outrun them. Like cake.

 

[Norm]

Would you own one if its speed was limited to, lets say 56mph (same as HGVs) ?

Of course these vehicles have their uses and probably non of these uses involves going above 50mph. The vast majority of large 4x4s have no real purpose on the road, because of their mass they not only pose an unnecessary danger to other road users they are also very environmentally damaging. And the fact they are often driven by the aggressive and pompous makes there danger 10x worse.

I'd need to find a very long hill to get beyond 50 (it might make it if I chucked it off Beachy Head, for instance ) otherwise it's about 40-45mph.

It's not the vehicles that cause the menace, the sort of drivers who are referenced are bad drivers whatever car they are in. The only time I've had stuff chucked at me was from a Corsa, for example.

 

[Norm]

One last retort. The Shooting Party; not a class thing at all. Usually 3 or 4 Range Rovers / Shoguns / Discoveries. All full of men. A vehicle full of males is not a good thing, a high powered Range Rover full of men whose hobbies revolve around guns and killing things is even worse, now think of 3 or 4 of these in convoy, all showing off how fast they can drive how powerful their trucks are. They are not thinking vulnerable road user.

One thing I've found with people with guns is that they are not the sort of people who need to prove anything by driving like tossers.

 

[John the Monkey]

If 4x4's piss people off so much, I think I'll get one next time I change cars.

On the upside, drive it considerately, and cyclists throughout the nation will talk in hushed tones of your exploits

I'm sure some of the wariness is confirmation bias playing a part - but there are some vehicles, depending on where you ride, that make you think, "Hmm, better watch him." Ford Focuses (Foci?) of a particular age seem to be terribly poorly driven on my commute - similarly I'm wary of hatchbacks with young lads driving them. The urban 4x4 in Manchester bears close attention, but probably less so than busses operated by Finglands, or Magic Bus.

 

[XmisterIS]

Whoa there XMister, there's a #4......me! I need space to carry my bikes inside the pick-up bit (I don't like the idea of them hanging off the back of a Freelander etc) and also for various jobs that involve going to builders yards, the local tip (doing my bit to keep environmentally unfriendly bin trucks off the road, natch) plus assorted other errands that 'her indoors' needs doing. No school runs, by the way...I am as anti school run as most sane-minded people.
I try to drive considerately but like everybody else have my moments. My Mitsi has a 2.4 turbocharged diesel engine and gets nearly 40mpg on a very good run. That's not too bad up against many small or medium sized cars that would be utterly useless to me.

Love the look of the Evoque, by the way.

Bill





Bill

Ah! You, sir, come into my category #1 seeing as your 4x4 is necessary and practically useful to you! There is no #4 ... I have successfully stereotyped all 4x4 drivers in my 3 categories! There is no escape from the 3 categories ...

 

[Coco]

Its good to know that non-4x4 cars are much more considerately driven

I haven't had a single incident with a 4x4 but had literally dozens with little bitty Micra type cars. Is there a higher proportion of 4x4s in your location Reiver?

 

[HLaB]

Like everything there seems to be differen categories of 4x4's; there your genuine salt of the earth driver who actually uses it for a reason, there are however 4x4's that never go off road that they seem to be driven by some pr@ts who either think they are too important too care about anything in their way or don't understand the dynamics of their vehicle. I could be wrong but the Evoque seems to fall into that latter class.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Is evoque pronounced evocock

 

[Chrisz]

I bet that most of the Evokes sold will be two wheel drive.

Most likely! The engine will be/is the 2.2l Tdi which gets around 40+mpg! Much better than my old, nice, saloon car (3l petrol Jag).

 

[Chrisz]

...............and just to throw my 2p worth into the whole stereotyping gig that seems to now be making up most of this thread - we have quite a few Range Rover/Sports round here - NEVER had a problem with any of them whilst on the bike, WVM = not too bad, yellow van man (the guy who left-hooked me - now known as "the guy with the funny shaped nose"!) = idiot, Saab drivers = total idiots and the one guy I see quite often and, quite frankly scares the crap out of me because of his "couldn't give a damn"! driving antics is an old(ish) boy driving a Hilux "farm vehicle"!

I plan on replacing my current car (a 2wd slaoon) with a Freelander (4wd) as soon as possible - because it gets better mpg!

Also, why categorise "them" as 4X4s? I have had two 4X4 cars - both Toyota Celica GT4s - which category would I have fallen into??

Finally, in order to fit the stereotype theme, I should be old, upper-middle class, white male to be driving mycurrent car (a Jag), or I should be driving a BMW 5/7 Series or an Escalade!

 

[Over The Hill]

...............and just to throw my 2p worth into the whole stereotyping gig that seems to now be making up most of this thread - we have quite a few Range Rover/Sports round here - NEVER had a problem with any of them whilst on the bike, WVM = not too bad, yellow van man (the guy who left-hooked me - now known as "the guy with the funny shaped nose"!) = idiot, Saab drivers = total idiots and the one guy I see quite often and, quite frankly scares the crap out of me because of his "couldn't give a damn"! driving antics is an old(ish) boy driving a Hilux "farm vehicle"!

I plan on replacing my current car (a 2wd slaoon) with a Freelander (4wd) as soon as possible - because it gets better mpg!

Also, why categorise "them" as 4X4s? I have had two 4X4 cars - both Toyota Celica GT4s - which category would I have fallen into??

Finally, in order to fit the stereotype theme, I should be old, upper-middle class, white male to be driving mycurrent car (a Jag), or I should be driving a BMW 5/7 Series or an Escalade!

While that makes sense it is rather twisting the reality.

OK a 3 litre petrol car is an extreme on the road today. And it will be one of only a few cars that can be beaten by a Freelander diesel 4wd on fuel.
That is a fairly simple equation, you are going less efficient by the shape and drive but more efficient with the engine size and fuel. And the latter two give a better benefit than the backward step with the first two.

It is therefore common sense, and the figures will back this up, that if you go diesel car 2wd you will get the best benefit on fuel.

It is also a fairly widely know fact that range rover shaped cars (whatever drive it actually is) tend to return much worse mpg than the advertised rates. This is because at motorway speed they are a big square lump hitting the air. Cars are much better at cutting through the air. Official npg rates are only taken at up to 56mph where this is not so aparrent.

The diesel Jag will do 50mpg easily. I had a C Class merc diesel and got 60mpg most of the time and managed 75mpg on a run.
So compared to that the Freelander still looks like it is just throwing money away. Probably around £500 per year on average miles.

 

[david1701]

our freelander gave better mileage than our espace does, you need to identify what functions you need from a car then choose the most efficient from the options

eg having a more efficient motorway car for longer journeys

 

[Chrisz]

our freelander gave better mileage than our espace does, you need to identify what functions you need from a car then choose the most efficient from the options

eg having a more efficient motorway car for longer journeys

Exactly!!

I very rarely drive motorways - when I do I currently drive "swiftly" but in a Freelander (or similar) I would drive much more sedately. I can also get the bits and bobs I need to transport around into a higher, more upright vehicle much more easily than I can in my current one. Next door have a Freelander which I have borrowed a couple of times - different car = different driving style!

The last 2 door coupé I had did less than 15mpg - mostly because of the driving style it "encouraged"!

 

[fossyant]

PS diesel emissions are really crap for cyclists - "particulates"............. I'll just add that to the fire....... you diesel driving cyclists..tut...tut.......

PS where is the 4.0 super charged petrol - I'll have that (if I had the cash).

 

[Stephenite]

Aren't Freelanders notorious for breaking down all the time. I'd heard this before a lad at work bought one which soon broke down and was too expensive to repair.