Landrover - the truth

[Linford]

Not driven a Discovery 4 yet, but I do prefer its shape to the '3' - I always thought that it looked like a double-cab pick-up with a 'truckman top' due to the swage line down the side.

I've had several Solihull products over the years;
1969 2A Light-Weight
1994 110Tdi Hard-Top (a '300', that was incredible compared to the turbo-diesels of the late 80s/early 90's)
1989 90CSW-V8 (genuine factory built V8 County, & went like stink! - at a cost)
1998 Discovery 50th Anniversary (300Tdi, never really got on with it, was talked into it by wife - I wanted a 'proper' Range Rover at the time)
1999 Defender 110 Td5 'Heritage' (the Landy that I'd wanted since I was about 8; a LWB Station Wagon)


They're surprisingly competant, & almost the equal of the Octavia Scout.
Now those are damned good in the snow, even on 'summer tyres'

Our 'delivery service' has quite a few of them as First Responder cars & the crews love them, unless they got bellied out, no-one reported having major traction issues with them.

I was bellying out for a good part up there (see the snow stick in the bash plate) so anythingwill less clearance would struggle. I did actually stop atthe point where the tractor had stopped ploughing as beyond that, it was drifting to 3 or 4 ft,across the road and I had no other vehicle behind me to pull me out if I did get stuck. The rut depth in the snow after a tractor with 7 or 8ft dia wheels is an issue now where they have been.

 

[Linford]

It's never too exposed to stop and get out if you have a shovel. Was driving in worse than that in my fwd motor when we were stopped by this rwd car stuck. There was a strong breeze drifting the snow across the road and I was soon plastered in snow.

Having a shovel, wellies and other gear I was able to get them on their way far enough to allow us to proceed. They didn't leave their car, they were all in city clobber. We left them to it as the emergency services were en route. (When we got started again my passenger took a pic through the windscreen and it looks like something out of Scott of the Antarctic.) Our journey started by digging a path through the snow drift blocking the driveway and was one of those journeys that really are necessary.

If you know what you are doing, only a snowdrift will stop a FWD car. I know as I have left them stuck in them waist deep before wading through on foot to get home. The penalty for living in the middle of nowhere.

Good luck with that, just let me go first if you ever go up there as I wouln't want you to block my path. As I said, you wouldn't have the ground clearance to get to that point in a regular car as the snow is compacted and then deeply rutted...unless you have got an LSD on the car

 

[Linford]

[QUOTE 2273436, member: 45"]I've never criticised justifiable 4x4 ownership.

Babysitting oversized, wannabe donkeys does not justify 4x4 ownership.

I don't live in the sticks.

My Fabia coped just fine thanks.

You don't live in the sticks.

Your journey yesterday was pointless and doesn't justify ownership of a 4x4.[/quote]

If your fabia copes just fine, you'd not be blowing £145 per day on the hire of a 4x4. 2 weeks hire of that Disco through Thrifty is more than mine is worth. You'd be better off buying one.

It isn't neccessarily where you live, but where you need to go which determines requirement...as you have proved by renting one of the most expensive hire cars you can.

 

[subaqua]

[QUOTE 2273495, member: 45"]Carry on if you like.[/quote]
Does he have a snow shovel ?

XC70 is Not a V70 - it might have the same body shell but its transmission, suspension among other things is completely different.

but you carry on

 

[Linford]

[QUOTE 2273495, member: 45"]You really have no idea about the cost (you're wrong) the need (you're wrong) the purpose (you're wrong) or the location (you're wrong). I had no trouble getting to work in my little fwd car.

Carry on if you like.[/quote]

Perhaps you are thinking of a different hire company ?

 

[Linford]

Does he have a snow shovel ?

XC70 is Not a V70 - it might have the same body shell but its transmission, suspension among other things is completely different.

but you carry on

It is no 4x4 for sure either way...it was stuck at a position which would not trouble any vehicle with real ability

 

[subaqua]

It is no 4x4 for sure either way...it was stuck at a position which would not trouble any vehicle with real ability

it doesn't claim to be . its AWD . you do know the difference don't you

 

[subaqua]

Perhaps you are thinking of a different hire company ?

strangely enough what i pay for cable from suppliers isn't what you would pay . its all down to purchasing agreements and negotiations.

I can also hire generator sets for a lot less than what speedy quote online so blindly quoting figures off the web isn't valid for supporting your already weak arguments . you have come a cropper on that one before

 

[Over The Hill]

Driving in snow or ice, you need grip to pull away or get where you are pointing, so snow chains or winter tyres. Adding more driving wheels is not necessarily better.

Where you end up in the ditch is when stopping. All cars have four wheel braking so no differnet whatsover by sticking a different shape car on top of the wheels. You are not going to stop any better if your wheels are not gripping on ice and indeed will the extra high-placed weight of the 4x4 be harder to stop? More energy to get rid of.

My brother in law lives in the peak district and drives a BMW 3 series to Sheffield. The car is probably top of the list for useless car in the snow award. He fits it with winter tyres and heads out in all weathers and seems to get through as easy as the 4x4s.

In places with lots of snow they seem to make and drive ordinary rear driven 2wd cars and manage perfectly. It seems to only be the UK that is obsessd with 4x4s.

 

[subaqua]

[QUOTE 2273529, member: 45"]I've not mentioned volvo.[/quote]
no Linf did in a futile effort to justify owning a 4x4 .

 

[Archie_tect]

Is this what people call a troll thread?

 

[black'n'yellow]

it doesn't claim to be . its AWD . you do know the difference don't you

I don't - what is it..?

 

[subaqua]

4WD = Low range and High Range gearing
AWD = Only high range gearing
Part-time 4WD: No centre differential.
Permanent 4WD:. No two wheel drive mode. System is equipped with a centre differential, and hence is safe to use on all surfaces. All four wheels are powered all of the time (usually 50/50 front and rear axles). This is arguably the best system since the torque split ratio does not change and is the most predictable. All wheels "help out" all of the time and this stabilises the vehicle + improves handling. : MB M-class SUV, the Range/Land Rovers.
Full-time 4WD: Basically permanent 4WD but with a 2WD mode. Jeep selct trak as fitted to cherokees
Permanent AWD: Basically permanent 4WD but without low range gearing. Examples include the Audi Quattro AWD system, the MB's 4-matic AWD system.
Full-time AWD: System is active at all times, however in most cases, the one set of wheels (usually the rears) only receive 5-10% of the engine's power unless slippage occurs. At that point, power is progressively transfered to the opposite axle to help out. Some systems can transfer power to the rear upon acceleration to improve traction.

in a nutshell.

 

[Doseone]

We've got a 10 year old Subaru Forester.

It has been brilliant in the snow. If it broke tomorrow I would get another one in a heartbeat (if I could afford it!). Honestly, I don't know how we would manage without it where we live, particularly when its snowy or icy.

 

[Linford]

Is this what people call a troll thread?

We had a bit of a disagreement a couple of years back, and MrP was adamant that this type of vehicle was unneccessary and he has on many occasions told me to sell it (see the previous link)...fast forward 2 years, and he is hiring one....whilst then claiming that this type of vehicle isn't neccessary, and he gets around fine in his Fabia.

I have always been consistent in my appraisal of thi vehicle type, and feelt that his objection had been without foundation. I am just looking to see if he has changed his mind back again as his actions contradict his words. If taking a POV which you don't really agree with for the sake of an agument is trolling, then who is doing what as he appears to have changed his POV with the weather...