recommendations for 4X4s

E

els

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Anybody got any recommendations for a good 4X4?

We're looking to spend 8-9K and it will be towing an Ifor Williams trailer with one horse (approx 550kg), although potentially (in my dreams!) we may get a second horse at some point in future.
My horse is not the best of travellers and so car really needs to be a smooth tower.
Also needs to be a bit of a family car capable of fitting in kids, buggies, dogs etc.

Currently have a T-Reg Grand Cherokee, which tows great but unfortunately is the 4.7litre petrol version and costs us a bomb to run and is always getting electric problems.

any suggestions anyone?
 
I've just bought an Isuzu Trooper 3.0lr Diesel - long wheel base. It's absolutley fab and I love it. I use it for pulling my horse and as a day to day car getting to and from work etc. They are brilliant for space for kids in the back and,
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the boot is huge - great for dogs etc. I would definately get one again. I think they had a recall for the 3.0 something to do with the turbo's but apparently they are fine as long as they have had the recall done. Would definately recommend them.
 
I've just got a Mitsubishi Shogun sparts 2.5 diesel and its excellent. I Used to have a frontera which towed ok but with the shogun i don't know that i pulling a trailer at all. It's got loads of foot room for kids in the back and an enormous boot and my dog can't believe she's got so much room, she can lay flat out and has still got loads of room and she a big Weimaraner. This car also had a good write up in the Your Horse mag this Month. I use my car everyday for school runs, shopping etc. Very pleased with it.

Pulls 3500kg so easily two horses in a 510 trailer
 
A freelander would tow 1 horse. I had one before my Kia Sorento (which tows 2 horses). My freelander was reliable & not too bad to run (diesel version).
 
I have a new Freelander 2 and was told at the dealership it would tow 2000kg with no problem, I have a lorry though.
 
We have a Jeep Cherokee 2.8CRD, 2004 model, and it pulls my Ifor Williams HB510 + 16.2 ISH so well that you wouldn't even know it was hitched up (in fact I sometimes worry I WILL forget I'm towing!!). I absolutely love it and although its a little bit thirsty its not too excessive.

I personally wouldn't go for a Freelander, the maximum gross towing weight is only around 1800 kg, and they're a fairly lightweight vehicle.
 

I can reccomend a Hyundai Santa Fe and they are within your price range. Very reliable and good on the fuel. Ive got a 2 litre TD and its fab, tows suberbly and good as an every day car aswell. Also LOADS of room for Kids and buggies!
 
My Disco was great for towing, very stable, powerful and lovely to drive. Sold it last year because it was to thirsty for the amount of work miles I do. Had heard the toyota land cruiser is an excellent reliable 4x4, not sure what it tows like though!
 
Why don't you get your Jeep converted to LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) which only costs 45p a litre and has tax on it frozen for 2 years? The conversion costs about £1500 and gets you a certificate which allows you to have cheaper road tax as well. I had my Jeep done a year ago and it was so so worth it.
 
Thanks for the kit279 - what a fab suggestion. Do you find that there are plenty of petrol stations offering LPG so that you're never stuck for somewhere to fill up?
 
Nissan Terrano - reasonably priced, economical for a 4x4 and comfortable to drive - oh and tows brilliantly.
 
re: LPG conversion, we had a LPG Discovery and it was really great but a pain in the bum at the same time! It used the gas really quickly, we could never go out (not towing) without planning enough gas stops on the way. I hate to think what it'd be like towing, not only more stops but stopping with a trailer and horse.
We have a diesel Disco now, haven't towed with the new one (W-reg, some fancy model) but our old one we just sold was fab (as were all our others). We also had a Defencer 90 at one point, which was also fab for towing - not as comfortable for humans and not as much space for everything, but I found it gave a much smoother and more stable ride for the horse. We first towed with it when Maiden had just had nerve blocks on both front feet and she was fine even with numb legs!
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I also wouldn't tow with a Freelander, there are plenty of threads on them if you do a search
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No, a lot of petrol stations sell LPG and the conversion allows you to run on petrol as well if you run out of gas. I asked my local Tesco to stock it and they obliged! Make sure you get the biggest size tank possible though if you're planning on towing!
 
This is so interesting! I was going to put a post on here today reagarding LPG and who runs their car on it! Was wondering how much the conversion is (youve answered that) where can it be one though? Am thinking of getting a FWD to tow but the cost of fuel and road tax is putting me off. It's so annoying that people who want to use the vehicles for what they are meant for are being penalised by the Chelsea tractors and the mums, most of which I think are at my kids school, that do the school runs in them!!!

Where can I find out more about LPG and conversions etc? My local BP garage does it!
 
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No, a lot of petrol stations sell LPG and the conversion allows you to run on petrol as well if you run out of gas. I asked my local Tesco to stock it and they obliged! Make sure you get the biggest size tank possible though if you're planning on towing!

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We could never find enough LPG petrol stations, we'd drive for miles looking and end up using the petrol instead, which sort of defys the object of the conversion! We found it was more of a pain in the bum than it was good to run, so we sold it. Now if more petrol stations had LPG available, I'd consider getting one myself!
 
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Nissan Terrano - reasonably priced, economical for a 4x4 and comfortable to drive - oh and tows brilliantly.

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ditto wouldnt swap mine
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I had mine done in Holland as it was about half the price but otherwise check this website.

http://www.lpg-vehicles.co.uk/lpg_conversions/lpg_vehicle_conversion.htm

I'm a bit of an LPG preacher! I figured that petrol never gets cheaper, only more expensive, and I calculated that I would have saved 1500 pounds in two years anyway. Also it allows you to drive through London and you don't have to pay congestion charge. I do however live relatively South so there are lots of LPG gas stations near me - might be different in other areas. ALso, nothing annoys me more than someone with a massive horsepower 4x4 with NO TOWBAR! Why do you need a 4.0 litre engine to do your shopping?!
 
I had an old Range Rover with an LPG tank, although LPG provision is a bit thin on the ground (I think most of the BP petrol stations stock it if I remember rightly). I would recommend (if you can afford the boot space) getting the tank put in the boot rather than replacing the petrol tank so that you have plenty 'in reserve'.
Would strongly advise against a Freelander in particular (my bro had one on a 53 plate; no end of trouble and couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding!) but most of the 'soft roaders' aren't upto towing 2 horses in a trailer weight wise, safely. I think someone on here mentioned that pre 2001 4x4s aren't subject to the higher road taxes that newer 4x4s have as there is no emissions data for them (ie are cheaper to tax!)
 
another vote for the nissan terrano II !
tows anything, anywhere and yet still only has a 2.7 litre engine so is relatively economical. mine is my only car so i commute 60 miles a day in it and havent had to remortage the house just yet!
the other good thing about them is they dont have the 'badge status' of other 4x4's so for the money you're looking to spend you could get a reasonably new one
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Kia Sorento 2.5TD XS - Caravan Club Towcar of the year numerous times, 85% of Kerbweight is 1,750kg so would cover an Ifor and one horse, but not two. Tows very smoothly, gear ratios perfect for towing. Full-time 4x4 in the XS model makes it very safe for towing (and it has nice leather seats!). I get about 32-34mpg in everyday commuting. Very spacious with nice big boot and easily fold-downable seats.

Also was the most reliable 4x4 in the JD Power customer satisfaction survey.

I love mine and now I've had one I wouldn't dream of having anything else (unless I needed to tow two horses!).
 
Another vote for Disco. I have a J reg 2.5TDi. It's great - old but reliable, body and interior in fantastic condition, pulls really well, I've done 4 hours with it... Very stable, only a bit narrower than the trailer itself so really easy to gauge widths when towing. Very comfy and warm inside, much better than a Defender in that respect. And I'd say fairly economical considering.

I'd agree don't go for the lesser 4*4. However I drive our regular car to and from work every day, not sure I'd still be saying that if I had to pay for the Disco all the time?

But still, I love it. Only niggle I have heard is that it's quite common for their sunroofs to leak a bit.
 
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Nissan Terrano - reasonably priced, economical for a 4x4 and comfortable to drive - oh and tows brilliantly.

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ditto wouldnt swap mine
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Ditto again!

Just swapped our 1995 M reg Ford Maverick (same as a Terrano) for a 55 plate Terrano. Drives like a dream and is an excellent towing vehicle.

We only had it last Friday and it's towed some calves to market today. We paid under £9k for it and it's only 2 years and 4 months old. That was on a Nissan dealership and it's not high mileage.
 
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Nissan Terrano - reasonably priced, economical for a 4x4 and comfortable to drive - oh and tows brilliantly.

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ditto wouldnt swap mine
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Ditto, Ditto, I absolutely love mine, and it does tow beautifully.
 
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