Are vans better offroad than cars ?

[Ditchfinder]

Before buying a Duster try and fit 2 decent sized bikes in the boot - then realise it's a ballache as the floor is high and rear seats don't fold fully flat and the roof is quite low, then fit a towbar and get a towbar bike rack and a big lock.

I hated my MK1 Duster - anything more than 2 hours in it and I had to get out for a leg-stretch as the seats were so unsupportive. It had a heavy clutch with a high bite point too which made stop-start traffic horrible.

The old dci 1.5 was noisy and rattly and didn't do much more than 40 mpg

Subsequent versions might be better though

[Couchy]

Tyres and ground clearance are the key for where you’re going. Vans are no better than cars, ours still get stuck on some building sites. We’ve got one pick up and it’s great off road but 22mpg would be harsh for an every day car.
I drove Yorick’s duster and was impressed, great off road and quiet on it.
At £8k I’d look for a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4 or indeed the duster.

[weeksy]

Before buying a Duster try and fit 2 decent sized bikes in the boot - then realise it's a ballache as the floor is high and rear seats don't fold fully flat and the roof is quite low, then fit a towbar and get a towbar bike rack and a big lock.

I hated my MK1 Duster - anything more than 2 hours in it and I had to get out for a leg-stretch as the seats were so unsupportive. It had a heavy clutch with a high bite point too which made stop-start traffic horrible.

The old dci 1.5 was noisy and rattly and didn't do much more than 40 mpg

Subsequent versions might be better though

Bikes won't be going inside anyway, they'll be towbar mounted.

[Mussels]

No matter what the ride height of the vehicle the towbar will be at pretty much the same height and hitting the ground. Less of an overhang at the back will help so it doesn't get pushed down when the front rises.
Are potholes the problem?

[weeksy]

No matter what the ride height of the vehicle the towbar will be at pretty much the same height and hitting the ground. Less of an overhang at the back will help so it doesn't get pushed down when the front rises.
Are potholes the problem?

Not really it's more changes in terrain, e.g think of a track with 2 ruts that have been created over the course of the day....

It can be actually driving along these ruts, or crossing/joining/leaving them. Or indeed say a decent incline with a crest over, either up or down seems to be a big problem.

Some towbars though it's not the height it's mounted at but the lowest point as it loops up. So a direct mount would have a much higher point.

[weeksy]

Not exactly the mondeo one, but shows what i mean.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

These are good off road, it's under £8K, has a fairly huge loading area, but they are a tad thirsty

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174973426297 ... SwX2phZUz6

This might work better for carrying bikes

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174968082658 ... SwoutgjT5I

[millemille]

Unless you are looking to mount a 12.7mm heavy machine gun on the back pick and shoot down American helicopters Pick up trucks are terrible vehicles. They're a tax dodge and nothing more. I had an Isuzu D-Max for 18 months/65k miles as a company vehicle and it had pathetic service intervals, ate consumable parts that meant it didn't even make the services without needing to go in for out of schedule work, drank fuel like it was going out fashion and the load bed is utterly, utterly useless - if you leave it open topped you can reach in from the sides and put stuff in, but then so can every light fingered scrote at every set of traffic lights, if you fit a hard top then you can only reach in over the lowered tail gate and, unless you've got arms like Clint Eastwood's mate Clyde, you can't reach 75% of the load bed.

My Citroen Dispatch by contrast has double the service interval, uses 25% less fuel and has a secure and large load area. Ok, so it shit it's guts due to a broken cambelt at 96k miles, but Citroen threw a new engine at it FOC.

As others have said, tyres are the biggest factor in getting in and out of trouble. The van will be going on its winter tyres when the temperature drops a little more and we start getting some frosts and it's not yet been stopped by any road or off-road conditions I've come across.

[Kneerly Down]

I've been quite impressed with my Transit 2.2 FWD in the local fields when I've needed to.
Certainly has been where I wouldn't have got in a month of Sundays with the Mondeo, especially with a towbar.
It's 3t GVW and lightly loaded it rides pretty high.
I have all terrain tyres on it.
If you have a hatch mounted bike carrier rather than towbar on the car though that'd save quite a bit of low-riding at the back. The Mondeo still rides pretty low compared to a van. Presume you're talking about ruts more than hilly terrain so presume straight ground clearance is more important than approach angles, etc?

As for SUVs we had a Qashqai that was replaced by a CR-V that was replaced by a Tiguan....although we've had (at least one) Discovery 3 throughout so any proper tough terrain isn't done in the SUVs.
The Tiguan has a bit more space than the Qashqai and the CR-V had quite a noticeable bit more than that. None of them were bad places to be although the CR-V was again better than the other 2. I bought the Tiguan because the fuel economy was better, I really like the full panoramic roof and is was a great deal for a much newer vehicle.
I keep being tempted to get a late L322 4.4TDV8 Range Rover to replace the Discovery - lovely motors - but I think the D3 is going to be with us for a while yet.

[slowsider]

Subaru Outback?

Skoda Octavia Scout ?

[Horse]

in the morning it was carnage with cars all over the place.

Were any vehicles coping?

[Mussels]

For the talk of proper 4x4s I've struggled in the Jeep with AT tyres and all 3 diffs locked where it looks like it should be easy, usually it's hard dirt with a slippery top layer. Snow has much more grip.

[weeksy]

in the morning it was carnage with cars all over the place.

Were any vehicles coping?

yes, the big pickup truck

[Mr. Dazzle]

For the talk of proper 4x4s I've struggled in the Jeep with AT tyres and all 3 diffs locked where it looks like it should be easy, usually it's hard dirt with a slippery top layer. Snow has much more grip.

Wet grass, wet mud and wet ice are the worst right?

Spot the common theme

[Mussels]

For the talk of proper 4x4s I've struggled in the Jeep with AT tyres and all 3 diffs locked where it looks like it should be easy, usually it's hard dirt with a slippery top layer. Snow has much more grip.

Wet grass, wet mud and wet ice are the worst right?

Spot the common theme

Yes but grip doesn't seem to be Weeksy's problem, that'll be the next problem he finds once ground clearance is sorted.

[weeksy]

For the talk of proper 4x4s I've struggled in the Jeep with AT tyres and all 3 diffs locked where it looks like it should be easy, usually it's hard dirt with a slippery top layer. Snow has much more grip.

Wet grass, wet mud and wet ice are the worst right?

Spot the common theme

Yes but grip doesn't seem to be Weeksy's problem, that'll be the next problem he finds once ground clearance is sorted.

I never said grip wasn't an issue, I said grip isn't the only issue.

[Couchy]

Subaru Outback?

Skoda Octavia Scout ?

That’s a good shout, an awd estate rather than a 4wd pick up or suv. Once you get to the point you need a proper 4x4 you’ll need proper tyres and by then it’s pretty much not ideal for the tarmac which is 99% of its use.

[dern]

Our T5 with AT tyres has been excellent in mud and deep snow...



I think you can get 4wd versions too. I've not tried to take it anywhere too crazy but dealt with a foot of snow easily enough along with muddy tracks.

[Mr Moofo]

Jeep Wrangler.
Brilliant at everything, my missus goes to work in hers, but it will do desert, jungle, whatever.

I'd suggest something like my 4x4 (Nissan Xerra Offroad) which is the go-to vehicle for the old bill here if they need to drag someone out of mud or deep sand, but they don't sell them there, although they do sell the Nissan 4x4 Pick-Up based on the same chassis.

Anything other than a proper 4x4 will be a compromise and when we were racing motocross we sometimes got stuck in fields in our Transit, along with everyone else not in a proper 4x4.

Jeep Wrangler is one of the worst cars I have ever driven - mind you, I would have thought they would have had to improve in the last 20 years.
Nissan X Trail would be a good choice

[weeksy]

Our T5 with AT tyres has been excellent in mud and deep snow...



I think you can get 4wd versions too. I've not tried to take it anywhere too crazy but dealt with a foot of snow easily enough along with muddy tracks.

For £8k?