Are vans better offroad than cars ?

[weeksy]

I know it may seem a bit of a weird question but i'm having some vehicle debates currently.

Several/some of the MTB places we're ending up recently are getting a bit ridiculous in terms of access.

This isn't helped by the Mondeo towbar being quite swan necked and low, so when you go through 2 ruts, you end up scraping the crap out of the bottom end and even occasionally getting slight somewhat stuck.

So it's getting to where i'm thinking of dumping the Mondeo for something 'else'

A van makes some sense... But i don't know if clearance is any better and if traction would be better.

Last weekend we ended up half way down a slipper muddy hill, impossible to turn around. The only reason we managed was because over the course of the day the track dried out a lot and we were able to gain some traction, in the morning it was carnage with cars all over the place.

Budget is about £8000 and i was thinking of either a van or something like a Mitsubishi L200 type thing.

Bikes on L200 type things are carried more like this.

[KungFooBob]

Depends.

From a traction point of view it's all going to be down to tyres. Pretty much everything except for a few XLWB stuff is front wheel drive anyway.

The higher the load capacity the higher a van usually sits. A 330 Transit will sit higher than a 280, etc..

[Mr. Dazzle]

I thought you needed a Merc/BMW/Audi/Jag/Lexus/Range-Rover "off roader" to carry expensive mountain bikes these days?

[Yorick]

Maybe I'm biased but our 4WD Duster is ace. Massive ground clearance and loads of grip.
Goes anywhere.

Couchy was surprised

[KungFooBob]

I guess a roof rack isn't an option?

Cos you'd get a RAV4 or similar 4X4 (note most off road styled SUV's are not 4x4, including 90% of the Rav4's on the road) and stick the bikes on the roof.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Are you not also gonna have seating capacity issues in a van? As in, you, the boy and just the one mate?

[weeksy]

Are you not also gonna have seating capacity issues in a van? As in, you, the boy and just the one mate?

Never needed more than 3 people in the last 15 years... so can't see it being a problem.

[Scud]

L200 are a nice vehicle, but are a bit thirsty and at £8k starting to get a bit long in the tooth.
The 4wd sysytem is great, but without the correct tyres you’d still get stuck.

[KungFooBob]

Get a 4x4 Bongo Friendee.

Just because who wouldn't want a car called a Bongo Friendee?

[Taff]

The T4 we had was ok across wet fields but certainly not brilliant.
The Vito is positively shit being RWD and not having a lot of weight on the rear axle. I'm very cautious taking it off gravel unless there's a rescue tractor on hand. (At most of the agility' shows that we go to there is a tractor on standby and we've been towed in and out of many showgrounds)

[weeksy]

Between here and STW forum the bloody Dacia Duster isn't sounding like a terrible idea

[Felix]

Personally i would want the security of a van over a pickup. Easy to convert to crew cab and still have space in the back for all your shizz. Almost all manufacturers have a 4x4 VERSION

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from ... n&_sacat=0

[Taff]

What about the Kuga or Tiguan? I'm not sure what you'll get within budget but they both do 4wd variant and are nice cars

[weeksy]

What about the Kuga or Tiguan? I'm not sure what you'll get within budget but they both do 4wd variant and are nice cars

Aye, certainly a thought.

[lostboy]

From a traction point of view it's all going to be down to tyres.

That. Even the 4x4s that I've had would struggle if they'd been on road tyres. A 2wd on decent mixed use tyres will surprise you by where it can go/what it can do.

I very nearly got the California stuck in a wet field being used as a Park and Ride for Hampshire Cricket once. I felt it sliding and digging in and just refused to park where I was told and kept the momentum going until I'd got to a spot I was happy with. There were a LOT of stranded cars after the game - including "4x4"s (X5, XC90, Touareg, Range Rovers etc.) all on road tyres.

I ran the California on mixed use tyres after that as I wasn't going to be towed our of a campsite. I used BF Goodrich TA quite a bit (including racing round a go kart track at Brands with them on a Touareg - they were fine!) and the last set was Yokohama - can't remember the model name/number.

Might be worth checking in with Piranha and see what he's just put on his new camper.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Second set of wheels/tyres for winter?

[weeksy]

Second set of wheels/tyres for winter?

It's not necessarily grip that's the issue, clearance can be more of an issue than grip.

[slowsider]

Subaru Outback?

[Mussels]

My Transit Custom had more clearance than my lifted Jeep, I could crawl under it without jacks however there are different clearance measurements depending on the type of ground you are covering.
If you are driving down rutted tracks then the oustide diameter of wheels is all important to keep axles off the ground, a van won't help with that and you may need to choose a pickup that can take larger tyres without fouling the wheelarch.
A van won't be best at uneven ground due to long wheelbase and overhangs front & rear. It pains me to say it but a crossover SUV may be what you are looking for.

[Mr. Dazzle]

A van won't be best at uneven ground due to long wheelbase and overhangs front & rear. It pains me to say it but a crossover SUV may be what you are looking for.

The so called departure and approach angles.