angus falconer
Senior Member
Hi All,
In the spirit of the petrol/diesel discussion here's another one.
There has been a lot on TV recently about 4WD's which I think misses the point by just going on about fuel consumption. I think there are other issues to contend with;
(1) Visibility
Owners claim these vehicles offer better visibility. Straight ahead this may be true but my experience of driving these vehicles is that you simply can't see what's immediately to your sides or behind you. This is OK if you don't care but I prefer to know....The guy who recently reversed his 4WD into me obviously didn't lose too much sleep over this. Personally I find them really hard to drive (safely) in town.
(2) Safety
Hmmm....for little Johnny in his car seat in the back maybe - for anyone outside not. Too heavy to stop well (Ok apart from the X5's and Cayenne's). Too tall to corner (ask my mate who rolled a Discovery CHANGING LANES on motorway). C**p steering (to suit off-road driving which never happens). And if one of these machines hits your normal car side on it's goodnight Vienna. All the safety aids in my W202 count for nothing as the bull bar crushes my skull. Nice.
(3) Space
Nope. If you want a spacious BMW get 5 series touring. Or an E Class. Am I missing something here?
(4) Off Road Ability
Please.......what's the point of dragging two Massey Ferguesons about underneath you if you never use the off road ability and creates all the problems with handling and saftey above.
(5) You're a Farmer.
Well how come my cousin who has a hill farm in Northumberland can manage with a rwd pickup truck? Always has done.
(6) Fuel consumption
Well I drive a C43 so can't claim to be looking after the planet too well. I know I'll jack it up 2 feet, fit an enormous agricultural gear box and 4WD system underneath and fill all cavities with lead. Or maybe not.
(7) You are A UN Peace Inspector.
OK - you can have Nissan Patrol. Just don't bring it to West London thanks.
So they offer poor visibility, poor stopping and poor cornering. They wiegh too much and the weight is too high. Therefore they are more likely to be involved in accidents. And those accidents tend to kill or seriously injure way more people because of their height. And as for off road ability, even a hill farmer doesn't need one.
So unless you are in the UN (in a place without proper roads) or if you regularly tow things in muddy fields what's the point?
In the spirit of the petrol/diesel discussion here's another one.
There has been a lot on TV recently about 4WD's which I think misses the point by just going on about fuel consumption. I think there are other issues to contend with;
(1) Visibility
Owners claim these vehicles offer better visibility. Straight ahead this may be true but my experience of driving these vehicles is that you simply can't see what's immediately to your sides or behind you. This is OK if you don't care but I prefer to know....The guy who recently reversed his 4WD into me obviously didn't lose too much sleep over this. Personally I find them really hard to drive (safely) in town.
(2) Safety
Hmmm....for little Johnny in his car seat in the back maybe - for anyone outside not. Too heavy to stop well (Ok apart from the X5's and Cayenne's). Too tall to corner (ask my mate who rolled a Discovery CHANGING LANES on motorway). C**p steering (to suit off-road driving which never happens). And if one of these machines hits your normal car side on it's goodnight Vienna. All the safety aids in my W202 count for nothing as the bull bar crushes my skull. Nice.
(3) Space
Nope. If you want a spacious BMW get 5 series touring. Or an E Class. Am I missing something here?
(4) Off Road Ability
Please.......what's the point of dragging two Massey Ferguesons about underneath you if you never use the off road ability and creates all the problems with handling and saftey above.
(5) You're a Farmer.
Well how come my cousin who has a hill farm in Northumberland can manage with a rwd pickup truck? Always has done.
(6) Fuel consumption
Well I drive a C43 so can't claim to be looking after the planet too well. I know I'll jack it up 2 feet, fit an enormous agricultural gear box and 4WD system underneath and fill all cavities with lead. Or maybe not.
(7) You are A UN Peace Inspector.
OK - you can have Nissan Patrol. Just don't bring it to West London thanks.
So they offer poor visibility, poor stopping and poor cornering. They wiegh too much and the weight is too high. Therefore they are more likely to be involved in accidents. And those accidents tend to kill or seriously injure way more people because of their height. And as for off road ability, even a hill farmer doesn't need one.
So unless you are in the UN (in a place without proper roads) or if you regularly tow things in muddy fields what's the point?
