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4 x 4s
by Kate Goodhart - This issue we
are focusing on family jeeps
Land Rover tested by Emily Turner
Also known as 4x4s and now by the American term, SUVs, jeeps are going through an image crisis at the moment. Perceived as gas guzzling, road hogging, middle-class status symbols, governments across Europe are queuing up to have them taxed out of city centres. Despite the mayor’s opinion that their drivers are ‘complete idiots’, he is giving us a new excuse for driving them around town – the everincreasing number of speed bumps in London are making driving in the city almost an off-road experience. Love them or loathe them, they have found a home on London streets so enjoy the ride.
Land Rover Discovery
Mitsubishi Shogun
Volvo XC90
Volkswagen Touraeg
Porsche Cayenne
Toyota Land Cruiser
BMW X5
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Mercedes M-class
Other Suggestions
Land Rover Discovery
The newest of the new is one of the classics of the genre. The ‘all
new’ Land Rover Discovery was launched during half term week and
we couldn’t pass on the opportunity to start this feature with a
report on how the Discovery 3 shapes up.
So, courtesy of HR Owen, a rainy day in half term found me and my six year old at the West London Shooting School waiting to put the TDV6 HSE through its paces.
First up, the look. Since the old Discovery came on the scene, it has had to cope with a host of contenders to its throne – each looking slicker than the last. Turning a genuine off-roader into a comfort machine was the challenge and Land Rover has pulled it off. It retains the chunky, recognisably jeep-like lines of its predecessor but, from both inside and out, this is a much smoother beast.
There are lots of good gimmicks. The optional satellite navigation system
is state of the art and works both on and off road. Instead of a clunky
hand brake, there is a small switch that releases automatically when you
put your foot on the accelerator. This needed
a bit of getting used to but makes sense. There are non-retractable glass
roofs in the back. A lot of planning has gone into the back row of seats
– they are much more substantial than in the previous model and,
thanks to some cunning design in the footwells and a clever tiering system
in the seat rows, two adults can sit in the back with a decent view and
legroom. With all seats occupied, you don’t have room for much more
than a set of golf clubs but it is quick and easy to put down one or both
of the back row. From my son’s point of view the best bit was the
personal stereo system that he could plug into
in the back.
On road it was a delight: high, smooth, reassuringly solid without being tank-like. I would have been happy driving up and down the A40 all day but Davy wanted some bumps. And bumps is where the Discovery is in a class of its own. Turn the Terrain Response dial and whether you are on gravel, grass, snow or mud, it will automatically deal with it. It has special controls for going up and down steep hills and we seemed to stick like glue to the muddy 45 degree angle I was forced to tackle. And as we came out of the off-road area and back onto the road, we passed through a muddy puddle – the automatic windscreen sensors sprang into action and it was sprayed off before I had registered it needed wiping. That is slick!
Cost: from £27,000 to £47,000.
Fuel consumption: the diesel model will average
about 30mpg, petrol about 19mpg (going down to about 13.5 in town).
Top of page
Mitsubishi
Shogun
This is great for big families who move around. It is very high up, giving
the kids a great view of the world, and the driver amazing visibility,
making it easy to park. This car feels heavy and solid – a reassuring
weight, but easy enough to manoeuvre with power steering. It comes with
a 4-wheel drive facility, and is great for pulling a trailer. There are
two big seats in the middle row, so it is really a comfortable six-seater,
but there is a 7th lap belt to squeeze up in the middle. The back seats
pop out from the floor of the boot, one at a time. The downsides are the
boot door, which is very heavy and hard to manage with a toddler –
it opens sideways, like the Land Rover and needs to be fixed into place
so as not to squash anyone. The Shogun also has a big turning circle,
so is hard to get out of London traffic on a whim.
Cost: £25,000 is the starting price for
the long wheel base version (7-seater).
A two-year old Shogun would cost about £10,000 less.
Fuel consumption: Average between 27 and 29.5
mpg for the diesel models; petrol models do about 21 mpg, down to just
over 16 mpg in traffic.
Top of page
Volvo
XC90
This comes with seven seats as standard. The third-row seats are forward-facing,
and tuck into the floor when not in use, making a roomy boot. It is light
to drive and really
doesn’t feel big around the short cuts of London – it is wide
enough to be comfortable but not wider than necessary, so not a road hog.
This mostly sells to families – the back seats are great for children,
and the middle seat of the second row has an integrated booster cushion.
The XC90 comes with all Volvo’s classic selling points – it
is built with safety, quality and the environment in mind. If you are
looking for neatness and flexibility in seating, this is the one to go
for.
Cost: Costs start at just over £30,000
for a diesel manual. All the extras (including built in DVD players with
headphones which would revolutionise long journeys) take it up to around
£40,000. It’s new to the market, so has a high second-hand
value – expect to pay only around £3,000 less for a second-hand
car.
Fuel consumption: The diesel averages a respectable 34 mpg, the petrol
model 22 mpg (15.3 in traffic).
Top of page
Volkswagen
Touraeg
This new addition to the VW range has turned out to be pretty popular.
It feels enormous, but has five roomy seats, plenty big enough for three
car seats if you need them. Lots are being sold to families – this
offers a luxury drive in town and off-road as well.
Cost: They start new at £29,500 and go
up to £52,000 with bells on.
Fuel consumption: Diesel models do between 23
and 29 mpg. Petrol versions do between 19 and 20 mpg (can be less than
14 in town.)
Porsche
Cayenne
The Porsche range has also recently branched out into the SUV market.
Apparently named after a pepper as it is ‘spicy and a bit different’,
it has certainly proved popular. Like the Touraeg, it has five roomy seats
and a good boot. It is high off the road with a good view for both driver
and passengers, and has a brilliant gadget which lowers the height of
the car to make loading and unloading children and shopping much easier.
Cost: This is a very high-end 4x4, starting
at £35,500 and going up to a steep £70,000 for the model which
is almost as whizzy as a sports car. As the Cayenne and the Touraeg are
both fairly new to the market, there is a very limited second-hand trade.
A one-year old Cayenne would go for about £7,000 less than the new
price.
Fuel consumption: no diesel models available.
Does between 18 and 21 mpg (13 in town).
Top of page
Toyota
Land Cruiser
This is one of my favourites in this category. It makes a people carrier
look slight, so you must feel confident to drive one around London. Toyota
are well recognised for their reliability. This wins prizes (with me)
for being an eight-seater, which explains the size. All the seats have
three-point seatbelts, and even with the third row of seats in use, there
is still a bit of boot space. It’s a tank – if that’s
your thing, go for it.
Cost: Prices start at £27,500, making it one of the most reasonable
4x4s on the market. Top-of-the-range automatic version is £36,750.
The prices come down considerably for a two-year-old model – dropping
about £15,000 from the original price.
Fuel consumption: Diesels do about 29.5 mpg, petrol models average 21
mpg (15.5 in town).
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BMW
X5
This is the bigger of the two BMW 4x4s (the other is the X3).Both are
popular, particularly with my friend who pulls a horse-box. They compare
in size to the Volvo and the Mercedes, but without the extra-seats option.
Cost: £35,000 for the X5 and go up high with all the add-ons.
The second hand prices for these stay pretty high – dropping only
£5,000–£8,000 for a two-year-old car.
Fuel consumption: Diesels will average a good 33mpg, petrol models 19
mpg (down to 15 mpg in traffic).
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Jeep
Grand Cherokee
One of the first jeeps to make a regular appearance on London streets.
Again, this is just a five-seater, so not suitable for a bigger family.
It wins huge points on style though chunky, but hard to park in a tight
spot.
Cost: Prices start at close to £30,000 new and about £10,000
less from a dealer once it’s two-years old.
Fuel consumption: The diesel will do up to 29 mpg and the petrol model
averages 17.7 (down to under 13 in traffic).
Top of page
Mercedes
M-class
This is gorgeous-looking, and the automatic version is easy to drive around
London. The height is lovely in traffic, and the inside is comfortable
and roomy. The two seats in the boot are an optional extra, and fold up
to the side, making the luggage compartment rather narrow, but you can
have one of the seats taken out permanently if you need the space more
than the seventh seat. It is certainly a more stylish way to end with
a six-seater car than the Fiat alternative, the Multipla.
Cost: The Diesel M-Class starts at just over
£30,000; the petrol model is a little more. Automatic is also an
extra cost. The secondhand market is limited as these are still rather
new. Expect to pay £5,000–£7,000 less for a two-year-old
model.
Fuel consumption: The diesel will average 30
mpg, the petrol version just under 20 (down to 14.6 mpg in traffic).
Top of page
Other Suggestions
The Range Rover is a luxury dream of a 4x4. But with no third row of seats
and no middle seat in the back, it is a non-starter if you have more than
two children. Plus there is
the hefty price tag: from about £46,000 to over £60,000.
The Lexus is one of the nicest to look at and by all accounts a joy to drive but again stumbles in not having the third row. From just under £30,000.
First published in angels & urchins, Christmas 2004