Louise Limb

Buying a ‘new’ second-hand 4×4 is always daunting, yet as I open the first of two service books in the neatly presented folder and survey the almost spotless leather upholstery, I feel better. The passenger seat looks barely used, the back seat pristine. At first glance, only the slightly worn leather covering steering wheel bears witness to the 200K mile club membership the Freelander has earned itself. The first full service took place at Herbert Engels dealership in Krankelsweg on 16th January 2002, with 5184 miles on the clock and the most recent, including the air con in July 2012 at 200,513 miles at Hunters Land Rover in Derby, along with replacement of a chafed intercooler hose. Further inspection of the most recent of the pile of photocopied receipts reveals that the brakes were overhauled in November 2012.  A tiny patch of rust under the rear nearside window mars an otherwise near flawless body, joined by a couple of superficial car park dents along the doors and the road grime of one last sleet filled journey from Essex to a family run garage in Skipton where the last exceptionally careful owner traded it in for a Freelander 2 (also with a fair few miles under its tyres).

Sue Loy

As the saying goes, ‘accidents happen’, and that’s never more true than when driving. I have always been of the opinion, however, that even my beloved RAV4 is just a  machine and if it was ever to be involved in an accident, I wouldn’t get irate. People are more difficult to mend than cars, so if no-one gets hurt, then let’s all stay calm and relaxed.
That was certainly the case just before Christmas when the RAV was the innocent party in a road traffic accident that didn’t seem that much of a problem at the time. And since the other party immediately apologised and assumed responsibility, we drove home with only the problem of contacting our insurance company, confident that all would be sorted.

Hils Everitt – Editor at Large

Once again, my beloved Grand, having just celebrated its 11th birthday, got the chance to have a little play in the Kentish snow. As always, it was a premium class act and took all talk of ‘impossible driving conditions’ with a pinch of salt. Although, in a literal sense, a little more than just a pinch of salt, courtesy of the council gritter lorries, which has played havoc with my already very tarnished alloys. I do, however, now have some new Jeep wheel centres, so will sort out the damage once this rotten winter is over.

The General Grabber AT M+S rubber fitted to my poor alloys play an absolute blinder in the snow. All the talk of massive stopping distances in the snow and ice for standard road tyres just doesn’t apply to them. They are superb and create an overwhelming feeling of total safety. But that’s not to say I don’t take care in severe conditions, far from it. I just know that I don’t have to worry in the slightest and can pootle along quite happily; confident I can stop pretty smartly and smoothly.

Robert Pepper

Last month I closed the report with a mention of some sand driving in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, and this month is all about drawing a few conclusions from that little jaunt. First off, I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again – the D3 is an excellent family camping vehicle. It eats up the miles, carries everything we need and does the business off-road. There’s a couple of tips we use for packing though – the fridge goes on the middle second row seat which folds down flat, a feature I think only the Pathfinder and XC90 offer. This frees huge amounts of room in the rear, and also means the fridge is easily accessible. Our roof rack has a metal mesh on it, so all the bulky but light bedding and tent can go up top, zipped up securely in a roof bag. We’ve worked out many ways to live with the car, but the basic space, storage features and just overall ability of the car really does mean it works as an overlander.

Bob Cooke – contributor

My favourite Top Tip from the anarchic magazine Viz: Put a £20 note in the inside pocket of your dark suit jacket so the next time you go to a funeral you’ll find something to cheer you up! Now, it was just as well the Cherokee had been through a car wash as part of the cleanup for its MOT examination, because along with the bills that came through the front door was an invitation to a funeral. It was the last ceremony of a bloke I didn’t like very much, but I figured it would be a chance to meet up with some distant relatives I’d not seen for years. The fact that it would be a 185- mile drive each way was a bit irking since the Cherokee’s comfortable with it; I reckon if I ever upgrade to a newer model I’ll switch the seats with those from my current Cherokee.

It was quite a pleasant drive on one of those rare sunny days and the Cherokee was still gleaming after the long haul up the A1, the bodywork remarkably clear of dents and scratches and its dark green paintwork still largely unblemished. Just for a brief moment, though, I rather wished the Cherokee had a more modern, softly rounded body style. It was when I arrived at the crematorium and turned in through the entrance gate and made my way sedately past a waiting group of mourners; some older folk removed their hats and bowed their heads as I cruised past, having briefly mistaken the Cherokee for a hearse…

Hils Everitt – Editor at Large

Well, I got my wish from a previous month and it did, as we all know, well and truly snow in late January – plenty of it, enough to bring the whole country to a halt. Well, all those without the sense to own a 4×4, that is. And I got the chance to see what our Escape version Tiguan was really like in the snow. You’ll see from my Fiat Panda 4×4 report on page 28 that this winter marked the very first time I have actually been in an ‘SUV’ rather than a ‘proper’ 4×4 with low ratio etc etc onto the slippery white stuff. The Panda was shod with winter tyres, which made a heap of difference to its performance in difficult conditions. Our 4MOTION Tiguan, on the other hand, is shod in a very un-winter/snow/ice tyre, although it is the Escape version, with an off-road electronic switch that gives you Hill Descent Control, among other things.

Nigel Fryatt – editor

The return of the snow to the wilds of Surrey saw me enjoying the Hilux. I live on a hill and any decent download of snow will see people struggling to get around. You cannot deny that it’s fun actually going for a drive when you really don’t need to! Checking if our elderly neighbours need anything, we sometimes encourage them to let us go and buy them an extra loaf of bread ‘just in case’ so we can have a specific mission to brave the elements!

Robert Pepper

Back in the October 2012 edition of 4×4 magazine, I reported on our BFG KM2 245/70/17 mudterrain tyres and promised an end-of-life update. That time has now come and the verdict is in. A few years back the general rule was that you never used mud terrains on the road. This was because of poor handling, noise and excessive wear. Fast-forward to 2013 and now mud terrains are more ‘streetable’ than ever before, offering much improved levels of grip and refinement compared to their ancestor tyres. And today’s 4x4s are also much quieter, sharper handlers and better insulators of road noise than their ancestors, so combine those two factors and the mud terrain becomes a viable daily-driver option. But that said, the muddie is not without its disadvantages. The first is cost, not only in the purchase price, but wear.

Hils Everitt – Editor at Large

Our Escape model is the off-road version of the Tiguan and therefore comes in at a smidgeon over £2000 more than the standard model. Both are equipped with VW’s 4MOTION intelligent four-wheel drive that kicks in when the system detects poor traction. I have always been a bit sceptical about these so-called ‘intelligent’ systems as they are reactive, i.e., you need your wheels to experience a bit of a problem before the electronics suss it out and then react accordingly and switch power delivery to a more even split between the axles.

I prefer a vehicle that lets me lock into four-wheel drive when I say so; which is why I will always be a bit wary of the intelligent SUVs that are swamping our 4×4 market these days. Yes, regular readers know that I am an old fashioned gal who loves a nice big transfer lever that you thrust into four low and know damn well that it is locked in and off you go into the wilderness.

Sue Loy

As a Toyota RAV4 owner, driving the CR-V was an interesting experience. The two models must be an ‘either/or’ for a lot of people looking for a family-sized SUV. I’m on my second RAV4 and will admit to being very happy with my choice, so being able to spend a week with the new fourth generation Honda CR-V was an opportunity not to miss.

To be honest, it’s not that obvious when looking at the fourth generation, what the difference is on the previous model, but then Honda has sold five million of them in total since introducing the model back in 1995, so I guess they know exactly what they are doing! The model is also built in the UK, which appeals to many a more patriotic consumer; OK, so the profits leave the country, but it’s great to know it was built up in the North East.