4 x 4 Estate car

[gIzzE]

I reckon with BMW bringing back their xDrive models starting this year Mercedes will follow soon enough.

BMW sell me 4WD cars than any other Euro manufacturer, and BMW UK have decided they now want a slice of the action, they didn't push them in the 80s as they had spent millions on advertising the sporty benefits of RWD and thought it would slow sales down if anything.
But so many people asked about them after the winter this year they decided they would bring them back, starting with the 530XD GT, then the 730xd and the 530xd Touring at the end of the year.


But as everyone else says, just use winter tyres and buy the car you want, I had winter tyres on my A6 Quattro avant and our 123d M-Sport auto and they were both fine in deep snow, in fact I had to use the 1 series during the first 3 days of heavy snow as I hadn't put the winter tyres on the Quattro and it was useless.

There is a good video on youtube done by Edmunds showing the difference between RWD vs AWD and all season vs winter tyres and the RWD car on winters is far better than the AWD on all seasons. They use a Merc E class RWD and 4Matic as well so worth having a search.

 

[JohnDeere8530]

Further to my earlier reply and in contradiction to others on here, the Volvo and A6 are not really true 4x4s, yes they are okish with the right tyres, however Subaru will be brilliant with the right ones.

The Audi quattro uses the Haldex drive system which is suited for onroad use only and Volvo is not much better in this department.

With these cars you also have the burden of an additional purchase price, running costs, decreased realiability and less ruggedness to deal with compared to a Subaru. If it's your second car then it really is a no brainer. Additionally Subaru has the best towing capacity too. However boot space is not massive in them.

Lots normally on ebay, look for one with about 50kmiles fsh, no tow bar and from a town location you will be fine. Expect to pay £4k for an '03. Any newer than this then it is the new model, more plush than the old, but not nearly as rugged or realiable

Downside of a Subaru is they did not make a diesel at this age, parts can be quite expensive too, but in reality all you are likely to need is a rear silencer and anti roll bar rubber boots. Get an indy to service it for you for about 1/4 the hourly rate of Subaru

 

[BTB 500]

Re the R Class - thanks to all its fans! It's big, and I don't really want or need such a bulky car. It's made in the US not Germany, I've no idea about real world reliability though. Any horror stories? Will check it out though.

My in-laws have been very pleased with their R350 LWB, which is their everyday car for shopping etc., replacing a Zafira. Their other car is an R171 SLK280.

Their R Class is 4 years old now and I don't think they've had any issues with it. I've been a passenger in it a fair bit and it's comfortable and well put together. The V6 sounds nice, too!

The LWB is big - slightly longer than our Vito. But the SWB is more manageable.

 

[Tiff]

 

[Tiff]

OR......

 

[Tiff]

a wildcard... :bannana:

 

[A1GSS]

a wildcard... :bannana:

Tiff scores the prize for best wild car(d)s...


I thank you.

 

[A1GSS]

IN case you're still interested...

... we bought a Discovery! So much for not wanting a big offroad-capable 4x4... have also bought a second set of wheels and shod them with winter tyres.

Will report back in the spring!

 

[Neiltodd]

Had 6 Subaru Legacys. Excellent car!

 

[312 Sprinter]

The 4 Matic is still made, Mercedes E320 CDi 4-MATIC Estate Auto/Tip LHD on eBay (end time 11-Oct-10 16:59:34 BST)

 

[grober]

duplicate

 

[grober]

The 4 Matic is still made, Mercedes E320 CDi 4-MATIC Estate Auto/Tip LHD on eBay (end time 11-Oct-10 16:59:34 BST)

See post #17 for a link

 

[A210AMG]

4Matics are for sle brand new still in some countries, these taken from France Annecy

E class

C Class

I was going to suggest a E320 CDi Estate, its what my dad has, and he has a house in France (in the alps) he has special hubs on the rear wheels that a snow tyre 'glove' fits on. He spends a lot of time their in the winter and its been fine so far.

 

[219]

We have a Volvo XC70 AWD as a pool car at work - a bit 'wobbly' in its handling compared to a 124 estate but quite competent nonetheless .

A good set of winter tyres would go a long way on a statndard RWD car , though .

 

[Chattonmill]

Funny this thread is up today, I am also taking delivery of a Discovery 3 this morning!
The E55 is staying firmly in place, fret not.

 

[martin_a]

Just adding a vote for winter tyres. I had a Subaru Impreza which i shod with winter wheels/tyres last year and they were great.

Remember, apart from the ability to clear ice/slush from under the treads winter tyres are actually designed to work in low temperatures, essentially from about 5 degrees and below. This is the point where cold will make regular rubber than bit harder than normal (the colder the worse it gets of course) this makes it more like driving on kwik fit remoulds than prime tyres, not good on a car with any sort of performance. The higher silicon content of the winter tyres keeps them moving so they grip more even on a dry day when it is cold.

m.

 

[tpwuk]

I quite like the Jaguar X-Type 3.0 Estate.

 

[grober]

I quite like the Jaguar X-Type 3.0 Estate.

I like them too but evidently lots of transmission problems with high mileage 4wd V6 petrol models X-Type 2001 | Jaguar | Car Reviews | Honest John

the later Ford engined 4 cylinder diesels were reckoned to be very good but 2WD only.

 

[A1GSS]

Just adding a vote for winter tyres....

Interestingly, I see that BMW (and maybe others) are starting to promote winter tyre packages in the UK. Common in Scandinavia.

I've also bought an Audi S4 Quattro which I'll keep on standard tyres and then (depending on the Discovery's behaviour) may buy winter tyres for next year. All 4WD now.

 

[bobbersmill]

Interestingly, I see that BMW (and maybe others) are starting to promote winter tyre packages in the UK. Common in Scandinavia.

I've also bought an Audi S4 Quattro which I'll keep on standard tyres and then (depending on the Discovery's behaviour) may buy winter tyres for next year. All 4WD now.

I think generally people are expecting another cold winter, sunspot activity is at its lowest. Last year I think last years weather really made people think about winter tyres. Porsche are also promoting winter wheel and tyre packages.