Why have 4x4s?

[Coley]

I thought it would be funny if we could argue the purpose of these vehicles.
For example; They protect you in a crash.

I'm looking forward to your opinions.

[medieval knievel]

they burn all that pesky oil which would otherwise be polluting our bedrock.

[kshotton45]

Nmmmmmmmm !! I bet this one warms up ..........

Keith.

[almostnormal]

Originally Posted by kshotton45

Nmmmmmmmm !! I bet this one warms up ..........

Keith.

yeah i do as well!

i think probably like all things, 4x4's have their place, and their uses. for example trying to get to remote places to rescue someone, maintenance of tracks, getting up farm tracks etc. i for one do not fancy the idea of trying to get up some tracks in my car, and generally wish i had one when i have to get out and walk, but on the road? a vehicle for suburban peeps? i'm not a fan of 4x4's that are simply for show, for example the X5 which i view as a deeply irresponsible move by BMW, given the natural resource constrictions that we are beginning to have to face.

[stripee]

Ha well I saw an absolutely gigantic one in the local car park this summer called The Warrior it was Massive. I can see that if you need to pull a trailer full of sheep maybe they are useful, but otherwise there are all sorts of reasons why people feel safer in them, need them for the school run, or just like the image and look of them. That's not to say that some big cars are just as extravagant at gas guzzling. Did anyone see the TV prog about 3 4x4 owners being convinced to give them up? A few months ago, 2 owners agreed they didn't need them, 1 hung onto his gigantic vehicle for his image. They did experiments like putting school kids behind them and seeing if the drivers could see them, and they couldn't. Tanks next....

[kshotton45]

I recently drove up the Hardnott Pass( awesome) in the Lake District. A 4x4 had to use a passing place to let us by. The passing place was rather rough ( still OK for cars) , the 4x4 driver was terrified ! and tiptoed into it!
Let's face it, only farmers need 4x4's

Keith. ( I've a feeling I shouldn't have said that !! He! He! )

[Cazzie]

I've got a sorta 4X4 - Honda CRV and tbh where I live I wouldn't be without it! The amount of times I get 'shoved' into a ditch or verge by the tourists is unbelievable Not so bad in an urban environment (only kerb stones to negotiate usually) but here there are big wedges of stone (hubby has just knackered his alloys on his Jag boo-hoo!) and all sorts hidden in the verge so if I wasn't 'up higher' I'd be getting new sills,front vallance etc. for my car by now Mines hardly a gas-guzzler though... 2 litre petrol

[Tormentil]

If you can afford to buy one and afford to run one, who am I to descry your choice.

We're not yet a totalitarian state.

[stripee]

Yes anyone can buy what they like... if you are a pedestrian hit by a 4 x 4 there is more chance of being killed. Also for cyclists and if you are in a small car....I think it is a fashion in cities maybe will fade away soon. On rough tracks French cars such as Peugeot are excellent, higher underneath bits.

[Coley]

Originally Posted by Tormentil

If you can afford to buy one and afford to run one, who am I to descry your choice.

We're not yet a totalitarian state.

I don't agree with that. In my experiance I always find that people with too much money tend to waste it on over consuming energy in some way. 4x4s, Porches, Holidays abroard, too much food in the trolly etc. Of course I don't mean every wealthy person.

[Paul mabbott]

If it were a matter of some harmless choice that did no damage to other people then I could only agree.

However, people who use these things unnecessarily are a hazard to the environment. More personally, most/many of them are arrogant and bad road users. We had an experience a few weeks back going up a narrow country lane (with ditches/ridges at the sides) when we encountered three of these tanks (with one person in each - not wearing working clothes) coming in the opposite direction. While we were trying to navigate to a suitable passing spaces, they made no effort to increase available lane width despite, surely, having vehicles designed for going up kerbs or down ditches. The first one simply drove past us , literally pushing us to one side and taking off the wing mirror - the others followed, laughing ....

So, we didn't like them before - we hate them now!
And yes, I do travel around with a tube of superglue .....

Originally Posted by Tormentil

If you can afford to buy one and afford to run one, who am I to descry your choice.

We're not yet a totalitarian state.

[Coley]

Originally Posted by stripee

Yes anyone can buy what they like... if you are a pedestrian hit by a 4 x 4 there is more chance of being killed. Also for cyclists and if you are in a small car....I think it is a fashion in cities maybe will fade away soon. On rough tracks French cars such as Peugeot are excellent, higher underneath bits.

Yeah, imagine a Smart car verses a Discovery

[medieval knievel]

look up crash tests on youtube. the smart does better than you'd think.

[richardkm]

I have used 4x4s in many off road situations - as an estate warden, when no other vehicle would do the job and likewise in the desert, but I have to admit it's nuts having one if you just use it for driving around town.

We've just bought one - a small one admittedly - because my wife has to travel over the tops to get to work and in winter that can be hazardous at times. It's rather pleasant to be up high when driving, being able to see over walls and hedges, its also less of a strain on an ageing back to get in and out of.

[Interpreter]

Originally Posted by stripee

Yes anyone can buy what they like... if you are a pedestrian hit by a 4 x 4 there is more chance of being killed. Also for cyclists and if you are in a small car....I think it is a fashion in cities maybe will fade away soon. On rough tracks French cars such as Peugeot are excellent, higher underneath bits.

Wots a pedestrian?

[peppermint]

Recently i spent a year in Canada and couldn't believe the numbers of 4x4s on the roads. They really go for the pick up trucks which in my opinion are totally ugly vehicles and cannot see why anyone would want one for a family vehicle. Everyone seems to love them and drive them to the shops, school , swimming pool etc. I also noticed quite a few people driving round in monster pick ups, ones with totally oversized wheels!!!

Coming back to Britain our 4x4s seemed tiny in comparison and had much smaller engines and i totally agree with what has been said already. Why the need if you dont work/live on a mountain, deep countryside etc. They were never built to be an urban vehicle......until now as big companies see they can make a lot of money.

I just hope the sale of 4x4s slows down and never progresses to that of North America.
i think urban 4x4s are totally pointless, unsafe for other road users and more of a fashion statement than a work horse, as they were originally designed to be.

[stripee]

The tv prog mentioned above did experiments with 4x4s and crashed them into various cars, and the cars didnt come off at all well, also they did ones hitting people, and got some school kids to stand at the back of the 4x4s, the drivers couldnt see them because they are shorter than adults and because of a blind spot. One of the 4x4 drivers on the prog,a mother who had bought a 4x4 because she liked it and thought it was safer for her kids was horrified by the the experiments and bought a different car in the end.

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by Interpreter

Wots a pedestrian?

They're those flat things splashed across the road ... like Hedgehogs but larger ....

[Duke of York]

What can I say about 4x4's that hasn't been already said.

I can understand when they are actually driven "off road" but most of them are driven very badly by people who think they own the roads

[Coley]

To comment on one of the above statement, damn I missed that program. It's nice to know someone changed their mind about owning one of those things.

[Coley]

Originally Posted by Duke of York

What can I say about 4x4's that hasn't been already said.

I can understand when they are actually driven "off road" but most of them are driven very badly by people who think they own the roads

When I'm driving on the motorway, in my not so big Peugeot 306 diesel, those breese blocks on wheels like to push me along at 80mph. To be honest I feel quite threatened and I think the drivers know it.

[jerryh]

I had a Land Rover for a few years.

What's good about them?

1. They are taller and give a better view - either to see further ahead on the road (safer), to see the countryside over the hedges (for passengers. of course), or when used as a hide.
2. They can go and keep going where less capable vehicles cannot - on rough tracks or through floods or snow.
3. In such adverse conditions, they can help other stranded drivers.
   
   Remember the big snowstorm we had in the south a few years ago? On my 6-hour journey to work (it usually takes 1), my Land Rover and I pulled 3 normal vehicles out of snowdrifts and gave another stranded driver a lift.
   
   and also on a more personal note:
4. Mine was not not fast vehicle, so I was far less inclined to drive quickly and so was far more relaxed at the end of my journey.

A large number of the complaints made here about 4x4s should be aimed at the driver - the nut behind the wheel - not the car.

Jerry

[Duke of York]

Originally Posted by jerryh

I had a Land Rover for a few years.

What's good about them?

1. They are taller and give a better view - either to see further ahead on the road (safer), to see the countryside over the hedges (for passengers. of course), or when used as a hide.
2. They can go and keep going where less capable vehicles cannot - on rough tracks or through floods or snow.
3. In such adverse conditions, they can help other stranded drivers.
   
   Remember the big snowstorm we had in the south a few years ago? On my 6-hour journey to work (it usually takes 1), my Land Rover and I pulled 3 normal vehicles out of snowdrifts and gave another stranded driver a lift.
   
   and also on a more personal note:
4. Mine was not not fast vehicle, so I was far less inclined to drive quickly and so was far more relaxed at the end of my journey.

A large number of the complaints made here about 4x4s should be aimed at the driver - the nut behind the wheel - not the car.

Jerry

Ah but you seemed to have used your Land Rover for what it was actually designed for

Unfortunatley a lot of land Rovers spend most if their time on the outside lane of motorways (they seem to have some aversion to using the other 2 ) where they were not designed for

[Coley]

Originally Posted by jerryh

I had a Land Rover for a few years.

What's good about them?

1. They are taller and give a better view - either to see further ahead on the road (safer), to see the countryside over the hedges (for passengers. of course), or when used as a hide.
2. They can go and keep going where less capable vehicles cannot - on rough tracks or through floods or snow.
3. In such adverse conditions, they can help other stranded drivers.
   
   Remember the big snowstorm we had in the south a few years ago? On my 6-hour journey to work (it usually takes 1), my Land Rover and I pulled 3 normal vehicles out of snowdrifts and gave another stranded driver a lift.
   
   and also on a more personal note:
4. Mine was not not fast vehicle, so I was far less inclined to drive quickly and so was far more relaxed at the end of my journey.

A large number of the complaints made here about 4x4s should be aimed at the driver - the nut behind the wheel - not the car.

Jerry

I feel that these vehicles should be bought with more consideration. They do have some good uses I admit, But some people use them as a mere status symbol and that is sad. My main issue is the fule consumption not necessarily the driver.

[jerryh]

Originally Posted by Duke of York

Ah but you seemed to have used your Land Rover for what it was actually designed for

Quite true

Jerry