So... what car do you guys drive when not flying?

[ozmille]

The Superb is a very nice car. If only they had a diesel

they do actually, a 2 liter, I looked at it but as I only drive between 15 and 20k a year it isn't worth it for me

 

[Quickstatus]

they do actually, a 2 liter, I looked at it but as I only drive between 15 and 20k a year it isn't worth it for me

Ah yes I shoud have added : Diesel in a 4x4 wagon. Unusually the 4x4 wagon is only available in petrol. I drive 30000km a year
The closest is the VW Passat Alltrack TDi

 

[ozmille]

Ah yes I shoud have added : Diesel in a 4x4 wagon. Unusually the 4x4 wagon is only available in petrol. I drive 30000km a year
The closest is the VW Passat Alltrack TDi

our second car is a Subaru Outback 2.0l diesel which has permanent 4WD, the allrack is 90% FWD 10% RWD untill the computer changes it, we had a look at one a couple of weeks ago

 

[Quickstatus]

our second car is a Subaru Outback 2.0l diesel which has permanent 4WD, the allrack is 90% FWD 10% RWD untill the computer changes it, we had a look at one a couple of weeks ago

The look of the Subaru does not do anything for mE especially the roof rack system. And it’s CVT - prefer normal gears.

Got an Alltrack great car . Interestingly the tyre wear is very even front compared with back. Indicates the AWD system seem to be activated more often than not. All VW family

 

[Quickstatus]

Does your RR appear to sit lower at the rear? My impression is a lot of RR squats more at the rear

My Toyota llandcruiser squats at the nose presumably so it sits level when(occasionally) loaded or towing

 

[jb747]

Well, I liked the look of the Discovery 5 to replace our 4....until I saw it in the flesh. I thought driving it might change my mind, but no, just not for me.
So, this is our replacement for our LR4....a nice shiny Range Rover Sport HSE.

 

[jb747]

Does your RR appear to sit lower at the rear?

It may be. The air suspension has all sorts of modes, and one squats the back for loading. Normally it's level, but a couple of inches lower when parked than on the move. Goes up in the off road modes, and lowers if you reach about 110 kph.

 

[Quickstatus]

It may be. The air suspension has all sorts of modes, and one squats the back for loading. Normally it's level, but a couple of inches lower when parked than on the move. Goes up in the off road modes, and lowers if you reach about 110 kph.

Can you hear the air suspension ?. Like public buses which hiss when they squat at the kerb to let passengers on?

 

[jb747]

Can you hear the air suspension ?

No. Everything about it is very quiet.

The air suspension gives an incredible ride. The LR4 had a version of it, and it was wonderful on some of the outback roads.

Like public buses which hiss when they squat at the kerb to let passengers on?

Eek...

 

[Quickstatus]

The air suspension gives an incredible ride..

Whats incredible about it?.
Is it a factory option?

Any collateral issues With handling - cornering, nose diving when braking hard, etc

 

[jb747]

Whats incredible about it?.
Is it a factory option?

Compared to non air suspensions...they have a superb ride quality. The RRS is quite a bit firmer than the D4 or D5. The suspension is self levelling, even when you're cornering. So, put the trailer on, it squats for a second, then back to level.

It's standard on most RRs and LRs. Available on many cars...Audi, Benz, etc.

Any collateral issues With handling - cornering, nose diving when braking hard, etc

Your questions indicate that you think the overall suspension might be soft. Anything but. It's actually quite firm. No odd behaviour, quite the opposite. For a big vehicle it drives extremely well. It won't keep up with the S3, but won't be embarrassed either.

 

[Quickstatus]

Hmm interesting. Might have to test drive one.

I think super low profile tyres rather than improve handling can worsen it. There is a sweet spot in sure unique to each car, but the trend seems to go lower and lower profile

 

[jb747]

Hmm interesting. Might have to test drive one.

Back in 2011, I was looking for a large 4wd to replace a Hilux. I didn't want one of the utes...been there, done that. So, I decided to open the field up, and made a point of trying to drive everything on the market.

So, we drove the obvious contenders like the Toyota Land Cruiser and Prado. The Nissan (which was so horrid I can't even remember its name). BMW X5, Mercedes ML and GL. Audi Q7. VW Touareg. Porsche Cayenne. I wasn't going to drive the Land/Range Rovers largely because I'd heard all of the stories, but a mate suggested I at least drive them before ruling them out. After that it was a pretty easy decision.

In the time that we owned the LR it never put a foot wrong. There were a couple of minor niggles but easily fixed, and certainly no more than we'd had with Toyota or Audi.

Some of the issues that we had with the other brands...

The Japanese were not even good driving experiences. Poor space use, and blah dynamics. Good offload, but at the expense of everything else.

BMW...best seats by far, and lovely engine. Nowhere to put a real spare tyre (or one you've just take off). This was a common Euro failing.

Mercedes...nice seats. Nowhere for a real spare, even though it looked like there should have been enough space. Gearbox was like a discordant orchestra...couldn't make up it's mind. Air suspension...but way too soft. Set for the USA perhaps.

Touareg and Cayenne...No spare tyre. But both drove well. Same basic vehicle.

Audi Q7...one version did have space for a spare, and it drove pretty well. Already had a Q5, so it got serious consideration.

All of these cars had enough 4wd capability to suit my needs.

 

[Quickstatus]

Nissan Patrol
Only a mother..

I don’t test drive any car I can’t afford to buy lest I become undisciplined

 

[jb747]

I think super low profile tyres rather than improve handling can worsen it. There is a sweet spot in sure unique to each car, but the trend seems to go lower and lower profile

My experience is that they reduce the ride quality but improve the turn in. The RRS comes standard with 19" wheels, with options all the way to 22". Depending upon the engine, the minimum wheel size may be 20"...as the brakes get bigger with more power. This car has 21" wheels. I may get hold of a set of 20s for any outback drives. You can get hold of original wheel sets with just delivery miles without any trouble (for most makes).

Nissan Patrol
Only a mother..

Perhaps not even then.

I don’t test drive any car I can’t afford to buy lest I become undisciplined

On the other hand...it's end of year runout already. My car was only marginally more expensive than the SE that I was considering, but for a much nicer vehicle.

Have a drive of a Velar and see what you think.

Our local dealer put up with about 2 years worth of test drives, of literally everything, before he made an offer I couldn't refuse.

 

[BAM1748]

What I drive and what I pay for are two different thngs

Me, Ford Territory as wanted a australian car, call it nostalgia. I'm pretty impressed by it.

What I'm paying for Ms and Miss and Miss BAM1748

Mazda mx5 current model
Hyundai i30 wagon
Benz c180, need something heavy and under powered as its Miss 23 yo third car already!
And a Harley 1200 Sportster.

 

[Buzzard]

And a Harley 1200 Sportster.

Another HOG rider, now you're talkin' my language. 1340 for me.

 

[BAM1748]

Another HOG rider, now you're talkin' my language. 1340 for me.

That's for Ms BAM1748, she is the rider not me.

 

[Buzzard]

That's for Ms BAM1748, she is the rider not me.

A skirtster
Good on Ms BAM

 

[Quickstatus]

Test drove the Range Rover Velar today.
I’m drooling...... but am sure purchase approval will not be forthcoming