Offroad Questions

[Aeroth200]

Hey guys, been driving an awd sedan my whole life, just a car enough to get me through the snow whenever i go, but been looking into getting something a bit more capable as of lately, something able to hit beaches or take the occasional bush trail
i'm not interested in getting a full blown, big 4x4 and have been looking at getting something like a grand vitara or CRV and just doing some modifications to it, i'd like to have something smaller but that stands out from the rest of the 4x4 crowd
my question is, realistically how capable would either of these be if i were to throw a set of AT tyres on them, put some lifting spacers on, possibly new shocks and a front bar ?
i've seen a few videos and they look capable enough for what i'm after, but any advice would be appreciated !

 

[Hoyks]

Pretty capable if driven with some understanding of how their 4x4 system actually works (read and understand the manual, most don't bother), mechanical sympathy and wheel placement to stop them bottoming out.

Crawl underneath and replace plastic sump guards with metal as the plastic gets ripped off.

A/T tyres will certainly help, a tyre gauge to let some air out of them will help you get a lot further.

Look for something that positively locks the drive line front to rear, CRV's used to be rubbish as they were essentially front wheel drive and didn't push significant torque to the back end until you were 3/4 stuck.

 

[Maxy]

Suzuki Jimmy?

 

[mikehzz]

Forget the CRV, they're hopeless from what I've seen first hand on trips. I'm in the Subaru club and they just completed a Simpson / Hay River track crossing over Easter with a Forester in the group. It was a diesel driven by a very experienced driver, a small lift with slightly bigger AT tyres and it had no trouble. I was also on a trip a few weeks ago to Abercrombie River NP and there were 4 Foresters in the group that easily handled the steep tracks there as well. In fact, that trip had a representative of every Forester model revision from earliest to latest so a good test. I've owned an earlier model Grand Vitara and I'd take a Forester over that.

 

[Aeroth200]

Pretty capable if driven with some understanding of how their 4x4 system actually works (read and understand the manual, most don't bother), mechanical sympathy and wheel placement to stop them bottoming out.

Crawl underneath and replace plastic sump guards with metal as the plastic gets ripped off.

A/T tyres will certainly help, a tyre gauge to let some air out of them will help you get a lot further.

Look for something that positively locks the drive line front to rear, CRV's used to be rubbish as they were essentially front wheel drive and didn't push significant torque to the back end until you were 3/4 stuck.

I have read that about the crv's, why i'm leaning more towards the vitara

Suzuki Jimmy?

unfortunately the jimny is too small for me as i have to lug around posts for soccer training & larger work tools aswell

Forget the CRV, they're hopeless from what I've seen first hand on trips. I'm in the Subaru club and they just completed a Simpson / Hay River track crossing over Easter with a Forester in the group. It was a diesel driven by a very experienced driver, a small lift with slightly bigger AT tyres and it had no trouble. I was also on a trip a few weeks ago to Abercrombie River NP and there were 4 Foresters in the group that easily handled the steep tracks there as well. In fact, that trip had a representative of every Forester model revision from earliest to latest so a good test. I've owned an earlier model Grand Vitara and I'd take a Forester over that.

I did look at the forester a bit, but owning a liberty at the moment i haven't been too impressed with how they drive aswell as the expenses, i'm on 10L/100km doing almost only highway driving with a 2013 liberty

 

[mikehzz]

The Grand Vitara is petrol only these days, and the fuel economy will be in the 10 range too. I had a Freelander 2 diesel that was an excellent car and very capable. Ten years and 320k kms with no real issues besides normal wear and tear. What's your budget?

 

[Barra GU]

What's your budget?

 

[Jaye]

The grand vitara is probably the best small softroader around. The older they are, the more capable they are, also more aftermarket accessories. They are a good starting point and see where it takes you.

 

[madmonk]

I have a 2012 Suzuki GV and can attest that they are a lot of fun to drive. The only drawback is the small fuel tank (50 litres). With fuel consumption of approximately 12 litres/100 km, I get around 370-400 kms per tank. Of course the higher fuel consumption is partially caused by my roof rack which is needed to help increase the Zook's luggage carrying capabilities.

I agree with @Jaye's comment that the older model Vitaras are a better option. If you can find one with the V6 engine, you will have a really really fun machine!

 

[mikehzz]

The grand vitara is probably the best small softroader around. The older they are, the more capable they are, also more aftermarket accessories. They are a good starting point and see where it takes you.

My Freelander 2 was far more capable than my old Grand Vitara. It was better in every way, but it would want to be at double the new price. They're under $20K second hand now though. I can understand people being wary of Land Rovers. Speaking of wary, our driver trainer has a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, (not a Grand), with a little lift and larger AT tyres. The thing is a weapon but only looks like a family SUV.

 

[nitrobrent]

Have a look into WH Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD with Quadra drive 2.

 

[cam04]

Current sube XV drives very well. 7L/100 and has X-mode. Nearly bought one last week for the wife. You don't need mods to get offroad either. Grand vitara isn't made anymore AFAIK.