4WD On/Off | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Thu 10 Feb 2005 13:00

4WD On/Off - mickel

i am considering a 4Wheel drive diesel I have looked at the Freelander,suzuki grand vitara and toyota rav4 I like the toyota best however it has fixed 4wd whereas the suzuki can run on 2wd I do not intend to use it as an off roader but I like the higher driving and where I lve the 4wd is handy in the winter. Has anyone any thoughts about fixed 4wd

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Thu 10 Feb 2005 13:23

4WD ON /OFF - nick

I used to have a Jeep Cherokee, the older square-shaped model. It had a choice of 2 or 4wd and always felt so much more stable in 4wd that I always left it on. The effect on mpg was minimal.

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Thu 10 Feb 2005 13:30

4WD ON /OFF - Ian (Cape Town)

Yes. But on some permanent 4x$s, the central diff gets stuffed if you run an 'odd' sized tyre. So you have to replace all 4 at once, which can be a touch pricey, if you still have 1/2 a tyre-life on 3, and graunch the fourth!

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Thu 10 Feb 2005 13:49

4WD ON /OFF - Sofa Spud

I believe the Freelander operates in front-wheel drive mode most of the time, automatically engaging drive to the rear wheels only when a significant difference in average rotational speed of front and rear wheels is detected. Instead of a centre diff there is a viscous coupling.

If you want a high driving position, how about a Renault Espace, Ford Galaxy/VW Sharan/SeatAlhambra or a VW Touran. I think these MPVs look much nicer than most SUVs and, in diesel form, they're more economical. And the Sharan is available with '4Motion' 4 wheel-drive, incidentally.

Cheers, Sofa Spud

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