I THOUGHT the bad weather was behind us, but the recent snow in the north of England lead to a spike in 4x4 inquiries.
But buying a 4x4 is a risky business.
You don’t need to spend Range Rover money to give yourself full winter mobility, nor do you have to tool around in a leaky old Land Rover wishing that the heater worked.
However, it is easy to end up in the ‘wrong’ 4x4 at the wrong price. So here are three picks that might surprise you:
Land Rover Freelander
If you have a low budget, consider the first generation Land Rover Freelander. This is an SUV that’s competent on road and has a nice prestige badge. But make sure you get the right model. Although it may seem counter-intuitive with the price of fuel being so high, the best choice will be the 2.5 V6 petrol – as an automatic. The reason is that the diesel cars cost £500 to £1,000 more, have double, or triple the miles and have usually had a hard life. A 10-year-old V6 petrol auto, with a low 60,000 miles on the clock is £2,000.
BMW X3
It’s the same if you want to spend a little more on a shiny BMX X3 – again you get 4WD, good on road manners and a prestige badge. A 2.5 petrol model, with a manual box and only 60,000 miles is as little as £10,000. That’s £4,000 less than a diesel auto with slightly higher miles. You will only get six more mpg out of the diesel so it’s going to take a very, very long time to pay for the initial investment.
Mazda CX-7
This is the most car-like of 4X4s. This car has the ride height and traction advantages of a 4X4 car but none of the compromises – it handles brilliantly, is very reliable, comfortable and well-equipped. It’s a car we like and at £13,500 for a two year old 2.3 turbo petrol is a bit of a steal. The 2.2 diesel is great too but you need an extra £6,000 to get into one. Again, the saving on fuel is dwarfed by the vastly greater purchase price of the diesel car.