Economical 4x4

[mgsontour]

Hi all

 is there a decent shoot bus that is Land Cruiser / Shogun sized available that is reasonably economical to run without going down the electric options?

 Cheers in advance

[TOPGUN749]

Depends what you mean by economical to run! For me I would say no,they all drink fuel at 30 mpg or less,and diesel is close to £9 a gallon,all have large expensive parts like tyres,insurance and road tax is highish.If someone has the income to buy and run one then fine but if anyone can manage with just smaller economical vehicles it’s more sensible in my opinion.

[old'un]

These are perhaps not what we would call “proper 4x4” but it give you some idea of what's out there,https://www.whocanfixmycar.com/advice/top-10-cheapest-4x4s-to-maintain

The Dacia is worth a look, ask walker570 what he thinks...https://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/topic/429792-well-i-am-all-excited/page/4/#comment-3992734

[matone]

As above,`proper 4x4 ` and economical don`t go together ! Only the Duster/Yeti type are a sensible prospect for those of us with limited finances !!!

[Weihrauch17]

Not quite the size you quoted but Vitara's are good on fuel. 

[Walker570]

Just according to the tracks/fields you expect to go on and just how big a load.  I have just moved from my 12mpg Landy to a Darcia Duster and must say at present it is giving 49.7mpg and could accomodate three people easy and a dog cage. Folding the one seat down the guns would slide in there no problem.  I have been over so roughish tracks and across the golf course without engaging 4x4 and only when I purposely alloed it to spin the fronts coming up the wood, as soon as I engaged the other two it never missed a beat and that is on normal town tyres at the moment.    OK you may get a bit more room but not a lot and you may be able to traverse serious rutty tracks where a big 4x4 has a bit more ground clearance, but you can upgrade the suspension on the Duster which really sits it up in the air..

In my view, well worth looking at and I have driven big 4x4s for the last 50yrs and the Duster is impresive.

[mgsontour]

1 hour ago, Walker570 said:

Just according to the tracks/fields you expect to go on and just how big a load.  I have just moved from my 12mpg Landy to a Darcia Duster and must say at present it is giving 49.7mpg and could accomodate three people easy and a dog cage. Folding the one seat down the guns would slide in there no problem.  I have been over so roughish tracks and across the golf course without engaging 4x4 and only when I purposely alloed it to spin the fronts coming up the wood, as soon as I engaged the other two it never missed a beat and that is on normal town tyres at the moment.    OK you may get a bit more room but not a lot and you may be able to traverse serious rutty tracks where a big 4x4 has a bit more ground clearance, but you can upgrade the suspension on the Duster which really sits it up in the air..

In my view, well worth looking at and I have driven big 4x4s for the last 50yrs and the Duster is impresive.

Interesting. I would have assumed the insurance to go high if the suspension is altered but those numbers are good and as you nailed it's the ground clearance that is always a problem

[Walker570]

Well I have not raised my suspension so far and it has managed to traverse everywhere I want to go. It does sit fairly high anyway. Pity your at Blackpool or you would be happy to have a look but certain there are one or two near you.

[Yellow Bear]

Other options are the Forester and the Outlander, I found both not bad for economy and carrying capacity 

[Dave at kelton]

Been going through all this as the management’s car and doubles up as a 4x4 if needed. Narrowed it down to Kia Sportage, Toyota CRH, Skoda Yeti, and Ford Kuga. In the end we plumped for the Kuga having spoken with a few who have them and having seen them off road. Have yet to collect so am going off the stated figures 🤞

[udderlyoffroad]

Need to define what you mean by ‘shoot bus’  - if you just need to get up some farm tracks and need a bit of ground clearance, then any of the AWD Kugas, Dusters etc will fine for your needs.  However, if you need to, for instance, haul a heavy water bowser to the pheasant pen over some badly rutted tracks, then you will need a ‘proper’ 4x4, i.e. not a haldex-coupling ‘all wheel drive’ Kuga.

With all that said, don’t fall into the trap of spending thousands to get better fuel economy either, the juice is almost never worth the squeeze.
 

[Walker570]

2 hours ago, udderlyoffroad said:

Need to define what you mean by ‘shoot bus’  - if you just need to get up some farm tracks and need a bit of ground clearance, then any of the AWD Kugas, Dusters etc will fine for your needs.  However, if you need to, for instance, haul a heavy water bowser to the pheasant pen over some badly rutted tracks, then you will need a ‘proper’ 4x4, i.e. not a haldex-coupling ‘all wheel drive’ Kuga.

With all that said, don’t fall into the trap of spending thousands to get better fuel economy either, the juice is almost never worth the squeeze.
 

Yep, exactly. However IF you do not need to haul trailers or heavy loads even, then one of those you mention would work well. They will transport you down most farm tracks and across stubble fields no problem BUT will not do deep ruts and like big 4x4s will get stuck in soft muddy ground as happened to a lady picker upper last week when she went to drive around a parked UTV onto a drilled field. It took the UTV all it could do to pull the Defender out which had sunk to the axles.

I have put in a plastic liner in the rear of my Duster and folded both seats down and cover the backs with rubberised carpet. There is more space in there than was in my LR90.

[matone]

18 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Yep, exactly. However IF you do not need to haul trailers or heavy loads even, then one of those you mention would work well. They will transport you down most farm tracks and across stubble fields no problem BUT will not do deep ruts and like big 4x4s will get stuck in soft muddy ground as happened to a lady picker upper last week when she went to drive around a parked UTV onto a drilled field. It took the UTV all it could do to pull the Defender out which had sunk to the axles.

I have put in a plastic liner in the rear of my Duster and folded both seats down and cover the backs with rubberised carpet. There is more space in there than was in my LR90.

Sounds like your Duster is exactly what you ,and most of us, need as an everyday drive.Not seen one on a shoot day yet but no doubt I shall one day !

I`ve found the Yeti to be a very capable car on all fronts,just a shame that like most other useful vehicles,they stopped making them ...

[mgsontour]

Thanks for everyone's input but the crossover SUV's that are getting mentioned aren't big enough for my needs but appreciate they are a good option and economical

[matone]

If you need bigger,unfortunately you just have to accept very high running costs.

[islandgun]

The claimed mpg of the ranger/hilux/l200 are not much short of the actual mpg of my 2012 crv. They offer a double cab, plenty of space in the back and a towing option.

[London Best]

I have two friends with Hilux Invincibles, and they are both very disappointed  with the fuel consumption.

I have heard a couple of people saying how economical their Navaras are.

My son in law has just been given an L200 by his workplace, and he will only describe it as ‘horrendous’.

I dunno!

[Poor Shot]

You'll be looking at 15-20 MPG at most with any of the larger 4WD pickups, jeeps etc.

I know a few people with them who claim that they'll do 35 MPG on a run but how often do you drive long distances along smooth motorways? Most will be 5-10 mile hops through country lanes and B roads with frequent stops.

I'm sure they exaggerate the efficiency of their trucks to help sooth the pain of a £100+ fill up and 15 MPG.

You'd probably be best placed with an older Q7, VW Tuareg, discovery or something that wasn't designed to be an agricultural or commercial vehicle from the outset, has a permanent 4WD and not a part time AWD system and has plenty of space in the back for dogs, guns, kit etc. They'll probably do a genuine 30 MPG and have (slightly) cheaper consumables.

[Kev1gun]

I Have a 3 litre Ford Ranger 2009 model and the Fuel figures are pretty good for a Big truck MY best on a run is 36.7MPG my average is 31MPG if I do mixed on /off road where your in 1st/2nd gear then it's normally 28 mpg, Worst it's ever Done is 26MPG, the trick is not to rev over 2000 rpm It does 63MPH @ 2000 RPM in 5th gear, so by using the progressive gear changing technique, you can save a few quid.

I keep a very close eye on fuel consumption for all my Vehicles Honda CR-V is the best, It returns 44MPG mostly dropping to 39 Mixed Driving 

, The worst is my 3 Litre Mercedes Sprinter 7speed auto 22MPG is about the average to matter how it's driven

[udderlyoffroad]

15 minutes ago, Poor Shot said:

I'm sure they exaggerate the efficiency of their trucks to help sooth the pain of a £100+ fill up and 15 MPG

Possibly, but my L200 isn't as bad as 15 mpg, not by a long shot.

Yes a 'proper' 4x4 is a lot of metal to move, with poor aerodynamics not helping the cause either.  But it depends on your use case.  E.g. currently am not commuting so my L200's fuel consumption is not the issue it might otherwise be. 

However, I did a trip to Germany, France and Switzerland in it 3 wks ago.  Was definitely heavy on fuel but 30MPG was achieved, in comfort, with room for the family and gear.  The missus' ancient "runabout", although able to do 50+ mpg, would've been too small and not very comfortable either.  At the weekend I'm hauling firewood and grain for the phessies, through some 'interesting' woodland tracks.  Try doing that in a crossover SUV, and not having to spend ages cleaning it out.

I did used own a Peugeot 308 for commuting and have an older Discovery II for weekend activities, but although both were cheap to run in terms of servicing and insurance, it was still 2 x everything, not to mention long journeys with the Disco weren't the best.  The L200 does everything I need, at the cost of being a bit thirsty.  If I wanted something more economical, it would cost me thousands, which would take a helluva long time to pay for itself.

[Walker570]

3 hours ago, Kev1gun said:

I Have a 3 litre Ford Ranger 2009 model and the Fuel figures are pretty good for a Big truck MY best on a run is 36.7MPG my average is 31MPG if I do mixed on /off road where your in 1st/2nd gear then it's normally 28 mpg, Worst it's ever Done is 26MPG, the trick is not to rev over 2000 rpm It does 63MPH @ 2000 RPM in 5th gear, so by using the progressive gear changing technique, you can save a few quid.

I keep a very close eye on fuel consumption for all my Vehicles Honda CR-V is the best, It returns 44MPG mostly dropping to 39 Mixed Driving 

, The worst is my 3 Litre Mercedes Sprinter 7speed auto 22MPG is about the average to matter how it's driven

Yep the right foot has a lot to do with it.  I have driven on the rev counter since the 60s, got used to it driving competition cars and with my  Duster 1800 to2000 revs appears to be the magic point.  It does have a fancy little green arrow as well to tell you when to change up and down but I just watch the rev counter.

I still say, unless you intend hauling large trailers, the Duster would meet all requirements unless your a greenlaner.   I just popped it into 4 wheel drive this morning and drove up a grass bank 35-40deg slope without a problem and that is on basic town tyres..... there again revs and your right foot also come into play in such circumstances.

[mgsontour]

8 hours ago, London Best said:

I have two friends with Hilux Invincibles, and they are both very disappointed  with the fuel consumption.

I have heard a couple of people saying how economical their Navaras are.

My son in law has just been given an L200 by his workplace, and he will only describe it as ‘horrendous’.

I dunno!

Dunno. . . . . definitely describes what me finks too

[TOPGUN749]

My brother in law has a 2002 Short wheel base Isuzu Trooper, about 3,000cc Diesel engine.He claimed it did 42 mpg on a 200 mile run, mostly motorway,but I have a feeling he exaggerated or calculated wrong, more like 32mpg I would say.

[morgan]

A 2.5 MK6 Hilux doublecab with all terrain tyres will return in the low 30's in normal A road use. They are quite expensive to buy but hold their value and are as tough and reliable. As well as good off road.

[powler]

11 hours ago, TOPGUN749 said:

My brother in law has a 2002 Short wheel base Isuzu Trooper, about 3,000cc Diesel engine.He claimed it did 42 mpg on a 200 mile run, mostly motorway,but I have a feeling he exaggerated or calculated wrong, more like 32mpg I would say.

I have a 2001 model and on a run it does about 30mpg and about 27mpg on normal running about, well it did last time I worked it out, so not a lot of difference.

Its a very comfy truck to drive and does everything for me, very pleased with it and to buy a second hand one is not expensive and cheaper road tax than newer 4x4's.