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Vancouver, BC
Canada
262 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2010 : 11:28 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by mtnview
That TJ video is pretty impressive! I am not sure I would use the term "road" in describing the way to Upper Hut Lake.
"road" might not be the best descriptor, lots of steep, chunky granite sections and bedrock inclines. i think it's blocked off with a gate now. |
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 opinionated-stove huggin'-fleece wearin'-arse burnin' hill virgin
Here
Canada
4642 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2010 : 10:59 AM
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My dream vehicle would be a fixed up old Toyota Landcruiser, not that fugly thing they're selling today that is supposed to be the new improved version. Unfortunately I have been stuck with mini suv/crossovers so I'll give you my opinion on those.
I did have a 2003 Subi Forrester...had great traction on gravel and snow...even better when I switched my Yoko's(good tires) for Nokians (even better). The vehicle was pretty rugged and withstood some pretty rough forestry road travel, however it did have some drawbacks, it lacked some interior passenger space and the engine was really underpowered. The subi also had real breaking problems, especially when they were wet. As with most vehicles of this class, the subi had some clearance issues but I made it over most waterbars and up some sketchy roads like the one to Twin Lakes(Mt. Baker area).
I now own a 2008 RAV 4. It has a lot more room inside than my Subi had, a little more pep with the engine, and a little more clearance. The traction of course isn't quite as nice as the Subi's was and I'm back to using Yoko's again. Overall, the Toyota Rav 4 has the edge but I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Subi in the future.
I also owned at Nissan Pathfinder for about 7 years. While I drove that vehicle everywhere, it had many problems. It was terrible on slippery roads and it had a high center of gravity which made cornering unenjoyable at times. The hubs also locked up at times. My biggest issue with it was that it was a Nissan...the service was expensive and often very bad.
Why I don't drive one of the other Xovers....
American cars....never had a good experience with one. Either the quality sucks or there is no resale in them.
Honda...at 6'1" I found the driver's seat to be cramped.
Hyundai...still supsicious of their quality after the early years
Suzuki... the early Sidekicks...need I say more
Nissan...see my rant about my old Pathfinder
Volvo...expensive! |
Edited by - Hiker Boy on 11/20/2010 12:43 PM |
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193 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2010 : 3:53 PM
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2010 Diesel Touareg.
Love it. |
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Whistler, BC
Canada
422 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2010 : 5:39 PM
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Yeah those Touregs look super nice, I'd love to take one on a spin for a few days somewhere to see its overall capabilities.
My other half drives a 2002 Honda CRV and we've done quite a bit of touring with that. Its a fantastic all-round vehicle and with some minor modifications I believe it could be turned into a fairly competent back-roader. Its a wonder to me that I've never seen one heavily modified. If you're looking for reliability at the top of the list, Honda has no equal imho.
Definitely no comfortable sleeping options though
but it does perform.............
In the CRV I drove across BC in one night during that record snowstorm back in Dec 2006 for work in Alberta. 40cms + snow all across the province and I was able to maintain a steady 80-90km/h across unplowed, compact snow covered rds all the way to Alberta with nary a slip.
Previously she drove a 2001 Chevy Tracker and although its stock off-road capability is slightly superior to that of the stock CRV; the build quality and overall reliability is far behind that of the Honda unfortunately.
Currently I drive a 1991 4cyl Diesel Pajero - Its definitely got personality if you like that sort of thing. Out of all the Delicas and Pajeros I've looked at (probably dozens if not 100s) not one is the same and they all seem to drive a little differently even. Very, very offroad capable with the right kit and the road manners and fuel efficiency (for the size and off road worthiness) are excellent as well. I think for the price people are often shocked at what you get in terms of luxury comforts in these vehicles and mixed with their back-road capabilities, they're hard vehicles to ignore. The diesel takes a somewhat demanding maintenance regime but if you keep it happy, it'll keep you happy for many years - so its worth considering if you're the type who likes to customize your vehicle to your liking and then hold on to it forever.
My dream truck would be a customized, camperized HDJ-80 series Landcruiser with a Manual Transmission and 6cyl Diesel Engine - Ultimate utility, economy, reliability in one sweet package. |
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1262 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2010 : 09:10 AM
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"Summit Seeker:My dream truck would be a customized, camperized HDJ-80 series Landcruiser with a Manual Transmission and 6cyl Diesel Engine - Ultimate utility, economy, reliability in one sweet package."
And my dream would be to take the 38000.00 bucks out of the subie and put it into a 95 suzuki sidekick 4x4 with a VW turbo diesel and get rid of all computer parts. ( irrational fear of being stuck out in the middle or beyond of nowhere and having a dead computer ) I would raise the 4x4 by a whopping 1" or maybe 2 " and weld in Toyota Supra seats like I had in my last Sidekick. I wish those Pajero's and Delica's would arrive with LHD and the same price as they seem like a good deal. |
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681 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2010 : 09:34 AM
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quote:
I wish those Pajero's and Delica's would arrive with LHD and the same price as they seem like a good deal.
I did a little google investigation of those Pajeros, i found they have a now rather early stage development diesel , that have a few bugs, like head gasket problems. I think the Japanese do their product development on home soil, so this may affect japan only vehicles. |
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100 Mile House, BC
Canada
175 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2010 : 10:28 AM
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Go green.
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43 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2010 : 3:27 PM
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i have a subaru forrester and get just about everywhere anybody i know with an suv can get and usually i beat them up the tougher hills,
just go slow and remember you cant pound through the ditches like a truck but its all good,
i would get a samurai if i had my choice of vehicle, driving my buddies with a lift and a larger engine and we can get anywhere we want, only people who can follow are on quads but we get there faster and warmer :)
i am currently looking for a 4wd truck but having a hard time finding one that will fit my entire family. |
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1262 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2010 : 6:01 PM
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| Ahhhh family. The subie seats 5 and the tracker seats 4. Grandma refuses to be tied to the roof racks, so I have to keep the subie a bit longer. |
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87 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2011 : 10:04 AM
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I am an happy driver of LJ 78. Little underpowered, but I always smile, when I sit at the steering wheel. Little older, so it need its maintenance too.
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Langley, BC
Canada
1078 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2011 : 11:18 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by scottN
Suzukis are probably the most capable of the small SUVs. They are the only ones that have low range gearing and true 4 wheel drive. Most small SUVs have AWD with a center differential that reduces traction when you need it most.
True that. |
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Vancouver
1816 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2011 : 1:55 PM
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| The Patriot has a version with a single low crawler gear. Plus it has the advantages over the current Grand Vitara of skid plates and a bit of extra clearance on that model. A head-to-head between our GV and a friend's off-road Patriot on the Owl Creek road showed them to be evenly matched. I believe the Grand Vitara would be substantially better for winter conditions, and is generally a fancier and a little larger vehicle. |
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canine loving, machete-toting bushwhacking lake seeker, Indiana Jones hat-wearing off-road 4x4 guru
Surrey Hole, BC
Canada
6773 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2011 : 9:34 PM
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although never seen side by side or tested, you find the GV physically bigger in out?
I would asume better abilities by the GV to some degree as I think its a fair bit lighter.
EDIT
Rereading I see it was a patriot, I thought a Liberty.. |
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Port Coquitlam, BC
Canada
169 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2011 : 9:51 PM
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I drive an 03 Mitsubishi Montero Sport. Love it. Has awd, 4hi and 4lo. Good clearance and decent power. The only down side is the departure angle, tail pipe sticks out too far, nothing a hacksaw can't fix though!
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canine loving, machete-toting bushwhacking lake seeker, Indiana Jones hat-wearing off-road 4x4 guru
Surrey Hole, BC
Canada
6773 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2011 : 9:59 PM
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| yes in most cases the tailpipe takes a beating, especially when backing up. |
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canine loving, machete-toting bushwhacking lake seeker, Indiana Jones hat-wearing off-road 4x4 guru
Surrey Hole, BC
Canada
6773 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2011 : 10:23 PM
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| Aircare does not like axle dumps,some side dumps are OK, if off roading regular, check into regulations (tailpipe exits) |
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Chilliwack, B.C.
Canada
355 Posts |
Posted - 01/23/2011 : 08:46 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Aqua Terra
yes in most cases the tailpipe takes a beating, especially when backing up.
LOL at this comment! Definitely ripped the exhaust off my old XJ quite a few times. The Church Mountain loop was notorious for it! I think I at least bent it every time I headed up there.(That's what you get driving dirtbike trails in a cherokee) Sunrise up West Harrison claimed a couple too haha. But she sure was a capable rig. Only a couple slight mods (More clearance, better tires) and it took me through just about anything. You couldn't kill this jeep though! Amazing considering the abuse it saw, and it was my second vehicle, 18 when I got it, so believe me it saw abuse Haha. Unfortunatly, wouldn't pass aircare though so I had to upgrade to my 95 Grand Cherokee.  |
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Coquitlam, BC
Canada
84 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2012 : 12:25 PM
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Giving this thread a lil bump as it'd be nice to get some updated opinions.
I thought for a long while that I'd like to get a 4x4 as a secondary vehicle, but reality unfortunately reared its ugly head. It's a nice idea to have something capable of climbing the toughest trails, but if I only go on like 2-3 trails a year, then it's really hard to justify the fuel economy of a bigger and heavier truck.
So I'm now thinking about giving crossovers a chance.
My criterias:
- Halfway decent mileage
- Able to make it up a semi-rough trail (say Mt. Cheam) without bashing it too much
- Decent cargo space without necessarily being truck sized (back seats that completely fold down should be enough in most cases)
I'm hearing that the 2012 Ford Explorer is a much better designed vehicle than the older revisions -- but then again, I doubt the reviewers ever took a Cheam or Upper Brandywine trip. Has anyone seen one of these in action? |
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Penticton, BC
Canada
89 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2012 : 09:24 AM
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I'm a big fan of the Subaru Forester. If modifying cars doesn't scare you, you can have a very capable Forester without too much time or effort.
Strut spacers with longer studs (lots of options here).
Lifting springs (King springs are the way to go).
Beefier tires (General Grabber's are popular).
Front skid plate, rear diff cover (lots of options, I prefer Primitive Racing's stuff).
We just moved out to BC so I'm trying to convince Mrs. EDJ to let me get her Foz a little more off road worthy.
That said, if I was in the market for a capable, dedicated, off roader I would be into a mid-90's Tacoma without question. |
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canine loving, machete-toting bushwhacking lake seeker, Indiana Jones hat-wearing off-road 4x4 guru
Surrey Hole, BC
Canada
6773 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2012 : 10:26 PM
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| Dirtbikes do the job well |
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Topic |
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Back Road Vehicles
