Buzzy--Bee

Actually, if your 4x4 is a diesel, it is probably more environmentally friendly and has better fuel consumption than your average family saloon.

For instance, 232Bar's Nissan Pathfinder does 8.1litres/100k. Almost no family saloons in Oz achieve that little fuel consumption.

As for taking up more road space, they only do that in a vertical direction!



Buzzy

toandfro

there are many MPV,s that provide 7 seats with out going to a 4x4 .I drive a Disco because I work in the middle of nowhere but if you live work and drive round town you may feel safe but you are a danger to others (visability ,impact damage, etc) if you are a road user not a bush basher then I would seriously concider a MPV before a 4x4 . people who drive 4x4 in cities and never leave the black buy them for status the excuses used ,safer room, etc are just that ,excuses. the diesel feature is avail in mpv's 7 seats are safety is also a feature the expense of runing a 4x4 is hard to justify for city use ,service twice the price parts 3 or 4 times the price tyres ,taxes , parking is more difficult If I were in your position I would concider very carfully . however I have assumed you are a city boy based on you question if you live out back of nowhere then thats a different story

OzTennis

http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=36089

"diesel engines spew out 100 times more sooty particles than gasoline engines. As a result, diesel engines account for an estimated 26 percent of the total hazardous particulate pollution (PM10) from fuel combustion sources in our air, and 66 percent of the particulate pollution from on-road sources. Diesel engines also produce nearly 20 percent of the total nitrogen oxides (NOx) in outdoor air and 26 percent of the total NOx from on-road sources. Nitrogen oxides are a major contributor to ozone production and smog."

But good fuel consumption comparatively speaking!

OzTennis

toandfro

hate to burst you bubble but that is a falsehood ,fuel consuption for most diesel family cars is around the 8-9 l/100k mark but diesel burns so much dirtier than petrol the difference lies in the ability to filter the exhaust as diesel generates more "soot" which is easyer to remove and so the exhaused appears cleaner you will notice that a diesel with a busted exhaust is black and smelly . the high carbons are about the same for both fuels .but as I said before for a city slicker (excuse the term) a 4x4 is an unneccerssary expense and hard to justify .

zx10r_aus

If someone wants to buy a 4x4 they can. It wouldn't matter where you live. Why do people have to justify what they spend their money on?


ZX.....

toandfro

I don't suggest they justify it to me or you ,just them selves ,like justifying the expense to the use , I would like a $6000 laptop but I cannot justify spending the money ,I can buy one bucause I want it but a machine @ $1500 will do what I need .hope that clarifies my point

MarkMC

Ill be having a 4x4 when I get there, bcause I can, not because I need 1

TMRE

Most people I speak to say that it more to do with safety than pollution. 4x4 drivers seem to be more aggressive drivers than smaller cars over here. The mentality being I'm safe in my high up car so I can drive faster etc. I have seen quite a few 4x4 that have rolled in accidents and also have caused real damage to cars they have crashed into (living near a motorway). I'm not personally against them although why my single next door neighbor who never goes off road, and only seems to drive 2 miles and back to the station, needs his is beyond me .

steandleigh

Where we live, there are a lot of 4x4's on the road and nobody gives a rats arse, if you can afford to run one, then good on ya. Generally, they are a necessity if you want to get anywhere especially gorgeous for the weekend.

An aside:

I was in a major shopping mall this week - got back to the car park and found a woman about to drive off - she'd left a note on my windscreen saying "Sorry" and her number, then saw me and stopped -

She'd driven her Landcruiser into the side of my parked Rav4 - thought she had enough room to manoeuver into the space beside me - Jesus!

That's my only gripe - if you're going to own a big arse vehicle, make sure you can bloody drive it and park it!!!:curse:

Buzzy--Bee

You tell me which 7 seat MPV provides -

diesel
full length side curtain airbags
leather seats
cruise control
rear park assist.

and I will happily consider buying it.

I have researched every 7 seater available in Oz and haven't found an MPV that offers all this, for the price of the Pathfinder.

my research -

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=376751



Buzzy

toandfro

I would suggest you get a job ,place to live ,etc before worrying about buying a landie , you may find yourself in a right predicament otherwise

flower33

I have a 4x4 so i am not going to bash people who own one, but what i will say is that i also owned a small car. I did not have an issue then with 4x4 and i did not have small car syndrom. I loved my small car, we could fit in spaces that others could'nt and it was great on fuel and insurance costs! My 4x4 is not the largerst around it's a just a average one. If you can afford the biggest then great but does that make you a safe driver or a sensible one. Its not the car that causes accidents its the driver. There are too many drivers that think that they can drive at any speed! Even next to schools and in inner residential areas. As for the inviroment, we all drive so we all pollute end of really. Only answer is to walk, and in oz thats not a option!

toandfro

up to you of course ,but leather in this clmate is not a good idea tends to need a lot of care and heat ,kids etc make it difficult . the toyota tarago gives you the rest and in a range from cheap and standard to top of the line got the kitchen sink in the back style . people make alot of air bags but you will find that in most accidents they are not activated as the impact isn't sever enough to warrant they deployment . Cars are biult to absorb the impact and seat belts do the same it is only at the point that they can't cope that the bags deploy . If you are bent on buying a 4x4 then buy one but you asked for opinion . if you want to tow travel in style and have the best use of internal space the new landrover in the best on the market and will pull upto 4tonne (with elect brakes ) the v6 diesel returns 8.2l/100k and can be bought with the leather interior.and the ladies like driving them .

Wendy

I don't drive. Not been a problem for me.

I walk to school every day (20 minutes there and then the same back again). If I need to go anywhere then I get on the bus or train

Buzzy--Bee

I'm not "bent on buying a 4x4" at all - I just can't find an MPV that suits!

The Toyota Tarago doesnt have a diesel option or leather, it doesn't have the 3-row side curtain airbags and it drinks more fuel than the Pathfinder. Plus it costs almost $70,000 and has a 3.5 litre engine!!! I've never owned a car with an engine that big!

The landrover costs $85,000!



Buzzy