Thursday, Apr 03, 2008 at 08:51
The Best 4wd is what ?
First what is the definition of best !
Best is and all encompassing term, not just best in a catergory like best fuel consumption.
To be best you need a strong chassis with long travel
suspension all a round and to be able to churn all of those 4 wheels constantly (4 wheels lockable options).
This more or less cuts the field quickly to the GU and GQ patrols
along with 80 series and some 100 series cruisers.
The GU Patrol is the only currently made model with these features and options available.
You need the power and torque to pull through mud and up steep hills and sand drifts, and pass traffic effortlessly, some models of each of the above can do this but the GU 4800 is the most powerful by a good margin.
You need to be able to get 1000km range reasonably easy, the diesel versions of the above do this but so can the petrols with readily obtainable bigger fuel tanks.
As its a 4wd and meant to travel over uneven terrain, stability
is of fundamental performance, and on technical measurements the GU patrol with a 48 degree tilt angle and long wheelbase simply wins here.
You need to be able to easily and preferrably legally fit 33 in wheels. The models I mention can fit these but only some models of GU are legal as
well.
You need a high reliability design, relative simplicity and unfussy -
again most, but not all of the 80's and GUs fit this requirement.
I prefer the lack of turbo complexity, high pressure pumps etc and like the unfussyness of petrol as a fuel.
Manual is good for the bush but only if your engine has wide and large torque band.
The car needs to be not to big and 80 series and GU are about as big as you want to go.
Low NVH figures are good for the long driving hours and sneaking up on wildlife so petrols are a winner here.
While your question tends to leave out cost as a basis, most of us need reasonable life cycle running costs.
With newer car this means that a low purchase price tends to win over things like fuel consumption.
AnswerID:
296303