Which 4x4 with a high towing nose weight
Discussion
Hi, I'm thinking of having a swap round of my vehicles so I can get back into enduro/mx. A van isn't really suitable as I'd need more than just the 3 seats and crew cab vans are mostly out of budget.
I'm after something with a decent enough nose weight to carry an enduro bike (around 110kg) on the back.
Requirements are to be as cheap as possible to buy (don't really wanna spend over 2k), reliable ish and the better on fuel the better. It will be used for dogs, commuting 4 miles and potentially 2-3 hours each way with a bike on the back every couple of weeks. Probably won't do any off road other than fields.
Have a nice estate car for most trips but the tow bar nose weight would make it unsafe with a bike on and the only cars that are high enough tend to be 4x4s.
So far I'm down to a high mileage freelander 1 td4 and a jeep cherokee/grand cherokee with one of the crd diesels.
Anything else I should be looking at?
Regards, Carl
I'm after something with a decent enough nose weight to carry an enduro bike (around 110kg) on the back.
Requirements are to be as cheap as possible to buy (don't really wanna spend over 2k), reliable ish and the better on fuel the better. It will be used for dogs, commuting 4 miles and potentially 2-3 hours each way with a bike on the back every couple of weeks. Probably won't do any off road other than fields.
Have a nice estate car for most trips but the tow bar nose weight would make it unsafe with a bike on and the only cars that are high enough tend to be 4x4s.
So far I'm down to a high mileage freelander 1 td4 and a jeep cherokee/grand cherokee with one of the crd diesels.
Anything else I should be looking at?
Regards, Carl
I've considered a trailer but storing it would be a faff. Not enough room at mine really and when I did mx in the past I used to store the trailer elsewhere and hated collecting and dropping it off after a long day's riding. Also, the lane 3 and 70mph limit with the bike being on the back is a bit better on a longer run.
Carl-H said:
Kia Sorento has just come onto the radar. Anyone with any experience?
Mate of my son had one as a company car, no trouble to speak of, he towed a Disco he used for offroading regularly on a heavy trailer and it coped fine, borrowed his trailer myself (once) and sesning it wasn't stopping well discovered to my horror there were no braking mechanisms inside the drums at all, Sorento coped so well he never realised.Couple of times i've driven them found the suspension maybe too soft and spongey, so unsurprisngly it ain't a sports car, but very very comfy.
Also consider Hyundai Terracan, colleague had one for years no trouble with it, another chap using one it was still in warranty at 4 years old 150k miles, he said a seal had blown on the rear diff done under warranty and a few bits of trim came loose all done under warranty, but considering how hard he used it with every panel dented or scraped spoke well of the build quality.
Drabbesttunic said:
I just couldn't have my bike on show like that, too many scumbags.
I have a hiace minibus with blacked out windows and a quick release seat that can fix in the back to make it a 4 seater.
I know what you mean. The ideal solution would be a Renault traffic/movano in lwb with the crew cab. 6 seats and just enough room in the back for a bike or 2 whilst still keeping the occupants safe with the bulkhead. I'd be carrying my young son occasionally and would worry about a bike being in the same compartment as him if I bought a normal van and added seats to the back.I have a hiace minibus with blacked out windows and a quick release seat that can fix in the back to make it a 4 seater.
I have worried about people following me home, luckily I live in a culdesac so would clocknanyone following me back and where the bike is stored would make stealing it tricky. Although I know enough friends who have lost bikes despite having lots of security.
Smint said:
Mate of my son had one as a company car, no trouble to speak of, he towed a Disco he used for offroading regularly on a heavy trailer and it coped fine, borrowed his trailer myself (once) and sesning it wasn't stopping well discovered to my horror there were no braking mechanisms inside the drums at all, Sorento coped so well he never realised.
Couple of times i've driven them found the suspension maybe too soft and spongey, so unsurprisngly it ain't a sports car, but very very comfy.
Also consider Hyundai Terracan, colleague had one for years no trouble with it, another chap using one it was still in warranty at 4 years old 150k miles, he said a seal had blown on the rear diff done under warranty and a few bits of trim came loose all done under warranty, but considering how hard he used it with every panel dented or scraped spoke well of the build quality.
Good to hear the Sorento sounds decent. I hadn't even heard of a terracan, that looks like another good shout. They seem similar priced to the kia but even bigger inside. Still not too bad on fuel either. Thanks! Couple of times i've driven them found the suspension maybe too soft and spongey, so unsurprisngly it ain't a sports car, but very very comfy.
Also consider Hyundai Terracan, colleague had one for years no trouble with it, another chap using one it was still in warranty at 4 years old 150k miles, he said a seal had blown on the rear diff done under warranty and a few bits of trim came loose all done under warranty, but considering how hard he used it with every panel dented or scraped spoke well of the build quality.
Something else you probably need to consider and that's axle weight limits & GVW. If you need 4x people, kit & motorbike, I suspect that even the Jeep & Freelander are going to struggle... Which brings us back to a van.
If you can make a compromise on the motorway speeds, a box trailer could be another option. This would have the added advantage of having somewhere to throw your kit into as well as having somewhere to store the bike at home (assuming the trailer is secured but insurance companies can be funny about bikes not in brick garages).
M
If you can make a compromise on the motorway speeds, a box trailer could be another option. This would have the added advantage of having somewhere to throw your kit into as well as having somewhere to store the bike at home (assuming the trailer is secured but insurance companies can be funny about bikes not in brick garages).
M
camel_landy said:
Something else you probably need to consider and that's axle weight limits & GVW. If you need 4x people, kit & motorbike, I suspect that even the Jeep & Freelander are going to struggle... Which brings us back to a van.
If you can make a compromise on the motorway speeds, a box trailer could be another option. This would have the added advantage of having somewhere to throw your kit into as well as having somewhere to store the bike at home (assuming the trailer is secured but insurance companies can be funny about bikes not in brick garages).
M
I was thinking of the total weights but hadn't given it too much thought. Total weight of me, my son, Mrs, bike, tools and kit is only about 400kg max, even a 3 door Hatch should be able to carry 4 people my size which would be the same weight.If you can make a compromise on the motorway speeds, a box trailer could be another option. This would have the added advantage of having somewhere to throw your kit into as well as having somewhere to store the bike at home (assuming the trailer is secured but insurance companies can be funny about bikes not in brick garages).
M
Box trailer is what I used to have and it is great and could be towed by anything, but again it's just the storage faff.
Burrow01 said:
Would a double cab pickup work?
For the motorbike aspect it would work well, the bike could even go on the bed instead of a towbar mount, but at other times it'd be a pain like taking the dogs out and shopping. It could work if I had one with the back on and put the bike on the tow bar again. Like that it would work really well actually, could keep the cab clean and chuck everything else (dirty dogs, mountain bikes, muddy mx kit etc) in the back of it and not be too precious. If there are any that come into budget I'd definitely be interested! 
Air springs, even air helpers.
I have a Defender that I regularly use to tow an 18 foot trailer, frequently loaded with wood. The overall weight of the trailer may possibly be well over the limit on occasion. Without the air springs, the back end was almost on the stops and the steering dangerously light. With 35 psi in the airbags, the car levels and drives perfectly. I think they’re equivalent to an additional 270 lb of spring rating.
I have a Defender that I regularly use to tow an 18 foot trailer, frequently loaded with wood. The overall weight of the trailer may possibly be well over the limit on occasion. Without the air springs, the back end was almost on the stops and the steering dangerously light. With 35 psi in the airbags, the car levels and drives perfectly. I think they’re equivalent to an additional 270 lb of spring rating.
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