>I truly felt that this car COULD go anywhere, much like the
>feeling you get with a Jeep Wrangler,
If you feel a Wrangler COULD go anywhere I can tell you EXACTLY where it
CANNOT go. You have no idea the huge numbers of Wranglers I have yanked out
of ditches. Oh and break something in the heep? Warranty doesn't cover
off-road usage. Sorry! It's considered abuse :P
Yes some of the Land Rovers do have merit. But most of them do better at the
mall, than off road. Their traction control systems takes AGES to kick in,
and by the time wheelspin has set in, the rover is stuck. Pulled quite a bit
of yuppies caught out of cell phone range stuck with one wheel spinning.
(center locker is optional) They really didn't appreciate the gravel the
loose wheel was spitting up on their new rover. Got some nice scratches now!
The US just isn't a serious 4x4 market. All the real stuff is sold abroad.
Ignition switch failure when you are at the mall doesn't seem as bad as when
you are 1000+ miles from the nearest dirt road and have a few hundred
gallons of diesel strapped to the roof rack.
Even some of the modern land rovers (de-luxed of course)are making a
comeback in S. Africa. But otherwise it's Toyota. (Every 4x4 UN & NATO
vehicle) Nissan (Patrol) is also making a small comeback in once Toyota
dominated Australia.
>and that's not a feeling you get
>with just about any other SUV (Acura MDX, Lexus RX300???). But this car
>also felt fine on the highway, and that's not something you get out of a
>soft-top Jeep.
Most 4x4 station wagons can handle a trail as well as the current batch of
US SUVs. Some 4x4 rag had an ultimate SUV shootout. A 2001 ford exploder vs.
a Subaru outback. The outback won. Sigh...
Toby
71 Cruiser
69 Sprite
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