recommend me an alternative to a 4x4 ??

wersal gummage

OK i have a fairly knackered back. had surgery last year and GP and physio both advised me at the time to get a 4x4 or MPV if i could... i couldn't bring myself to drive an MPV - i'm still in my 20s !

anyway - the back doesn't really hurt me anymore - except when i'm after driving (have tried golf, mondeo, clios, E-class, corolla, avensis, octavia - all no good).

before i go out and buy a pajero (which does 17mpg and has no back seats:eek:) - can anyone suggest an alternative ?? I have no need for a 4x4.

basically when i'm sitting in the car, my bum needs to be higher up than my knees if that makes sense. i'm 6 foot 3 so this isn't as easy as it sounds.

budget is about 10k, ideally i dont want to be paying massive road tax so thats why i'm thinking commercial. i dont use a car for getting to work so MPG isn't such an issue really - i wouldn't do more than 2 or 3k miles a year.

any ideas ??? thanks very much.

ps - i might as well just throw it out there now - i wouldn't touch a french car:D

colm_mcm

something like a soft roader (Rav4, X Trail etc)

peasant

A VW transporter with the 170 bhp engine

Jokesetal

Kia Sorento?: 05 going for 10K and under.
Wasn't keen (We also had a Land Cruiser Commercial), but picked up one and have no regrets.
Got a 3 year old GSE (full specs) for 15K in the end (44K new!!)

wersal gummage

peasant wrote: »

A VW transporter with the 170 bhp engine

OK now I feel like the pajero is a pretty sane choice:D

bmw535d

a pajeroe will do way more than 17mpg..my 97 long wheel base does 23-26

must be something wrong with the one you test drove.

coolmoose

bmw535d wrote: »

a pajeroe will do way more than 17mpg..my 97 long wheel base does 23-26

must be something wrong with the one you test drove.

agreed...my 95 LWB is doing 30-35 the past while, steady driving makes a huge difference.

wersal gummage

bmw535d wrote: »

a pajeroe will do way more than 17mpg..my 97 long wheel base does 23-26

must be something wrong with the one you test drove.

coolmoose wrote: »

agreed...my 95 LWB is doing 30-35 the past while, steady driving makes a huge difference.

OK well thats very interesting. all the reviews on-line etc suggest about 17MPG and possibly up to 20.

26 or thereabouts would be grand and I wouldn't have any other issues with buying a pajero really. my last mondeo 1.8 petrol was only doing 27MPG on the daily commute (and i wont be using the pajero for that). I think I'll pick one up by the weekend:)

dhog4n

Try before you buy! Don't assume a 4x4 will give you the seating position you need. My Hilux Surf has a high floor to the extent that my bum is only about 4 inches off the floor and my knees are noticeably higher.

I would guess the more modern softroaders are better in this way. I would start by looking at cars that have a reputation for comfortable seats and consider transplanting a good seat from a breakers yard into a car you like if necessary.

Edit: the only things I have driven that have bum and knees level, never mind tilting forward, are vans - transits, hiaces and the like. I couldn't live with one as a daily driver though. Maybe a high output vw transporter or a merc vito?

colm_mcm

coolmoose wrote: »

agreed...my 95 LWB is doing 30-35 the past while, steady driving makes a huge difference.

Can't get anywhere near that even when driving very easy.

Eric Cartman

kia sorento GSE or XS , they have electric drivers seat that you can position whatever way you want, floor is low enough that you can sit straight up, also has lombar support

colm_mcm

Eric Cartman wrote: »

kia sorento GSE or XS , they have electric drivers seat that you can position whatever way you want, floor is low enough that you can sit straight up, also has lombar support

you have one of those for sale as it happens

wersal gummage

thanks but i dont think i'd go for a Kia to be honest.

anyone have any experience of the suburu forresters ? i think they might be worth a look.

bmw535d

yea but those reviews are more than likely the automatic versions with the the extras you can get. which could take away about 10mpg.

if i pushed my shogun i could get it up to around 32.which is much better than a landcruiser because they are 4wd all the time which is sore on juice

Melodeon

dhog4n wrote: »

Try before you buy! Don't assume a 4x4 will give you the seating position you need. My Hilux Surf has a high floor to the extent that my bum is only about 4 inches off the floor and my knees are noticeably higher.

I would guess the more modern softroaders are better in this way. I would start by looking at cars that have a reputation for comfortable seats and consider transplanting a good seat from a breakers yard into a car you like if necessary.

Edit: the only things I have driven that have bum and knees level, never mind tilting forward, are vans - transits, hiaces and the like. I couldn't live with one as a daily driver though. Maybe a high output vw transporter or a merc vito?

This is true.

Most modern 4x4's have very 'car-like' seating arrangements, a result of their getting more and more suited to their modern target market.

Proper, 'utility', 4x4's will have a more 'sit-up-straight' seating position, but those sort of vehicles aren't terribly common here; the most numerous example would certainly be the Land-Rover Defender, but I'm sure the utility offerings from other manufacturers would probably be similar.
Be aware though, that this sort of upright seating position can give rise to crook knees over the years; ask anyone who has been driving Landys, tractors, industrial loaders, and the like for a few decades.

R.O.R

Definately try before you buy, and make sure it's the commercial version rather than the passenger.

The commercials have at least a half height bulkhead which can restrict the movement of the seat. I once dropped a Pajero Sport commercial to a tall driver who couldn't even get in to it - yet alone drive it.

Have you tried a Volvo S60? Generally acknowledge by chiropractors (sp?) as having the best seats. Driving position may not work for you, but it's worth a try - also, they aren't the easiest on Fuel so the smaller S40 might be worth a try as well.

samsemtex

R.O.R wrote: »

Definately try before you buy, and make sure it's the commercial version rather than the passenger.

The commercials have at least a half height bulkhead which can restrict the movement of the seat. I once dropped a Pajero Sport commercial to a tall driver who couldn't even get in to it - yet alone drive it.

Have you tried a Volvo S60? Generally acknowledge by chiropractors (sp?) as having the best seats. Driving position may not work for you, but it's worth a try - also, they aren't the easiest on Fuel so the smaller S40 might be worth a try as well.

My old S40 had an incredibly low seat. There is no way that a tall persons knees would be level with his arse in it. That said they are extremely comfortable and I have never had even a moment of back pain even on the longest of journeys.

BlackWizard

I had an automatic x-trail. It was great to drive and I was in the same position as the OP. I'm 6'3 and I have a sore lower back which only comes about from driving. My lower back gets tense because of the pressure being put on it when my knees are up quite high. I'm so jealous of smaller drives that are able to comfortably use all the pedals in cars with their knees being up so high. You can't imagine how sore it can get even without an old back injury.

The x-trail won't let your knees drop very low like on a Transporter, but it is noticably lower than car. But what made all the difference was the automatic gear box. I drove from Dublin to Galway in it and I got out of the car feeling fresh as a daisy. No pains in my knee or lower back.

Right now I drive an automatic saloon and my lower back sometimes gets a bit tense because I'm still getting my seating arrangement right. But I know that 90% of the time I will not notice any back or knee issues once the car is automatic.

Redderneck

BlackWizard wrote: »

I had an automatic x-trail. It was great to drive and I was in the same position as the OP. I'm 6'3 and I have a sore lower back which only comes about from driving. My lower back gets tense because of the pressure being put on it when my knees are up quite high. I'm so jealous of smaller drives that are able to comfortably use all the pedals in cars with their knees being up so high. You can't imagine how sore it can get even without an old back injury.

The x-trail won't let your knees drop very low like on a Transporter, but it is noticably lower than car. But what made all the difference was the automatic gear box. I drove from Dublin to Galway in it and I got out of the car feeling fresh as a daisy. No pains in my knee or lower back.

Right now I drive an automatic saloon and my lower back sometimes gets a bit tense because I'm still getting my seating arrangement right. But I know that 90% of the time I will not notice any back or knee issues once the car is automatic.

Was just about to recommend similar - if you can get your hands on an auto for an extended test drive; might not be possible due to the budget you've set yourself - perhaps even borrow/hire one for a w/end if that's doable - you might just find that a half decent seat coupled with not clutching all the time, makes all the difference.

Also - get yourself into a Merc A-class, they might give you the semi-high position you need. Not sure on this tbh, but maybe worth a look.

KamiKazi

You need your ass above your knees?

Get a motorbike!

MaryDub

Rav 4. highly recommended.

coolmoose

colm_mcm wrote: »

Can't get anywhere near that even when driving very easy.

yea it surprised me too, and most people think I'm spoofing...have a spreadsheet to keep track of my MPG, and it ranges from 17-35.2 mpg since the start of February. 4WD, towing and booting it on the motorway all result in 22 or less; a full service, diesel treatment every once in a while, 80-90k on cruise, using braking/acceleration sense and 2WD has seen that jump to the 30's for the past few weeks.

Bellemz

Honda CRV - 2l petrol. Drives like a car but gives you a good seating position. Cheap enough to pick up second hand too.

wersal gummage

thanks for all the replies.

i'm going to go with a subaru forester.